[Preoperative diagnosis of intra-abdominal diseases. Reliability of sonography and computer tomography]

In a retrospective study the reliability of ultrasound and computed tomography was compared and evaluated using the subsequent intraoperative findings. The analysis comprised ultrasound and computed tomography data of 111 consecutive patients in whom both investigations were performed within one week and whose diagnoses could be ascertained intraoperatively within two weeks. The correct diagnosis was made preoperatively in 80 out of 111 patients by ultrasound (sensitivity 72%) and in 95 out of 111 patients by computed tomography (sensitivity 85%). The results show that computed tomography is superior to ultrasound in preoperative diagnosis of intraabdominal diseases (P less than 0.025). In particular, liver and adrenal tumours and diseases of the air-filled gastrointestinal tract can be diagnosed more reliably preoperatively by computed tomography than by ultrasound.