Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 18, Issue 11 773-777, Copyright © 1999 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Pyloric ratio: efficacy in the diagnosis of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis
L. H. Lowe, W. J. Banks and Y. Shyr
Department of Radiology and Radiologic Sciences, Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
We sought to define a weight independent, highly sensitive and specific
measurement to diagnose hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. A retrospective
review of 87 children was performed. We determined the pyloric ratio (wall
thickness/pyloric diameter) and its relationship to weight and compared it
to standard criteria. The average pyloric ratios in normal children and in
those with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis were 0.205 and 0.325, respectively
(P < 0.001). A pyloric ratio of 0.27 yielded a sensitivity and
specificity of 96% and 94%, respectively. The pyloric ratio maintained a
linear relationship to weight in normal patients and those with
hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. We conclude the pyloric ratio can be a
highly sensitive, specific, and weight independent indicator of
hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.
