Low-Dose Abdominal CT for Evaluating Suspected Appendicitis: Recommendations for CT Imaging Techniques and Practical Issues

Abstract

A vast disparity exists between science and practice for CT radiation dose. Despite high-level evidence supporting the use of low-dose CT (LDCT) in diagnosing appendicitis, a recent survey showed that many care providers were still concerned that the low image quality of LDCT may lead to incorrect diagnoses. For successful implementation of LDCT practice, it is important to inform and educate the care providers not only of the scientific discoveries but also of concrete guidelines on how to overcome more practical matters. Here, we discuss CT imaging techniques and other practical issues for implementing LDCT practice.

Keywords

• abdomen
• acute
• appendicitis
• multidetector computed tomography
• patient care team
• quality control