Ultrasound of the palpable abdominal mass.

A retrospective study was made of adult patients with a palpable abdominal mass referred by Hospital Practitioners to the ultrasound department over an 11 month period. One hundred and four patients were included in the study. Sixty-nine patients had an abnormality responsible for the clinically palpable mass and 35 patients did not . There was one false positive ultrasound diagnosis and one false negative. The correct organ of origin was suggested in 60 patients and the correct pathological diagnosis in 53 patients. The high positive predictive value (99%) and negative predictive value (97%) for the presence or absence of a lesion in these patients compare very well with the investigation of such patients by computed tomography and we suggest that ultrasound should be the initial investigation.