Sensitivity and specificity of CT scan in small bowel obstruction among children

To determine the sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography scan for diagnosing small bowel obstruction among children. The retrospective diagnostic test accuracy study was carried out at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data of all patients aged 2-16 years who presented with clinical features of small bowel obstruction and underwent computed tomography scan of abdomen from January 2001 to December 2015Data was analyzed using SPSS19. Of the 98 subjects, 65(66.0%) were males and 33(34.0%) were females. Overall mean age of the patients was 7.67±4.33 years and mean duration of symptoms was 2.84±1.17 days. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values as well as accuracy of computed tomography scan was 97.4%, 81.8%, 94.9%, 90.0% and 93.9% respectively. CT scan was found to have a high sensitivity, fairly good specificity and accuracy in revealing small bowel obstruction. However, the scan is known to have its limitations in sub-acute intestinal obstruction and primary peritonitis.