Complete abdominal scans or goal-directed scans for abdominal emergencies?

Purpose: To determine, whether in case of abdominal emergencies, goal-directed sonography is as effective as a complete abdominal scan or if important pathologies will be missed by a focused strategy. Material and methods: Retrospective analysis of consecutive emergency exams that were ordered by the medical ER in our medical sonography unit in the course of one year. All patients got an ultrasound of the complete abdomen. We compared the findings of the complete abdomen study with the findings of a hypothetical focused sonography. The scope of the focused sonography depended on the presenting problem. 17 groups…