Utility of point-of-care ultrasound in patients with suspected diverticulitis in the emergency department

Authors

Hamid Shokoohi, Harvard Medical School
Sigrid Nasser, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Matthew Pyle, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
James P. Earls, George Washington University Medical Center
Andrew Liteplo, Harvard Medical School
Keith Boniface, School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

7-1-2020

Journal

Journal of Clinical Ultrasound

Volume

48

Issue

6

DOI

10.1002/jcu.22857

Keywords

bowel; diverticulitis; emergency department; gastrointestinal system; point-of-care ultrasound

Abstract

© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. In emergency department (ED) cases with clinically suspected diverticulitis, diagnostic imaging is often needed for diagnostic confirmation, to exclude complications, and to direct patient management. Patients typically undergo a CT scan in the ED; however, in a subset of cases with suspected diverticulitis, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may provide sufficient data to confirm the diagnosis and ascertain a safe plan for outpatient management.We review the main sonographic features of diverticulitis and discuss the diagnostic accuracy and potential benefits of a POCUS First model.

APA Citation

Shokoohi, H., Nasser, S., Pyle, M., Earls, J., Liteplo, A., & Boniface, K. (2020). Utility of point-of-care ultrasound in patients with suspected diverticulitis in the emergency department. Journal of Clinical Ultrasound, 48 (6). http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jcu.22857