title: [Indications for low-dose CT in the emergency setting].
abstract: CT delivers a large dose of radiation, especially in abdominal imaging. Recently, a low-dose abdominal CT protocol (low-dose CT) has been set-up in our institution. "Low-dose CT" is almost equivalent to a single standard abdominal radiograph in term of dose of radiation (about one sixth of those delivered by a standard CT). "Low-dose CT" is now used routinely in our emergency service in two main indications: patients with a suspicion of renal colic and those with right lower quadrant pain. It is obtained without intravenous contrast media. Oral contrast is given to patients with suspicion of appendicitis. "Low-dose CT" is used in the frame of well defined clinical algorithms, and does only replace standard CT when it can reach a comparable diagnostic quality.
authors.affiliation: Unité de radiologie des urgences, Service de radiologie, Département d'imagerie et des sciences de l'information médicale, HUG, Geneva 14. pierre-alexandre.poletti@hcuge.ch
authors.forename: Pierre-Alexandre
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Poletti
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andereggen
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rutschmann
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: de Perrot
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caviezel
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Platon
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed