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Updated: Oct 4, 2026

Gastric Point of Care Ultrasound in Adults: Image Acquisition and Interpretation
Published on: September 22, 2023
Diagnostic performance of ultrasound for gastric volvulus in pediatric patients
Takahiro Hosokawa1, Kyoichi Deie2, Yumiko Sato3
1Department of Radiology, Saitama Children's Medical Center, 1-2 Shintoshin Chuo-Ku Saitama, Saitama, 330-8777, Japan. snowglobe@infoseek.jp.
Purpose:
In this study, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound for gastric volvulus. The characteristics of patients with gastric volvulus were also evaluated.
Methods:
Thirty-seven pediatric patients with gastric volvulus, diagnosed based on an upper gastrointestinal series, were classified into two groups: organoaxial and mesenteroaxial. The diagnostic performance of ultrasound for gastric volvulus and its usefulness in the management of these patients were also examined. Age, symptom onset, and presence/absence of diaphragmatic elevation/hernia, scoliosis, and wandering spleen of the two groups were compared using Fisher's exact and the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results:
Among the 37 eligible patients, 28/9 had organoaxial/ mesenteroaxial gastric volvulus, respectively. Seven of these patients (18.9%) were correctly diagnosed using ultrasound. In 31/37 patients, ultrasound ruled out other disease-related symptoms indicative of gastric volvulus. Significant inter-group differences were observed for age (age (years) with organoaxial vs. mesenteroaxial gastric volvlulus = 2.24 ± 4.22 [0.01-14.98] vs.5.77 ± 4.45 [0.23-15.87], P = 0.010), acute/chronic onset of symptom (acute/chronic onset of symptom with organoaxial vs. mesentaroaxial gastric volvlulus = 5/23 vs. 5/4, P = 0.041), wandering spleen (present/absent of those with organoaxial vs. mesenteroaxial gastric volvulus = 0/28 vs. 6/3, P = 0.001), and scoliosis (present/absent of those with organoaxial vs, mesenteroaxial gastric volvulus = 1/27 vs. 3/6, P = 0.038).
Conclusion:
To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound for gastric volvulus. Although small number of cases of gastric volvulus were diagnosed using ultrasound, its diagnostic performance was unreliable. However, ultrasound was useful in differentiating gastric volvulus from other diseases with similar symptoms.
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