Prospective study: Role of 64-slice MDCT in pre-operative diagnosis of acute abdominal pain

Author(s): Garima Bharti1, Naman Kumar Gaur2, Aniketa Sharma3
1Consultant Radiologist, Vishesh Jupiter Hospital, Indore.
2Consultant Radiologist, V-one Hospital, Indore.
3Department of Medicine, Dr. YSP Government Medical College Nahan, District Sirmour, H.P.
Copyright © Garima Bharti, Naman Kumar Gaur, Aniketa Sharma. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Patients presenting with acute abdominal pain can benefit greatly from the additional diagnostic information provided by multidetector CT (MDCT). Correctly interpreting the patient’s unique clinical data and test results is necessary for establishing a diagnosis. The patient’s hemodynamic status has been stabilized, MDCT is the preferred imaging test for acute, severe, and widespread abdominal pain. The primary objective of our investigation is to determine whether 64-slice Multi-detector Computer Tomography (MDCT) is useful for diagnosing and evaluating patients with acute abdominal pain before surgery. This prospective study at Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post Graduate Institute, Indore, randomly selected 200 participants. MDCTs were performed on all patients. Initially, pre-contrast images were obtained. Blood samples were drawn at 25 seconds, 45 seconds, and 7 minutes after contrast administration using bolus tracking and automated triggering. Contrast was administered intravenously or orally, depending on the patient’s condition. Each patient’s pre-CT and post-CT diagnoses were contrasted with intraoperative findings and discharge diagnosis. In total, 200 individuals participated in the study. Most of our patients (26%) were between the ages of 41 and 50, followed by those between the ages of 21 and 30 (21.5%). The majority of patients who participated in the study were males. In addition to severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting were the most frequently reported side effects. According to our research, the most common causes of acute abdomen are pancreatitis, small intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, and cholecystitis. We conclude that MDCT accurately detects a broad spectrum of acute abdominal diseases, including some that are uncommon, such as liver abscess, splenic abscess, pyelonephritis, epiploic appendagitis, ovarian torsion, omental infarct, and aortic dissection. CT is a useful diagnostic tool for determining the cause of non-traumatic acute abdominal discomfort.

Keywords: Acute abdominal pain; multidetector CT; MDCT; diagnosis; evaluation; surgery; 64-slice Multi-detector Computer Tomography; prospective study; intraoperative findings; discharge diagnosis; pancreatitis; small intestinal obstruction; appendicitis; cholecystitis; liver abscess; splenic abscess; pyelonephritis; epiploic appendagitis; ovarian torsion; omental infarct; aortic dissection; diagnostic tool.