Can emergency physicians safely rule in or rule out pediatric intussusception in the Emergency Department using bedside ultrasound?

Report By: Éliane Raymond-Dufresne - PGY-3, Emergency Medicine
Search checked by Hisham Ghanayem - Specialist Emergency Trainee, Manchester Royal Infirmary, UK
Institution: Laval University, Québec, Canada
Date Submitted: 4th June 2012
Date Completed: 15th April 2013
Last Modified: 15th April 2013
Status: Green (complete)

Three Part Question

In [children with suspected intussusception], can [emergency physicians, using bedside ultrasound], [confirm or exclude the diagnosis of intussusception]?

Clinical Scenario

A 3-year-old boy comes in with intermittent bouts of severe abdominal pain. You are thinking of intussusception as the most likely diagnosis. It is night time and in your institution, the access to a formal ultrasound is limited at this time of day. You have heard of case reports of intussusception diagnosed by emergency physicians using bedside ultrasound. You wonder if there is any good evidence at diagnosing intussusceptions with this modality and you decide to search the available literature.