Utility of ultrasound in the diagnosis of intraabdominal infections.

Intra-abdominal infection is a potentially serious condition that requires early and accurate diagnosis. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as a key diagnostic tool due to its safety, availability, low cost, and bedside applicability. It offers several advantages over other imaging modalities such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), although its diagnostic performance strongly depends on the operator's expertise. Ultrasound is particularly useful in diagnosing common conditions such as appendicitis, cholecystitis, cholangitis, liver abscesses, pyelonephritis, and complicated renal colic. In each of these scenarios, POCUS enables rapid assessment, guides therapeutic decisions, and may reduce complications, radiation exposure, and time to diagnosis. Multiple studies support its diagnostic reliability, reporting high sensitivity and specificity when performed by trained professionals. Despite its technical limitations, POCUS plays a fundamental role in emergency settings and in contexts with limited access to advanced imaging.