Imaging Pregnant Patients in Different Acute Medical Non-Traumatic Emergencies. A Literature Review.

Abstract

Radiologists should suggest what kind of imaging is best suited for a pregnant patient presenting with an acute condition. The type of imaging study is planned in close consultation with the clinical team. Ultrasonography (US) should always be the initial modality for evaluation of a pregnant patient, especially in abdominal emergencies. In other conditions like suspected pulmonary embolism or neurological emergencies ultrasound doesn’t help, so using other diagnostic modalities like CT and MRI will be necessary. A recurring debate in many radiology practices is the concern of radiologists about performing an examination that exposes a fetus to radiation. This literature review aims to identify an optimal imaging strategy for the accurate detection of different acute medical non-traumatic emergencies in pregnant patients.

Keywords

• pregnancy
• imaging
• non-traumatic emergencies
• US
• MRI
• CT