Open AccessIs routine abdominal radiography of any value prior to an abdominal ultrasound investigation?
Author(s) -
Ben A. P. Nel,
A T Scher
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
sa journal of radiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.18
H-Index - 3
eISSN - 2078-6778
pISSN - 1027-202X
DOI - 10.4102/sajr.v7i3.1778
Subject(s) - medicine , ultrasound , abdomen , abdominal ultrasound , radiology , prospective cohort study , referral , radiography , surgery , nursing
It is common practice to do a routine abdominal X-ray prior to doing an abdominal ultrasound investigation. This study questioned the value of the abdominal film to determine whether it should be mandatory. In this prospective, descriptive clinical study at Tygerberg Hospital, a tertiary referral hospital, we included 100 consecutive patients referred to the Ultrasound Department for an abdominal ultrasound, for a variety of indications.An ultrasound of the abdomen was performed and the abdominal film evaluated for each patient. The examinations were performed within 24 hours of each other. The abnormalities were observed and the ultrasound and X-ray diagnoses recorded. The abdominal film played a vital role in ultrasound diagnosis in only 2% of patients, while in 8% it played a positive role.