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Errors in MDCT diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia

  • Special Section: Intestinal ischemia
  • Published:
Abdominal Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The causes of diagnostic errors during daily medical practice can be several, mainly attributable to perceptual, interpretive and communication factors. The eventuality of radiological error is much more amplified in the emergency setting where a high number of complex multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) images must be evaluated quickly and critical time decisions need to be taken. In particular, in this context, the diagnosis of vascular intestinal diseases represents a crucial and difficult challenge in case of acute abdominal pain given the importance of being able to identify patient with high suspicious for intestinal ischemia and for a specific patient to judge if his ischemia is reversible or irreversible. Awareness of potential biases which can lead to diagnostic errors together with an extensive knowledge of the imaging features of these pathologies can lead to promptly recognize them with fewer mistakes, improving patients’ outcome. This article reviews the MDCT findings of acute intestinal ischemia and acute colonic ischemia and analyzes the main types of diagnostic errors, underlining the importance of being familiarized with them to avoid misdiagnosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, CTO Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliera dei Colli, Naples, Italy

    Antonio Pinto

  2. Department of Emergency Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, L.go G.A. Brambilla, 3, 50134, Florence, Italy

    Monica Marina Lanzetta, Gloria Addeo, Maria Cristina Bonini, Giulia Grazzini & Vittorio Miele

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  1. Antonio Pinto
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  2. Monica Marina Lanzetta
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  3. Gloria Addeo
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  4. Maria Cristina Bonini
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Correspondence to Gloria Addeo.

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Pinto, A., Lanzetta, M.M., Addeo, G. et al. Errors in MDCT diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia. Abdom Radiol 47, 1699–1713 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-020-02732-y

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