EVALUATION OF ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN THE DIAGNOSES OF PEPTIC ULCER DISEASE IN CHILDREN IN RIVERS STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA.

This research was carried out to evaluation the use of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of peptic ulcer disease in children at Rivers State Teaching Hospital Port Harcourt as a case study. The survey design was adopted and the simple random sampling techniques were employed in this study. The population size comprised 100) children that was diagnosed on peptic ulcer diseases, who attended the Radiology Department as at time of the study in Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt. In determining the sample size, the researcher purposefully selected 80 respondents and were validated. Self-constructed and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected and validated questionnaires were analyzed using frequency tables. The result of the findings Table 4.5 shows that 85.7% of the respondent accept that Peptic ulcer is an open sore in the lining of the stomach or the duodenum, Table 4.6 shows that 71.4% of the respondent accepts that one of the major causes of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is Helicobacter pylori infection. Therefore, Parents should be educated on the treatment procedures by their paediatricians because peptic ulcer disease in children are treated by stopping the causative, such as infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and avoidance of long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen sodium and by administering drugs that promote healing of the stomach lining in children infected by peptic ulcer disease. Also, Radiologist should thoroughly carry out ultrasound examination to avoid unnecessary endoscopic examination on children.