Computed tomographic (CT) colonography continues to evolve rapidly. Advances in scanning and display technologies, encouraging performance data, and increased utilization necessitate clarification and standardization of results reporting in CT colonography. There are several reasons for this. First and most important, standardized reporting can better assist patients and referring physi-cians in making management decisions on the basis of the results of CT colonography. The precedent of the mammography Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System, or BI-RADS, schema is a strong incentive to provide a similar structure for CT colonography. Second, as more examinations are performed, the likelihood increases that radiologists interpreting results of a CT colonography examination performed at one center will require comparison to examination results and reports generated at other sites. As has been seen with mammography, a common set of terms facilitates this kind of assessment (1). Third, as utilization of CT colonography increases, our colleagues in other medical specialties, the various third-party payers, and the general public will insist on larger-scale evaluations of examination performance, examination quality, patient outcome, and cost. Here again, a common approach to interpretation will assist us in meeting these demands. Finally, a common scheme for reporting facilitates structured reporting.The purpose of this communication is to facilitate clear and consistent communication of CT colonography results. The authors-an ad hoc group of investigators active in the area of CT colonogra-
The morbidity, mortality, and economic costs resulting from trauma in general, and blunt abdominal trauma in particular, are substantial. The "panscan" (computed tomographic [CT] examination of the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and pelvis) has become an essential element in the early evaluation and decision-making algorithm for hemodynamically stable patients who sustained abdominal trauma. CT has virtually replaced diagnostic peritoneal lavage for the detection of important injuries. Over the past decade, substantial hardware and software developments in CT technology, especially the introduction and refinement of multidetector scanners, have expanded the versatility of CT for examination of the polytrauma patient in multiple facets: higher spatial resolution, faster image acquisition and reconstruction, and improved patient safety (optimization of radiation delivery methods). In this article, the authors review the elements of multidetector CT technique that are currently relevant for evaluating blunt abdominal trauma and describe the most important CT signs of trauma in the various organs. Because conservative nonsurgical therapy is preferred for all but the most severe injuries affecting the solid viscera, the authors emphasize the CT findings that are indications for direct therapeutic intervention.
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