CONSENSUS PAPER   

Journal of Radiological Review 2022 June;9(2):39-63

DOI: 10.23736/S2723-9284.22.00179-X

Copyright © 2022 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Recommendations on Emergency/Urgent Ultrasound Scans from the Italian College of Emergency Radiology by SIRM

Francesca IACOBELLIS ¹ ✉, Barbara SESSA ², Matteo VINCENZI ³, Maria L. DE CICCO ⁴, Chiara ANDREOLI ⁴, Marco DI SERAFINO ¹, Matteo MAZZOLI ³, Benedetta RIGONI ³, Alessandra BRANDALISE ³, Andrea DELLI PIZZI ⁵, Massimo CAULO ⁵, Paolo RICCI ⁴, Anna Maria IERARDI ⁶, Michele LAPORTA ⁷, Antonio PINTO ⁸, Stefania IANNIELLO ⁹, Vittorio MIELE ¹⁰, Luigia ROMANO ¹, Paolo D’ANDREA ³

¹ Department of General and Emergency Radiology, A. Cardarelli Hospital, Naples, Italy; ² Department of Radiology, SS Annunziata Hospital, G. D’Annunzio University, Chieti, Chieti-Pescara, Italy; ³ Department of Radiology, San Martino di Belluno Hospital, Belluno, Italy; ⁴ Unit of Emergency Radiology, Umberto I Polyclinic Hospital, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy; ⁵ Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. D’Annunzio University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy; ⁶ Department of Radiology, Foundation IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; ⁷ Radiology and Neuroradiology SC, P.O. San Severo Asl Foggia, Foggia, Italy; ⁸ Department of Radiology, CTO Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliera dei Colli, Naples, Italy; ⁹ Unit of Radiology, IRCCS Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Rome, Italy; ¹⁰ Department of Radiology, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy

BACKGROUND: Radiologists working in emergency departments often receive an abnormal number of requests for urgent ultrasound scans, which are used more for screening purposes and less to define/confirm a specific clinical diagnosis. The aim of this document is to define the main indications for an emergency/urgent ultrasound scan based on a specific diagnostic suspicious.
METHODS: The objective was achieved through a consensus among experts in emergency radiology from Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology (SIRM). The current literature was examined and for each topic addressed, a table has been prepared listing how appropriate an ultrasound scan is, based on the clinical symptoms and/or working diagnosis, and with what priority it should be performed.
RESULTS: The document presents in a synthetic way the main indications for an emergency/urgent ultrasound scan based on a specific working diagnosis.
CONCLUSIONS: This revision and consensus made it possible to review, synthetize and update the indication to perform ultrasound scan in an emergency setting.

KEY WORDS: Ultrasonography; Emergency service, hospital; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color