The requisitions of computed tomographic scans of abdomen in patients non-traumatic abdominal pain at Emergency room, Kingnarai hospital.
Keywords:
CT scan, non-traumatic abdominal pain, appropriateness of referralAbstract
This retrospective study aimed to study the characteristics of patients with abdominal pain not caused by trauma who underwent abdominal CT scans, and the factors associated with inappropriate CT scan referrals. Study of patients with non-traumatic abdominal pain who were referred for CT scans from the emergency department of Kingnarai Hospital between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023. A total of 382 patients were included. Data on personal information, CT scan results, and diagnoses were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression.
Results: Among the 382 patients, the majority were female (61.78%) with an average age of 48.94 years. The most common indication for the CT scan was for diagnosis (68.06%), followed by confirming a previous diagnosis (24.61%). The most common symptoms were abdominal pain with fever (27.23%), followed by abdominal pain with fever, nausea, and vomiting (13.61%). The most common initial diagnosis was acute appendicitis (28.27%), followed by cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, or biliary tract disease (12.57%). The accuracy of the CT scan results was more than 80%. Factors associated with inappropriate CT scan referrals included age > 60 years, being referred for treatment (refer-in), and intubation, which were statistically significant (p<0.05).
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