Hyperemia in the wall of the appendix at color Doppler US is a sensitive indicator for inflammation. A simple additional color Doppler US examination may be helpful in the diagnosis of early acute appendicitis when an appendix is well depicted and is equivocal in size at gray-scale US.

Although US appears to be fairly accurate in the diagnosis of focal appendicitis confined to the tip, the entire length of the appendix should be evaluated in order to avoid a false-negative diagnosis.