Suspected appendicitis pathway continues to lower CT rates in children two years after implementation

Abstract Background We implemented a protocol to evaluate pediatric patients with suspected appendicitis using ultrasound as the initial imaging modality. CT utilization rates and diagnostic accuracy were evaluated two years after pathway implementation. Methods This was a retrospective observational study of patients Results CT use decreased significantly following pathway implementation from 94.2% (130/138) to 27.5% (78/284;p Conclusions Adherence to a pathway designed to evaluate pediatric patients with suspected appendicitis using ultrasound as the primary imaging modality has led to a sustained decrease in CT use without compromising diagnostic accuracy.