[Frequency of repeated examinations in the ultrasonographic section of a radiological university department].
OBJECTIVE
What is the percentage of repeat examinations in the ultrasonographic section of a radiological university department?


METHODS
All 4116 patients, who were first examined in the sonographic section of the Radiologic Department of the University of Cologne from 5/97 to 5/98, were asked by the medical staff, whether, how often and by whom ultrasonographic, CT or MR examinations of the same organ system had been carried out during the last 4 weeks without evidence of clinical changes. The data were documented using a structured questionnaire.


RESULTS
Sonographic repeated examinations documented in 443 (10.8%) of the 4116 consultations. The proportion of in- to outpatients with repeat examinations was 26.0% to 74.0%. Contrarily, the repeated ultrasonographies were done by practitioners in 62.3% and by the university staff in 33.2% (radiology 48.2%). With regard to the 4116 consultations, the abdomen (81.1%) was the organ system most often examined repeatedly. Computed tomographies were already done or planned in 305 of 4116 patients (7.4%) and MR-tomographies were already done or planned in 57 patients (1.4%).


CONCLUSIONS
The rate of repeated ultrasonographic examinations in a radiological university hospital was 19.6%.
Krug
B
B
Institut und Poliklinik für Radiologische Diagnostik, Universität zu Köln. Barbara.Krug@medizin.uni-koeln.de
Stützer
H
H
Lackner
K
K
Schulte
O
O
Zähringer
M
M
Winnekendonk
G
G
Schellhammer
F
F
Maintz
D
D
Gossmann
A
A
Wesselmann
C
C
Gindele
A
A
D000005:Abdomen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D011872:Radiology Department, Hospital; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography
Häufigkeit von Doppeluntersuchungen in der B-Bild-sonographischen Abteilung einer radiologischen Universitätsklinik.