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Why do physicians order costly CTs? Ultrasound yields better diagnosis, safer, less costly, expert argues

Date:
March 8, 2010
Source:
American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Summary:
In an eye-opening editorial, a leading expert urges the medical community to use ultrasound instead of computed tomography as the first-line imaging test for better diagnosis capability in the evaluation of acute female pelvic and lower abdominal conditions.
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FULL STORY

In a bold, eye-opening editorial in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Harvard Professor, Beryl Benacerraf, MD, urges the medical community to use ultrasound instead of Computed Tomography (CT) as the first-line imaging test for better diagnosis capability in the evaluation of acute female pelvic and lower abdominal conditions.

In the editorial, Why Has Computed Tomography Won and Ultrasound Lost the Market Share of Imaging for Acute Pelvic Conditions in the Female Patient?, Dr Benacerraf raises the question:

"How have we evolved to ordering the most expensive imaging technique first for these patients, only to be followed frequently by a far less costly ultrasound examination to clarify the CT findings? Ultrasound is the established modality of choice to evaluate the female pelvis, so why do patients with pelvic masses or pain get a CT scan? In my opinion, doing a CT scan first for female patients with lower abdominal pain is dangerous and wasteful, a drain of much-needed health care dollars."

Citing a recent study from the New England Journal of Medicine regarding the vast use of imaging procedures that involved radiation exposure, Dr Benacerraf emphasizes the fact that "radiation exposure is cumulative, and each exposure adds incrementally to the long-term danger of cancer." Alternatively, ultrasound is safe, radiation-free, and most frequently has superior diagnostic capability when evaluating patients with lower abdominal conditions. The advancement of ultrasound technology has resulted in machines that are less operator-dependent with the ability to produce images that can be evaluated in multiple views with 3D volume imaging.

Dr Benacerraf concludes: "It may be time for ultrasound to regain its rightful place in the evaluation of acute female pelvic and lower abdominal conditions and save the population from the dangerous radiation exposure and excessive cost of starting a workup with CT as a first-line imaging test."

Physicians weigh in on this subject online through the AIUM's Journal Club discussion this month at http://www.aiumcommunities.org/group/aiumjournalclub. The full text editorial may also be accessed through the journal club discussion.

Beryl Benacerraf, MD, is a clinical professor of radiology and obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School, and she is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, the official publication of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.


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Materials provided by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. "Why do physicians order costly CTs? Ultrasound yields better diagnosis, safer, less costly, expert argues." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 8 March 2010. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100302123122.htm>.
American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. (2010, March 8). Why do physicians order costly CTs? Ultrasound yields better diagnosis, safer, less costly, expert argues. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100302123122.htm
American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. "Why do physicians order costly CTs? Ultrasound yields better diagnosis, safer, less costly, expert argues." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100302123122.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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