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

Objective: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography scan for diagnosing small bowel obstruction among children. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.