Study shows unenhanced CT shows 30% lower diagnostic accuracy in abdominal pain evaluation

Diagnostic Accuracy of Unenhanced Computed Tomography for Evaluation of Acute Abdominal Pain in the Emergency Department – JAMA Surgery (free for a limited period)

Editorial: Intravenous Contrast in Computed Tomography Imaging for Acute Abdominal Pain – JAMA Surgery (free for a limited period)

News Release: Bypassing contrast in patients with kidney disease and contrast allergies may lead to less accurate scans – University of Michigan

Commentary: New data suggest clinicians should think twice before foregoing contrast-enhanced imaging – Health Imaging

Commentary on Twitter

In a general population of emergency department patients with abdominal pain, using unenhanced CT to avoid risks of intravenous contrast medium administration is associated with a large diagnostic penalty. https://t.co/CVg04763yd

— JAMA Surgery (@JAMASurgery) May 3, 2023