Sonography The New Gold Standard For Hernias?

I have been seeing patients with vague abdominal pain for many years.  The ultrasound machine is a versatile engine that we are just tapping into regarding its diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities.  Many times I have been asked to see patients with vague abdominal pain.  I always ask them where it hurts.  Message to sonographers.  Always scan where it hurts.  Here is a great article that bolsters my message.  Look for the finer things with a high frequency probe.  Be aware of the stuff that is close to the probe.  Always use the Valsalva maneuver to provoke a hernia.  Document it.

Ultrasound as Gold Standard for Hernia Diagnosis?

Group finds It Better Than CT; But Will It Be Widely Adopted?

By Christina Frangou
Surgeons from Vanderbilt University are recommending that dynamic abdominal sonography for hernia (DASH) replace computed tomography (CT) as the gold standard for the radiographic identification and characterization of incisional hernia.
“The DASH examination is an accurate alternative to the CT scan for diagnosing abdominal wall hernias, with additional benefits of no radiation exposure and instant bedside interpretation,” concluded Benjamin K. Poulose, MD, MPH, assistant professor of general surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn., and his colleagues in a report published in the March edition of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (216:447-453).


Thanks Sono World and general surgery news.

Peace.