Abdominal x-ray review is a key competency for medical students, junior doctors and other allied health professionals. Using ABDO X is a helpful and systematic method for abdominal x-ray review, where X refers to the assessment of external objects and artifacts.
Summary
-
introduction
- numerous different types of foreign bodies and artifacts, both medical and non-medical, can be seen on an abdominal radiograph
-
procedure
- identify any artifacts or foreign bodies on the radiograph
- correlate the finding with the clinical history provided, or seek further clarification from the referrer to help identify the object
- try to localize the object to the abdominal wall or within the abdominal cavity
- clothing or jewelry are commonly identified, these include:
- navel/nipple/genital piercing
- metal from clothing, e.g. metal rings from jogging bottoms, beads, sequins
- metal objects in shirt/trouser pockets: cellphone, car keys, lighter, pen
- printed shirts
- many objects are placed iatrogenically, some are the result of misadventure
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