Colour Doppler imaging of the acute paediatric scrotum.

The differentiation of the causes of acute scrotal pathology by clinical means alone is prone to inaccuracy, resulting in inappropriate surgical exploration. Colour Doppler imaging (CDI) provides the facility to assess blood flow. Torsion of the testis impedes blood flow, whereas it is enhanced or normal in inflammatory pathology. We have investigated 40 cases of acute scrotal disease by means of CDI in which the radiologist performing the test was unaware of the preliminary clinical diagnosis. The clinical diagnostic accuracy was 60%, whereas the diagnostic accuracy of CDI was 82%. CDI provides an effective means of enhancing diagnostic accuracy.