Low Yield of Ultrasound After Negative Abdominal CT

Ultrasound examination was associated with a 2-hour increase in emergency department stay and very rarely identified an emergent cause for symptoms in this retrospective single-center study.

Although evidence is lacking, ultrasound has been purported to be more sensitive than computed tomography (CT) for certain abdominal pathologies. To determine the yield of ultrasound after a negative CT scan in emergency department (ED) patients with abdominal or pelvic pain, researchers performed a retrospective study at a single ED in New York City. The study included 335 nonpregnant adults (mean age, 44 years) who had CT scans that were interpreted as negative for acute surgical pathology and underwent ultrasound <24 hours later.

Most CT scans were performed with intravenous contrast. Three patients (0.9%) had surgical pathology — cholecystitis — identified on ultrasound and two of the three were successfully treated without surgery. One …

Reviewing Author

Benton R. Hunter, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Chair, Evidence Based Healthcare Interest Group)

Benton R. Hunter, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Chair, Evidence Based Healthcare Interest Group)

Low Yield of Ultrasound After Negative Abdominal CT

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Reviewing Author