Contribution of Point of Care Ultrasound by the Emergency Physician to Rule Out the Small Bowel Obstruction: a Diagnostic, Multicenter Study

Small Bowel Obstruction (SBO) is a frequent pathology, leading to admissions to emergency departments (ED). Diagnosis is currently based on an abdominal CT scan (CT). However, CT is associated with drawbacks such as radiation exposure, increased cost and ED length-of-stay.

A recent meta-analysis including 1178 patients showed that Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) had a good diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity 83% [95%CI 71.7%-90.4%]), specificity 93% [95%CI 55.3% -99.3%]). Another meta-analysis with 433 patients, found rather similar results: sensitivity 83% [95% CI 89.0% to 94.7%], specificity 96,6% [95% CI 88.4% to 99.1%]).

Since CT is almost warranted to guide the treatment strategy, which could include surgery, medical treatment or both, CHU of Nantes emergency unit explored a different approach focusing on POCUS rule-out ability. This study also introduced the notion of SBO Gestalt probability which is a global clinical evaluation by the physician. Gestalt probability has mainly been explored in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism and was found as effective as clinical prediction rules. It is used in the routine clinical evaluation of patient with suspicion of pulmonary embolism. When applied to patients with SBO suspicion, the physician chooses between low, moderate or high risk of SBO. Based on CT results, prevalence of SBO based on Gestalt probability were 21%, 45% and 87% in the low, moderate and high risks, respectively.

Our team studied POCUS with the following items that were searched in the whole abdomen divided into nine zones: dilated incompressible fluid-filled intestinal loop (>25 mm) with back-and-forth fluid movement. When at least one of these signs was present in one zone, the SBO was highly suspected. As it was an observational study, a CT was performed in all patients and was the gold standard. This approach was associated with a POCUS sensitivity in the whole population of 99% [95% CI: 93-99.8] [2]. POCUS would thus have a role in patients with low and moderate SBO risks because the prevalence of SBO was major in the high risk Gestalt probability category of patients, and thus CT is the only imaging needed in these latter. Furthermore, in patients with low or moderate probability, the sensitivity was 100% [95% CI: 88-100] In previous studies, the sensitivity was not able to exclude SBO with sufficient security since the lower 95% confidence interval margin was near 90%. By (i) focusing on patients with a low or moderate clinical Gestalt probability and (ii) increasing the number of patients, CHU of Nantes emergency unit intends to demonstrate that POCUS should be able to safely exclude SBO in this population.

In case of positive results, the diagnostic strategy in case of SBO suspicion could be modified in: firstly, assess the clinical Gestalt probability; secondly perform a POCUS in patients with low or moderate Gestalt probability and thirdly, prescribe a CT only for patients with high clinical probability or presence of POCUS signs of SBO. This would avoid unnecessary CT and thus lower patient's.