title: Challenges in magnetic resonance imaging for suspected acute appendicitis in pregnant patients.
abstract: The assessment of a gravid patient with abdominal pain is a clinical challenge, as one must consider not only the common etiologies for abdominal pain but also etiologies resulting from the pregnancy. Further complicating the assessment is the altered anatomy and physiology that result from the enlarged uterus displacing and compressing normal anatomical structures. This alteration of anatomy makes the symptoms of appendicitis more variable and thus the diagnosis more difficult. Appropriate and timely imaging can result in better patient outcomes, and when appendicitis is suspected, imaging investigation should not be delayed. This article reviews some of the challenges of magnetic resonance imaging in gravid patients with suspected appendicitis and presents strategies for imaging this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA. Electronic address: ditkofsky@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Noah G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Ditkofsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D001064:Appendicitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D013997:Time Factors