Abdominal radiography in the emergency department: a prospective analysis.
We present a prospective analysis of 100 consecutive abdominal radiographs of 96 emergency patients who were referred to radiology with a variety of abdominal complaints. In patients with diffuse, nonspecific abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or gastrointestinal bleeding, 98% of the radiographs were negative or had positive findings which were unrelated to the current clinical problem. Ninety-three percent of the positive radiographs that were related to the acute problem occurred in patients with renal colic; hematuria; ingestion of foreign bodies; previously known surgical conditions, such as incarcerated hernias; intra-abdominal metastatic carcinoma; fecal impaction; or true acute abdominal syndromes.
D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006300:Health Services Misuse; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006801:Humans; D009325:Nausea / Q000209:etiology; D009657:North Carolina; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology