| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
1
Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard
Medical School, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215.
2
Department of Clinical Computing, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215.
3
Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215.
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to document the impact of CT performed in the emergency department of patients presenting with nontraumatic acute abdominal pain.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Fifty-seven patients were enrolled in this prospective study. Using a computer order entry system, emergency department physicians were required to report their most likely diagnosis, level of certainty, and management plan for their patients before ordering abdominal CT. After CT was performed, each physician was required to provide again his or her diagnosis, level of diagnostic certainty, and treatment plan. The outcome of each patient was evaluated by either surgery, other imaging studies, or clinical follow-up.
RESULTS. After the abdominal CT, physicians' mean level of certainty in their diagnoses increased by 1.5 points (on a five-point scale; p < 0.0001). Patient management was changed in 33 (60.0%) of 55 patients. Planned treatment before CT was admission in 42 patients. Actual admissions after CT totaled 32 patients (excluding the two patients in whom preimaging information was not recorded). Thus, the net effect of abdominal CT scanning was to avert 10 (23.8%) of 42 hospital admissions.
CONCLUSION. CT performed in the emergency department increases the physician's level of certainty, reduces hospital admission rates by 23.8%, and leads to more timely surgical intervention.
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  J. Stoker, A. van Randen, W. Lameris, and M. A. Boermeester Imaging Patients with Acute Abdominal Pain Radiology, October 1, 2009; 253(1): 31 - 46. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. Lazarus, W. W. Mayo-Smith, M. B. Mainiero, and P. K. Spencer CT in the Evaluation of Nontraumatic Abdominal Pain in Pregnant Women Radiology, September 1, 2007; 244(3): 784 - 790. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. B. MacKersie, M. J. Lane, R. T. Gerhardt, H. A. Claypool, S. Keenan, D. S. Katz, and J. E. Tucker Nontraumatic Acute Abdominal Pain: Unenhanced Helical CT Compared with Three-View Acute Abdominal Series Radiology, October 1, 2005; 237(1): 114 - 122. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. S Master, G. F Longstreth, and A. L Liu Results of computed tomography in family practitioners' patients with non-acute abdominal pain Fam. Pract., October 1, 2005; 22(5): 474 - 477. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. M. Lewis, G. A. Banet, M. Blanda, F. M. Hustey, S. W. Meldon, and L. W. Gerson Etiology and Clinical Course of Abdominal Pain in Senior Patients: A Prospective, Multicenter Study J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., August 1, 2005; 60(8): 1071 - 1076. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. R. Birchard, M. A. Brown, W. B. Hyslop, Z. Firat, and R. C. Semelka MRI of Acute Abdominal and Pelvic Pain in Pregnant Patients Am. J. Roentgenol., February 1, 2005; 184(2): 452 - 458. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
V. Raptopoulos, G. Katsou, M. P. Rosen, B. Siewert, S. N. Goldberg, and J. B. Kruskal Acute Appendicitis: Effect of Increased Use of CT on Selecting Patients Earlier Radiology, February 1, 2003; 226(2): 521 - 526. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Alobaidi and A. Shirkhoda Value of Bone Window Settings on CT for Revealing Appendicoliths in Patients with Appendicitis Am. J. Roentgenol., January 1, 2003; 180(1): 201 - 205. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. S Ng, C. J E Watson, C. R Palmer, T. C. See, N. A Beharry, B. A Housden, J A. Bradley, and A. K Dixon Evaluation of early abdominopelvic computed tomography in patients with acute abdominal pain of unknown cause: prospective randomised study BMJ, December 14, 2002; 325(7377): 1387 - 1387. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. H. Gottlieb, T. C. La, E. N. Erturk, J. L. Sotack, S. L. Voci, R. G. Holloway, L. Syed, I. Mikityansky, A. T. Tirkes, R. Elmarzouky, et al. CT in Detecting Urinary Tract Calculi: Influence on Patient Imaging and Clinical Outcomes Radiology, November 1, 2002; 225(2): 441 - 449. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. H. Ahn, W. W. Mayo-Smith, B. L. Murphy, S. E. Reinert, and J. J. Cronan Acute Nontraumatic Abdominal Pain in Adult Patients: Abdominal Radiography Compared with CT Evaluation Radiology, October 1, 2002; 225(1): 159 - 164. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 N Raby The role of CT in acute abdominal pain Imaging, May 1, 2001; 13(2): 112 - 123. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
