Sonography of the acute abdomen in the pediatric patient.

OBJECTIVE To review the causes and sonographic appearance of pathologic processes that result in abdominal pain in the pediatric patient and to understand the use and limitations of abdominal sonography in the acute pediatric abdomen. METHODS A pictorial review of cases is presented. RESULTS Sonography in conjunction with color and pulsed Doppler imaging is a valuable tool in the evaluation of the acute abdomen in the pediatric patient. This article reviews the use of sonography in the evaluation of the acute abdomen in the pediatric patient. CONCLUSIONS The causes of the acute abdomen in children vary depending on the ages of the children. Sonography is a noninvasive modality and is useful for assessing these patients.