Diagnostic Accuracy of Non-Radiologist-Performed Ultrasound for Diagnosing Acute Appendicitis in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Acute appendicitis is a common cause of abdominal pain requiring surgery in pediatric patients. Given concerns regarding radiation exposure from computed tomography (CT), ultrasound (US) has become the first-line diagnostic modality. In many emergency and resource-limited settings, non-radiologist physicians often perform these examinations. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a non-radiologist-performed ultrasound in detecting acute appendicitis in children. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis according to the PRISMA guidelines. The literature was searched across PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar through June 2024. Studies reporting on the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of non-radiologist-performed ultrasounds in pediatric appendicitis were included. Study quality was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool, and a bivariate random-effects model was used for statistical analysis. Eight studies, with a total of 1006 pediatric patients, were included. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.87 (95% CI, 0.83-0.90) and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.91-0.95), respectively. The area under the SROC curve was 0.783 (95% CI, 0.708-0.853), suggesting moderate-to-good diagnostic accuracy. Substantial heterogeneity was observed across studies, possibly due to differences in operator training and ultrasound techniques. Non-radiologist-performed ultrasound demonstrates moderate-to-good diagnostic accuracy in identifying pediatric appendicitis. These findings support its implementation in emergency or resource-constrained settings and suggest that incorporating structured ultrasound training for non-radiologists may improve timely diagnosis and optimize clinical decision-making in pediatric emergency care.