Purpose: The study sought to assess the gastrointestinal (GI) distribution of oral contrast (OC) among emergency department (ED) patients and determine if contrast reaches the terminal ileum or site of pathology to assist in diagnosis.
Methods: Retrospectively, adults undergoing abdominal-pelvic computed tomography (APCT) in the ED at 2 hospitals were identified over a 3-month period. APCTs were reviewed for location of OC. Presence, site, type of bowel pathology, and prior gastrointestinal surgery were documented. When applicable, the site of bowel pathology was evaluated for the presence or absence of OC.
Results: There were 1349 exams with mean age 50.5 years (range 18-97 years), 41% male, with 530 (39%) receiving OC. In 271 of 530 (51%), OC reached the terminal ileum (TI). Bowel pathology was present in 31% of cases (165 of 530). When bowel pathology was present, 47% (77 of 165) had OC present at the pathology site. The GI tract was divided into 4 anatomic segments: OC most frequently reached pathology in stomach and duodenum (84%), but was present less frequently at sites of pathology from jejunum to TI (35%), proximal colon (57%), and distal colon (28%). In only 84 of 530 OC cases (16%) did contrast extend from the stomach to distal colon. OC administration contributed to longer mean APCT order to final report of 0.5 hours and longer mean ED length of stay of 0.8 hours compared with all patients who received APCT.
Conclusions: Optimal OC distribution is not achieved in more than half of ED patients, raising questions about the continued use of OC in the ED.
Keywords: Abdominal pain; Abdominal-pelvic computed tomography; Computed tomography protocols; Emergency department; Oral contrast.
Copyright © 2016 Canadian Association of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.