Low CT as effective as high dose CT for appendicitis

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By  |  April 25, 2012 | 

There are >250,000 cases of appendicitis in the US annually, most of which are diagnosed by CT scan. This study compared the diagnostic accuracy of low dose versus high dose CT for diagnosing appendicitis, and found no difference between the 2 study types in rates of negative appendectomies (surrogate for false positives) or appendix perforation rates (surrogate for false negatives resulting in diagnostic delays). The amount of radiation exposure was only ~a quarter with low dose compared to high dose. Low dose CT should be considered for rule out appendicitis imaging, especially in centers with experienced radiologists (abstract)

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About the Author: Danielle Scheurer

Danielle Scheurer, MD, MSCR, SFHM is a clinical hospitalist and the Chief Quality Officer at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina, where she also serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, completed her residency at Duke University, and completed her Masters in Clinical Research at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is also the President of SHM's Board of Directors and previously served as Physician Editor of The Hospitalist, SHM's monthly newsmagazine.

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