Ultrasound Evaluation of Abdominal Masses in Ethiopian Child Patients

The aim of this study was to assess the pattern of abdominal masses and evaluate the value of ultrasound in paediatric abdominal masses. We used a cross-sectional study of abdominal masses in children attending a university teaching hospital. The common abdominal masses were: Wilms' tumour, 12 (14.8%); lymphoma, 11 (13.6%); appendiceal mass/abscess, 11 (13.6%); neuroblastoma, 7 (8.6%); TB, 6 (7.4%); hydronephrosis, 5 (6.2%); abdominal wall abscess, 6 (7.4%); hydatidcyst, 4 (4.9%); mesenteric cyst, 3 (3.7%); and intussusceptions, 3 (3.7%). Identification of a purely cystic mass was suggestive of benign lesion (odds ratio [OR] = 118, P = 0.0001) and masses found in the <5 years age group tend to be malignant (OR = 2.77). The most common sites of origin were kidneys, retroperitoneal extra renal and gastrointestinal tract. The overall diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound was 88.9%.