title: Errors in imaging the pregnant patient with acute abdomen.
abstract: Pregnant women with an acute abdomen present a critical issue due to the necessity for an immediate diagnosis and treatment; in fact, a diagnostic delay could worsen the outcome for both the mother and the fetus. There is evidence that emergencies during pregnancy are subject to mismanagement; however, the percentage of errors in the diagnosis of emergencies in pregnancy has not been studied in depth. The purpose of this article is to review the most common imaging error emergencies. The topics covered are divided into gynecological and non-gynecological entities and, for each pathology, possible errors have been dealt with in the diagnostic pathway, the possible technical errors in the exam execution, and finally the possible errors in the interpretation of the images. These last two entities are often connected owing to a substandard examination, which can cause errors in the interpretation. Consequently, the systemization of errors reduces the possibility of reoccurrences in the future by providing a valid approach in helping to learn from these errors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Radiology, "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy. emanuelecasciani@gmail.com.|Salvator Mundi International Hospital, Rome, Italy. emanuelecasciani@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Casciani
authors.affiliation: Radiology Department, Sant'Andrea's Hospital, "La Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Vincentiis
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical, Surgical and Neuro Sciences, Diagnostic Imaging, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Antonietta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mazzei
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Radiology, "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Masselli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical, Surgical and Neuro Sciences, Diagnostic Imaging, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guerrini
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Radiology, "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Polettini
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging, A. Cardarelli Hospital, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Radiology, "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gualdi
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Acute abdomen; Errors; Imaging; Pregnancy; Radiation exposure