Oral Contrast Administered During CT Scans for Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis Offers Slight Benefit

Patient ingestion of oral contrast provides only a small increase in the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) scans used in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

Oral contrast is frequently used during CT for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis to help localize the appendix. The study, performed at Pennsylvania (Penn) State Hershey Medical Center (Hershey, PA, USA) included 192 CT exams that were performed with oral contrast and 72 without. The study's findings revealed that the accuracy of CT without oral contrast in diagnosing appendicitis was 93% and CT with oral contrast was 97%,” said Rafel Tappouni, M.D., lead author of the study. "There is no significant difference in the accuracy of CT with versus without oral contrast in diagnosing acute appendicitis,” he said.

The study was presented May 4, 2010, at the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) 2010 annual meeting, held in San Diego, CA, USA.

"At our institution, we stopped using oral contrast on CT of the abdomen and pelvis for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis over a year ago. This was well accepted by our emergency department physicians and has lead to improved work flow and less waiting for both patients and physicians,” noted Dr. Tappouni. "Oral contrast administration delays a CT exam and therefore should be avoided in patients undergoing CT with a suspected diagnosis of acute appendicitis.”

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Penn State Hershey Medical Center