Errors and pitfalls in ultrasonic scanning of the abdomen

Abstract

The use of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool is now becoming a well-established and important procedure in many hospitals. As the number of examinations increases, some of the errors and pitfalls appear more often than others and may be termed “classical” in nature. This report of our experiences based on more than 4,000 abdominal scans, will hopefully help others to avoid repeating our mistakes in diagnosis. The areas discussed include: false positive diagnosis of focal liver processes because of rib artefacts, the difficulty in interpreting the anatomy of the region of the spleen, left adrenal gland, and upper pole of the left kidney, the differential diagnosis of space-occupying lesions of the renal pelvic junction, the delineation of abdominal aortic aneurysms, and others.