Assessing the Prevalence of Incidental Findings Identified by CTPA in Women of Reproductive Age
Joint Authors
Champion, Nigel
Hogan, Sarah
Flemming, Jeffery
Source
Emergency Medicine International
Issue
Vol. 2018, Issue 2018 (31 Dec. 2018), pp.1-5, 5 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2018-11-04
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
5
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Background and Objective.
Though multiple studies have evaluated the prevalence of incidental findings identified by CTPA, none have done so with a focus on reproductive-age females with normal chest X-ray (CXR).
Due to a comparatively lower breast radiation dose, the oft-recommended alternative to CTPA in this patient group is a V/Q scan.
However, these are limited in their assessment of these alternate findings; therefore, it is of particular importance to evaluate the likelihood of these findings on CT in this patient group, which is the goal of this study.
Methods.
Through a review of our PACS system, female patients aged 18-50 years who underwent diagnostic CTPA prior to April 1, 2017, were identified.
The 100 most recent cases which had a normal CXR within 48 hours of CTPA were included.
Incidental/non-PE findings were then divided into PE-positive (PE+) and PE-negative (PE-), and subcategorized into types I, II, III, and nil non-PE finding groups.
Type I findings required immediate follow-up or intervention, type II findings required outpatient follow-up, and type III findings required no follow-up or were previously known.
Results.
PE was detected in 15% of scans.
Type I findings were found in 8% of patients (0% of PE+, 9.4% of PE-), type II findings in 10% of patients (13.3% of PE+, 9.4% of PE-), type III findings in 34% of patients (40% of PE+, 32.9% of PE-), and nil non-PE finding in 48% of patients (46.7% PE+, 48.2% of PE-).
Conclusion.
While CTPA identifies incidental findings in the majority of patients, a small minority of these findings are likely to alter immediate management.
In the context in increased radiation risk, this strengthens the argument that alternate imaging modalities such as V/Q should be strongly considered for the investigation of potential PE in women of reproductive age with normal CXR.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Champion, Nigel& Hogan, Sarah& Flemming, Jeffery. 2018. Assessing the Prevalence of Incidental Findings Identified by CTPA in Women of Reproductive Age. Emergency Medicine International،Vol. 2018, no. 2018, pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1157063
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Champion, Nigel…[et al.]. Assessing the Prevalence of Incidental Findings Identified by CTPA in Women of Reproductive Age. Emergency Medicine International No. 2018 (2018), pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1157063
American Medical Association (AMA)
Champion, Nigel& Hogan, Sarah& Flemming, Jeffery. Assessing the Prevalence of Incidental Findings Identified by CTPA in Women of Reproductive Age. Emergency Medicine International. 2018. Vol. 2018, no. 2018, pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1157063
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1157063