Editing Appendicitis (section)

====X-ray====
[[File:AppendicolithPlainXray.png|thumb|Appendicolith as seen on plain X-ray]]
In general, plain abdominal radiography (PAR) is not useful in making the diagnosis of appendicitis and should not be routinely obtained from a person being evaluated for appendicitis.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Rao PM, Rhea JT, Rao JA, Conn AK | title = Plain abdominal radiography in clinically suspected appendicitis: diagnostic yield, resource use, and comparison with CT | journal = The American Journal of Emergency Medicine | volume = 17 | issue = 4 | pages = 325–328 | date = July 1999 | pmid = 10452424 | doi = 10.1016/S0735-6757(99)90077-3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Boleslawski E, Panis Y, Benoist S, Denet C, Mariani P, Valleur P | title = Plain abdominal radiography as a routine procedure for acute abdominal pain of the right lower quadrant: prospective evaluation | journal = World Journal of Surgery | volume = 23 | issue = 3 | pages = 262–264 | date = March 1999 | pmid = 9933697 | doi = 10.1007/pl00013181 | s2cid = 23733164 }}</ref> Plain abdominal films may be useful for the detection of [[ureter]]al [[calculus (medicine)|calculi]], [[small bowel obstruction]], or [[perforated ulcer]], but these conditions are rarely confused with appendicitis.<ref name=Sabiston>[http://www.uptomed.ir/Digimed.ir/sabiston-2009/Sabiston_2009/HTML/473.htm APPENDICITIS from Townsend: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery on MD Consult<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014844/http://www.uptomed.ir/Digimed.ir/sabiston-2009/Sabiston_2009/HTML/473.htm |date=December 3, 2013 }}</ref> An opaque [[fecalith]] can be identified in the right lower quadrant in fewer than 5% of people being evaluated for appendicitis.<ref name=CDEM/> A [[barium enema]] has proven to be a poor diagnostic tool for appendicitis. While failure of the appendix to fill during a barium enema has been associated with appendicitis, up to 20% of normal appendices do not fill.<ref name=Sabiston/>