Abstract:
Abdominal computed tomography (CT) scanning has revolutionized patient care in the past two decades. Abdominal CT scanning is used in the evaluation of trauma victims for visceral injury and in the evaluation of acute abdominal pain, with a major role in the evaluation of renal calculi, acute appendicitis, and complex abdominal pathology. The Study was performed in Khartoum state hospitals. The purpose of this study was to compare the abdominal clinical findings and CT diagnosis findings. Abdominal CT scans were taken in 150 patients with abdominal problem. 100 patients with general abdominal scan, 50 patients with urinary system pathology for CTU. 70 patients with general abdominal scan were correctly diagnosed (46.7%), 33 patients were misdiagnosed (22%) and 47 patients presented with another pathology (31.3%) as presented in table (4-3). 43 patients with GIT or liver pathology were correctly diagnosed (43%), 25 patients were misdiagnosed (25%) and 32 patients presented with another pathology (32%) as presented in table (4-4). 27 patients with urinary system pathology were correctly diagnosed (54%), 8 patients were misdiagnosed (16%) and 15 patients presented with another pathology (30%) as presented in table (4-5). 40 patients were clinically diagnosed with mass lesions (38.8%), 25 patients with stones (24.3%) and 38 patients with other pathology (36.9%) as presented in table (4-6). 80% of mass lesions were correctly diagnosed, 72% of stones were correctly diagnosed and 52.6% of the other pathologies were correctly diagnosed. The study concludes that CT imaging in the diagnosing patients presenting with acute abdominal pain is well established. The usefulness is limited by certain factors: the absence of detailed clinical history, the variability in the interpretation of non-specific image findings. Awareness of these limiting factors is vital to clinicians, radiologists and radiology technologists in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
