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Incidental findings during emergency sonographic examinations: a case series

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2015

John L. Kendal  and
Diku Mandavia
John L. Kendal*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Colo.
Diku Mandavia
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
*
Department of Emergency Medicine, Mail Code 0108, Denver Health Medical Center, 777 Bannock St., Denver CO 80204, USA

Abstract

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The teaching of ultrasonography is rapidly being incorporated into emergency medicine (EM) training programs and clinical practice. Most literature focuses on appropriate indications for the performance of emergency ultrasonography, and most EM-related courses and programs limit their teaching to standard focused indications. Generally this will suffice; however, occasionally, incidental findings, which are beyond the realm of what is taught in these programs, have influenced patient care. In this paper we discuss 7 cases in which incidental findings were discovered during an emergency sonographic examination. In each case the findings changed the patient’s disposition, diagnosis and, potentially, outcome.

Type
Case Report • Observations
Information
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , April 2001 , pp. 105 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2001

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