Abdominal CT: reporting

Bringing it all together

This final lesson is intended to show you how each of the individual pieces we have discussed throughout this course fit together to perform an efficient and complete review of all important structures in abdominal CT.

The basis of both image review and reporting is that of a search pattern. In other words, it’s important to read a CT study the same way every time, systematically looking at all important structures in order rather than swirling your gaze around the images hoping that you encounter an obvious abnormality.

The report

A structured report organizes the findings in a logical order and serves as a checklist for the reader. When interpreting an abdominal CT, examine the following in order:

1. Lower chest
2. Abdominal organs
3. Bowel
4. Vessels
5. Lymph nodes
6. Reproductive organs
7. Musculoskeletal structures
8. Body wall

As you review each area, describe your observations of both normal and abnormal structures. Check out the Abdominal CT reporting checklist and embedded below

The impression

After you finish the hard work of describing all of the important anatomy and pathology, it’s time to craft the impression. The impression should include the meaning of the key findings in the form of a diagnosis or list of possible diagnoses (called a differential diagnosis) and recommendations for next steps.

CT Abdomen Reporting Checklist

References

• Top 100 CT scan quiz. LITFL

Radiology Library: Abdominal CT: Imaging important abdominal structures

• Hartung MP. Abdominal CT: Checking the abdominal arteries
• Hartung MP. Abdominal CT: Checking the abdominal veins
• Hartung MP. Abdominal CT: Screening the lymph nodes
• Hartung MP. Abdominal CT: Evaluating the body wall
• Hartung MP. Abdominal CT: Evaluating the bones
• Hartung MP. Abdominal CT: Reporting checklist