Seminars in ultrasound, CT, and MR
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CT performed without oral or intravenous contrast is the initial imaging study of choice in many situations for the detection of hemorrhage anywhere in the abdomen and pelvis. The presence or absence of hemorrhage can be determined rapidly, and the amount and precise location of hemorrhage can also be evaluated. This article reviews the appearances and the common and unusual etiologies of abdominal and pelvic hemorrhage on unenhanced CT. The role of intravenous contrast-enhanced CT in patients with known or suspected abdominal and pelvic hemorrhage is also examined.
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Semin. Ultrasound CT MR · Apr 1999
ReviewUnenhanced CT in the evaluation of the acute abdomen: the community hospital experience.
The "Great Mimicker," acute appendicitis, has finally found its match with the advent of rapid unenhanced computed tomography (RUCT). With little, if any, operator dependence, RUCT can be performed easily at any facility that has CT capabilities. ⋯ In this article we describe our experience, since devising the technique in 1991, with over 7,000 RUCT scans done on patients with acute abdominal pain, predominantly in the right lower quadrant. We show how RUCT is extremely useful and accurate, not only in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, but in many other disease entities that mimic the "Great Mimicker."