Abstract
Abdominal CT (abdCT) scans are frequently ordered for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with abdominal pain, but often do not reveal intra-abdominal pathology. We aimed to develop an algorithm for rational ordering of abdCTs. We retrospectively reviewed our institution’s RYGB patients presenting acutely with abdominal pain, documenting clinical and laboratory data, and scan results. Associations of clinical parameters to abdCT results were examined for outcome predictors. Of 1643 RYGB patients who had surgery between 2005 and 2015, 355 underwent 387 abdCT scans. Based on abdCT, 48 (12 %) patients required surgery and 86 (22 %) another intervention. No clinical or laboratory parameter predicted imaging results. Imaging decisions for RYGB patients do not appear to be amenable to a simple algorithm, and patient work-up should be based on astute clinical judgment.
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Acknowledgments
Luise I.M. Pernar is supported by the Foundation for Surgical Fellowships.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
The study was conducted under an Institutional Review Board approved protocol, and the conduct of this research was in accordance with ethical standards.
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Formal informed consent was not necessary for this retrospective review. As above, use of the bariatric database does occur under an Institutional Review Board approved protocol.
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Pernar, L.I.M., Lockridge, R., McCormack, C. et al. An Effort to Develop an Algorithm to Target Abdominal CT Scans for Patients After Gastric Bypass. OBES SURG 26, 2543–2546 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-016-2324-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-016-2324-8