Hosokawa T, et al. - Via including 131 children who had an ultrasound within 24 hours before transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy (TULAA), researchers assessed the relationship between sonographic findings and the operative time of TULAA for appendicitis in children. Factors independently associated with prolonged operative time for TULAA were preoperative sonographic findings of abscess formation and increased intraabdominal fat echo in the right lower quadrant (RLQ). Based on these sonographic findings, surgeons can predict additional surgical procedures, including abscess aspiration or adhesiolysis, and pre-operative time.