Long-term changes in computed tomography and ultrasound utilization in a pediatric emergency department.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Many studies have proposed reducing unnecessary use of computed tomography (CT), and ongoing studies in pediatric populations are aiming to decrease radiation dosages whenever possible. We aimed to evaluate the long-term changes in the utilization patterns of CT and ultrasound (US) in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs).

Methods

This retrospective study reviewed the electronic medical data of patients who underwent CT and/or US in the PED of a tertiary referral hospital from 2000 to 2014. We compared the changes in utilization patterns of brain and abdominal CT scans in pediatric patients and analyzed changes in abdominal US utilization in the PED.

Results

During the study period, 196,371 patients visited the PED. A total of 12,996 brain and abdominal CT

SUBMITTER: Chang I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5891745 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature