In this sample of patients with cancer undergoing contrast-enhanced CT, very few adverse symptoms were reported regardless of preparative fasting. These results support the idea that preparation for contrast-enhanced CT can be simplified, decreasing the discomfort and inconvenience experienced by patients.

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Invasive procedures guided by ultrasound (US) are part of routine medical diagnostic investigation. The lack of knowledge surrounding the technical aspects of such procedures can lead patients to seek complementary information on the Internet, which may in turn trigger anxiety. However, the intersection between the fields of Radiology and Psychology is poorly studied. Here, we identify the profile of an anxious patient before an US-guided intervention. We prospectively studied 133 patients undergoing image-guided procedures. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was applied for psychometry. Significantly higher anxiety scores were observed in female patients (p = .001), those who believed they had received inadequate information from their referring physician (p = .006), and in patients who considered online information unreliable or difficult to access (p = .007 and p = .001, respectively). Participants who defined themselves as proactive online reported lower anxiety levels (p = .003).

Invasive procedures guided by ultrasound (US) are part of the routine medical diagnostic investigation. The lack of knowledge related to technical aspects about them can lead the patient to seek complementary information on the internet, which can trigger anxiety. However, the intersection between the areas of Radiology and Psychology is poorly studied. Here we show the profile of an anxious patient before an US-guided intervention. One hundred thirty-three patients were evaluated. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was applied for psychometry. Higher anxiety scores were significantly observed in female patient, in those who believe they had received inadequate information from the referring physician, and in those who assessed the online information to be unreliable or difficult to access. Patients who defined themselves as proactive in online searching reported lower anxiety. Our results show that the profile of an anxious patient before an US-guided intervention can be established. The recognition of this profile can guide measures to reduce anxiety in patients who will undergo an US-guided invasive procedure.

No abstract