ABSTRACT
Introduction Ultrasound has been used to evaluate emergency patients since the 1970s but
only in the last 10 years has there been significant interest in the United States. At many European centers, ultrasound has essentially replaced diagnostic peritoneal lavage. Many prospective studies done by emergency physicians and surgeons here in the United States confirm that this modality can be used by nonradiologists with the reported sensitivity for free intraperitoneal fluid varying from 80-90% and the specificity 95-100% .
