title: Can acute abdominal CT prioritize patients with suspected diverticulitis for a subsequent clean colonic examination?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients with diverticulitis can be prioritized with higher urgency for a subsequent full colonic examination based upon the emergency abdominal CT scan performed at the time of presentation.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients with a diagnosis of diverticulitis, hospitalized during 2006 and having a CT scan on admission and a subsequent 'clean colon' examination, were reviewed. The CT scan was reviewed by two independent and blinded senior radiologists (Radiologist A and Radiologist B) for signs inconsistent with diverticulitis and suggestive of malignancy. The patients were classified on the CT scan results into group 1 (normal findings, nontumour pathology or benign polyps < 1 cm) or group 2 (benign polyps ≥ 1 cm and cancer).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-three patients (83 in group 1 and 10 in group 2) were reviewed. Radiologist A suggested high-priority colonic examination in 18% and 50% of patients in groups 1 and 2, respectively, and Radiologist B in 63% and 90% of patients, respectively. There was a statistically significant interobserver difference, and also lower accuracy of Radiologist B compared with Radiologist A in predicting a subsequent 'clean colon' examination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of an emergency acute CT scan at the time of diagnosis of diverticulitis to predict a clean colon examination for neoplasia is not reliable because there is a considerable degree of interobserver difference between radiologists.
authors: Department of Surgery Akademiska sjukhuset, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. niklas@grevfors.se
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Grevfors
authors: M R
authors: MR
authors: Torkzad
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Bergman
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Påhlman
mesh_terms: D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004239:Diverticulitis, Colonic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014218:Triage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data