Keywords:
Trauma, Haemorrhage, Acute, Technical aspects, Radiation safety, Contrast agent-intravenous, CT-Angiography, CT, Urinary Tract / Bladder, Interventional vascular, Abdomen
Authors:
P. Varra, W. H. Pang, A. Page, A. Pallan; Birmingham/UK
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2018/C-1161
Aims and objectives
Introduction
Acute GI bleed is a medical emergency for both clinicians and radiologists to manage with significant morbidity/mortality.
Source of bleed is not always clear at presentation.
Some patients have intermittent/multiple episodes of bleeding,
which poses further diagnostic challenge.
CT has become the initial assessment in lower GI Bleeding.
OGD is still the 1st line investigation in upper GI Bleeding.
CT Angiography has high sensitivity & specificity in identifying active bleeding site,
provides extraluminal information,
guides treatment and catheter angiography when compared to conventional endoscopy alone.
Aims and objectives
- To assess adherence to the recommended CT Mesenteric Angiogram protocol for acute GI bleed cases.
- To assess the variability of CT protocols utilised at our institution for acute GI bleed cases and to facilitate formalisation of CTA protocol in acute GI bleed patients.
- To stratify the source of bleed in our patient cohort and determine if OGD is being used as first line investigation for upper GI bleed as per local guidelines.
- To review management pathway in CT positive cases (conservative vs Radiological Intervention vs surgery).