| Title |
Suspicion of appendicitis in pregnant women: emergency evaluation by sonography and low-dose CT with oral contrast
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
European Radiology, June 2018
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00330-018-5573-1 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Pierre-Alexandre Poletti, Diomidis Botsikas, Minerva Becker, Marlise Picarra, Olivier T. Rutschmann, Nicolas C. Buchs, Habib Zaidi, Alexandra Platon |
| Abstract |
To evaluate non-intravenously enhanced low-dose computed tomography with oral contrast (LDCT) for the assessment of pregnant women with right lower quadrant pain, when magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not immediately available. One hundred and thirty-eight consecutive pregnant women with acute abdominal pain were admitted in our emergency centre. Thirty-seven (27%) of them, with clinical suspicion of acute appendicitis, underwent abdominal ultrasonography (US). No further examination was recommended when US was positive for appendicitis, negative with low clinical suspicion or showed an alternative diagnosis which explained the clinical presentation. All other patients underwent LDCT (<2.5 mSv). Standard intravenously enhanced CT or MRI was performed when LDCT was indeterminate. Eight (22%) of 37 US exams were reported normal, 25 (67%) indeterminate, 1 (3%) positive for appendicitis, 3 (8%) positive for an alternative diagnosis. LDCT was obtained in 29 (78%) patients. It was reported positive for appendicitis in 9 (31%), for alternative diagnosis in 2 (7%), normal in 13 (45%) and indeterminate in 5 (17%). Further imaging (standard CT or MRI) showed appendicitis in 2 of these 5 patients, was truly negative in 1, indeterminate in 1 and falsely positive in 1. An appendicitis was confirmed at surgery in 12 (32%) of the 37 patients. The sensitivity and the specificity of the algorithm for appendicitis were 100% (12/12) and 92% (23/25), respectively. The proposed algorithm is very sensitive and specific for detection of acute appendicitis in pregnant women; it reduces the need of standard CTs when MRI is not available as second-line imaging. • In pregnant women, US is limited by an important number of indeterminate results • Low-dose CT can be used after an inconclusive US for the diagnosis of appendicitis in pregnant women • An algorithm integrating US and low-dose CT is highly sensitive and specific for appendicitis in pregnant women. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 2 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 1 | 50% |
| Scientists | 1 | 50% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 34 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 34 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 5 | 15% |
| Student > Bachelor | 4 | 12% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 4 | 12% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 3 | 9% |
| Librarian | 2 | 6% |
| Other | 5 | 15% |
| Unknown | 11 | 32% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 10 | 29% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 2 | 6% |
| Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 1 | 3% |
| Chemical Engineering | 1 | 3% |
| Neuroscience | 1 | 3% |
| Other | 2 | 6% |
| Unknown | 17 | 50% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 28 June 2018.
All research outputs
#17,981,442
of 23,092,602 outputs
Outputs from European Radiology
#2,851
of 4,183 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#237,434
of 328,721 outputs
Outputs of similar age from European Radiology
#56
of 94 outputs
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