Errors in imaging patients in the emergency setting.

Emergency and trauma care produces a "perfect storm" for radiological errors: uncooperative patients, inadequate histories, time-critical decisions, concurrent tasks and often junior personnel working after hours in busy emergency departments. The main cause of diagnostic errors in the emergency department is the failure to correctly interpret radiographs, and the majority of diagnoses missed on radiographs are fractures. Missed diagnoses potentially have important consequences for patients, clinicians and radiologists. Radiologists play a pivotal role in the diagnostic assessment of polytrauma patients and of patients with non-traumatic craniothoracoabdominal emergencies, and key elements to reduce errors in the emergency setting are knowledge, experience and the correct application of imaging protocols. This article aims to highlight the definition and classification of errors in radiology, the causes of errors in emergency radiology and the spectrum of diagnostic errors in radiography, ultrasonography and CT in the emergency setting.

Rectal foreign bodies: imaging assessment and medicolegal aspects.

The amount of patients presenting at the emergency hospitals with retained rectal foreign bodies appears recently to have increased. Foreign objects retained in the rectum may result from direct introduction through the anus (more common) or from ingestion. Affected individuals often make ineffective attempts to extract the object themselves, resulting in additional delay of medical care and potentially increasing the risk of complications. The goals of radiological patient assessment are to identify the type of object retained, its location, and the presence of associated complications. Plain film radiographs still play an important role in the assessment of retained rectal foreign bodies.

Role of imaging in the assessment of impacted foreign bodies in the hypopharynx and cervical esophagus.

Impaction of foreign bodies in the upper digestive tract is a serious pathologic condition in ear, nose, and throat practice and is particularly common in children, prisoners, and psychiatric patients. Commonly found objects include fish bones, chicken bones, pieces of glass, dental prostheses, coins, and needles. The goals of the initial patient assessment are to identify the type of object, its location in the gastrointestinal tract, the presence of any associated complications, and the presence of any underlying esophageal conditions. Radiographic evaluation is helpful to confirm the location of foreign bodies and associated complications. Plain films of the neck and chest commonly will show the location of radiopaque objects, such as coins. Both anteroposterior and lateral views are necessary, as some radiopaque objects overlying the vertebral column may only be visible on the lateral view. Multidetector row computed tomography is superior to plain radiographs for the detection of pharyngoesophageal foreign bodies and provide additional crucial information for the management of complicated cases especially related to sharp or pointed ingested foreign bodies.

[Pictorial essay: foreign body of the gastrointestinal tract in emergency radiology].

The ingestion of a foreign body is a relatively common gastrointestinal emergency that causes significant morbidity. Radiological procedures play a very important role in revealing the presence, the location and the nature of an ingested foreign body, thus enabling the best therapeutic approach. We present the radiological features of common and uncommon foreign bodies ingested or with transanal insertion, differentiated on the basis of the location in the gastrointestinal tract. Diagnostic pitfalls are also considered.