This paper uses the information obtained from four peer reviewed articles about the importins of an abdominal CT scan for the diagnoses of diverticulitis. The paper goes into detail about the features of CT and its ability to accurately demonstrate the bowel wall as well as the surrounding soft tissues structures. It goes in to further detail in explaining the cause, symptoms, and preventative measure for diverticulitis. This paper also focuses on the possibility of other imaging modalities like MRI being able to diagnose diverticulitis in comparison to CT. This is due to diverticulitis having a high recurrence rate and it is not uncommon for a patient with diverticulitis to undergo numerous scans over a given period of time drastically increasing
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The articles I used for reference used various different study’s for testing the diagnostic abilities of CT for diverticulitis. I used the Midwestern state university library database to look up peer reviewed articles that were no more than 5 years old. The research I used from the various article did focus on other matters from the use of CT in diagnosing diverticulitis such as, compare the use of CT with the results of MRI in the diagnoses of the sigmoid colon, as well as how necessary a colonoscopy after a diagnosis of diverticulitis from a CT …show more content…
Then they would order a CT scan to check for inflamed or infected pouches pultruding from the colon to confirm a diagnosis of diverticulitis as well as evaluate the severity of the infection. The anatomy being imaged would be from just above the diaphragm to synapsis pubis, the area of interest for the pathology would be lower left quadrant of the descending colon. During the exam contrast may or may not be used, however when it is oral iodine contrast is most commonly used, rectal contrast may not be necessary for the evaluation of diverticulitis, but can improve the accuracy of the examination. Intravenous iodine contrast is routinely administered to assist with identification of abscesses and to demonstrate enhancement of the colonic wall. There is normally a 60-90 second delay after drinking contrast followed by a 3-5 minute delay after injection for a routine
The articles I used for reference used various different study’s for testing the diagnostic abilities of CT for diverticulitis. I used the Midwestern state university library database to look up peer reviewed articles that were no more than 5 years old. The research I used from the various article did focus on other matters from the use of CT in diagnosing diverticulitis such as, compare the use of CT with the results of MRI in the diagnoses of the sigmoid colon, as well as how necessary a colonoscopy after a diagnosis of diverticulitis from a CT …show more content…
Then they would order a CT scan to check for inflamed or infected pouches pultruding from the colon to confirm a diagnosis of diverticulitis as well as evaluate the severity of the infection. The anatomy being imaged would be from just above the diaphragm to synapsis pubis, the area of interest for the pathology would be lower left quadrant of the descending colon. During the exam contrast may or may not be used, however when it is oral iodine contrast is most commonly used, rectal contrast may not be necessary for the evaluation of diverticulitis, but can improve the accuracy of the examination. Intravenous iodine contrast is routinely administered to assist with identification of abscesses and to demonstrate enhancement of the colonic wall. There is normally a 60-90 second delay after drinking contrast followed by a 3-5 minute delay after injection for a routine