Baseline Evaluation of Lymph Nodes in the Lower Quadrant Young People Using Point of Care Ultrasound (BELLY-POCUS) (BELLY POCUS)

Baseline Evaluation of Lymph Nodes in the Lower Quadrant Young People Using Point of Care Ultrasound

Abdominal pain is one of the commonest presentations to the paediatric emergency department. Many children are brought to the PED due to concerns about surgical intra-abdominal pathology such as appendicitis. Mesenteric adenitis is commonly attributed as a cause of the patient's pain but is done so without confirmatory imaging findings and as a diagnosis of exclusion.

There is a paucity of evidence pertaining to the sonographic findings of mesenteric adenitis.

We aim to categorise the normal appearances using POCUS in patients presenting to the paediatric emergency department without any abdominal or infectious complaint, in order to describe the range of normal lymph node numbers and size present on scan. By defining what's normal, the ultimate aim will be to use POCUS to actively identify abnormalities that diagnose mesenteric adenitis.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Lymph Nodes

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 500

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: David McCreary, MBBS MRCPCH PgC US; Phone Number: +447399538119; Email: david.mccreary2@nhs.net

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Sunderland, United Kingdom
    • Recruiting
    • Sunderland Royal Hospital
    • Contact: David McCreary, MBBS MRCPCH PgC US; Email: david.mccreary2@nhs.net

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients who present to the paediatric emergency department with the following conditions: head injury, facial injury, neck injury, upper and lower limb injury.

This will take place across 5 hospital sites in the UK, USA and Australia

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

- patients aged 2 - 16 years who present to the paediatric emergency department with the following conditions: head injury, facial injury, neck injury, upper and lower limb injury.

Exclusion Criteria:

• any child who has had symptoms of vomiting (including those with concurrent head injury), diarrhoea, abdominal pain, anorexia, temperature or active evidence of urinary or respiratory tract infection within the last four weeks.

Any patient who has undergone abdominal surgery in the last 6 months.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number and sizes of lymph nodes present in the right lower quadrant on abdominal POCUS	To describe the normal range, in terms of the number and size of lymph nodes present in the right lower quadrant on abdominal POCUS in asymptomatic children.	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
• Collaborators: Pediatric Emergency Research in the UK and Ireland (PERUKI)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 9, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 9, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 9, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 15, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 9, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: lymph nodes; POCUS; point of care ultrasound; right lower quadrant
• Other Study ID Numbers: Awaited

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No