©The Author(s) 2019. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 7, 2019; 25(9): 1080-1087
Published online Mar 7, 2019. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i9.1080
Published online Mar 7, 2019. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i9.1080
Computed tomography scan imaging in diagnosing acute uncomplicated pancreatitis: Usefulness vs cost
Shana Kothari, Michael Kalinowski, Matthew Kobeszko, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago - Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, IL 60453, United States
Tarek Almouradi, Department of Gastroenterology, Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, IL 60453, United States
Author contributions: All authors helped perform the research; Kothari S, Kalinowski M, Kobeszko M and Almouradi T contributed to drafting conception and design; Kothari S, Kalinowski M and Kobeszko M contributed to acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, manuscript writing; Almouradi T approved the final version of the article to be published.
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent as this was a retrospective study and the research presented no risk of harm to subjects as all details were anonymized.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflicts-of-interest related to this article.
Corresponding author: Shana Kothari MD, Resident Physician, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago - Advocate Christ Medical Center, 4440 95th St, Oak Lawn IL 60453, United States. shana.kothari@advocatehealth.com
Telephone: +1-630-8543856 Fax: +1-708-6842500
Received: November 6, 2018
Peer-review started: November 12, 2018
First decision: December 5, 2018
Revised: January 10, 2019
Accepted: January 26, 2019
Article in press: January 26, 2019
Published online: March 7, 2019
Processing time: 121 Days and 1.7 Hours
Peer-review started: November 12, 2018
First decision: December 5, 2018
Revised: January 10, 2019
Accepted: January 26, 2019
Article in press: January 26, 2019
Published online: March 7, 2019
Processing time: 121 Days and 1.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Guidelines indicate that routine use of imaging is unwarranted in patients with acute uncomplicated pancreatitis presenting with abdominal pain and increased serum amylase or lipase levels without signs of severe disease. This retrospective, single center study found that 51.85% of the study cohort underwent computed tomography imaging in the emergency department after having clinical and biochemical evidence of pancreatitis. The image findings did not impact hospital length of stay, and resulted in $947056 health expenditure. Quality improvement initiatives targeting overutilization of early imaging are needed to increase guideline adherence, reduce healthcare cost, and ultimately improve patient care.