Positive Oral Contrast Material for Abdominal CT: Current Clinical Indications and Areas of Controversy
Perry J. Pickhardt
Abstract
As radiologists, we owe it to our patients to drive the appropriate use of positive oral contrast material. At the very least, we should not allow nonradiologists to restrict its use solely on the basis of throughput concerns; rather, we should allow considerations of image quality and diagnostic confidence to enter into the decision process. Based on differences in prior training and practice patterns, some radiologists will prefer to limit the use of positive oral contrast material more than others. However, for those who believe (as I do) that it can genuinely increase diagnostic confidence and can sometimes (rather unpredictably) make a major impact on diagnosis, it behooves us to keep fighting for its use.
Topics & Concepts
MedicineConfusionContrast (vision)Protocol (science)Clinical PracticeIntensive care medicineQuality (philosophy)Medical physicsProcess (computing)Risk analysis (engineering)Artificial intelligencePathologyPhysical therapyAlternative medicineComputer scienceEpistemologyPsychologyOperating systemPsychoanalysisPhilosophyRadiation Dose and ImagingAdvanced X-ray and CT ImagingRadiology practices and education