The utility of chest X-ray vs. computed tomography in febrile neutropenia patients presenting to the emergency department

Introduction: Pulmonary infections are not uncommon in patients with febrile neutropenia. Physicians have agreed to perform a chest X-ray (CXR) for all febrile neutropenic patients presenting with respiratory signs/symptoms. Nevertheless, they were divided into two groups when it came to asymptomatic febrile neutropenic patients (i.e. without respiratory signs/symptoms). A superior alternative to CXR is Computed Tomography (CT). CT, in comparison to CXR, was shown to have better sensitivity in detecting pulmonary foci. The aim of our study is to compare the diagnostic performance of CT and CXR in febrile neutropenic patients presenting to the emergency department, regardless of their clinical presentation. We are also interested in the predictors of pneumonia on chest imaging. Methodology: This is a retrospective cohort study conducted on febrile neutropenic adult cancer patients presenting to the emergency department of the American University of Beirut Medical Center. Results: 11.4% of 263 patients had pneumonia although 27.7% had respiratory signs/symptoms. 17.1% of those who were symptomatic and did a CXR were found to have pneumonia. 41.7% of those who were symptomatic and did a CT were found to have pneumonia. 30% had negative findings on CXR but pneumonia on CT. Conclusion: Patients with positive findings of pneumonia on chest imaging mainly had solid tumors, profound neutropenia, a higher CCI and a longer LOS. The presence of respiratory signs is the main predictor of positive pneumonia on chest imaging. CT is superior to CXR in detecting pulmonary foci in the population studied.

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Computed tomography chest imaging offers no advantage over chest X-ray in the initial assessment of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia

British Journal of Cancer ◽

10.1038/s41416-020-01206-8 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Victoria L. Parker ◽

Matthew C. Winter ◽

Elspeth Whitby ◽

William A. E. Parker ◽

Julia E. Palmer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Initial Assessment ◽

Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia ◽

Chest Imaging ◽

X Ray ◽

Chest X Ray

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The acute scrotum: Frequency and range of etiologies in a Middle Eastern setting

Urologia Journal ◽

10.1177/0391560319858491 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 87 (1) ◽

pp. 15-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rami Nasr ◽

Ziad Tayara ◽

Ramy Abou Ghayda ◽

Ibrahim Alsheikh Deeb ◽

Diamond Ghieh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Medical Center ◽

Middle Eastern ◽

Acute Scrotum ◽

Scrotal Pain ◽

American University ◽

American University Of Beirut ◽

Acute Scrotal Pain ◽

Study Results

Aim: To investigate the frequency of different etiologies of acute scrotal pain in males presenting to the emergency department at American University of Beirut Medical Center in Beirut, Lebanon. Materials and Methods: In all, 94 patients between the ages 18 and 40 years presenting to the emergency room at American University of Beirut Medical Center with acute scrotum were recruited. The scrotum was inspected with palpation, and Doppler Ultrasound of the testicle was performed by a radiology resident to confirm the diagnosis. The study results were then collected after the official reports were signed by a board-certified radiology attending with expertise in ultrasound. Results: Of the 94 patients presenting with acute scrotal pain, 23.4% (95% confidence interval (0.70–0.87)) had no ultrasound findings and were considered normal. On the other hand, 54.3% (95% confidence interval (0.45–0.66)) were diagnosed with varicocele, 9.6% (95% confidence interval (0.04–0.16)) were diagnosed with epididymo-orchitis, and 9.6% (95% confidence interval (0.04–0.16)) had a history of trauma to the testicle. Patients presenting with acute scrotum had a pain duration of 13.2 ± 4.5 h, with 10.6% (95% confidence interval (0.04–0.17)) having associated urinary symptoms, 18.1% (95% confidence interval (0.09–0.25)) have had sexual activity within 48 h of presentation, and 10.6% (95% confidence interval (0.04–0.17)) were pre-diagnosed with varicocele. Conclusion: Varicocele is the most common cause of acute scrotal pain in patients presenting to American University of Beirut Medical Center in Beirut. This should direct varicocele to the top of our differential when a patient with acute scrotum presents to the emergency department. Nevertheless, ruling out torsion remains the first step in the workup.

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Comparison of occult pneumothorax and pneumothorax cases in thoracic trauma: A descriptive, cross-sectional study

Journal of Emergency Medicine Trauma and Acute Care ◽

10.5339/jemtac.2021.5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Semra Aslay

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Emergency Department ◽

Thoracic Trauma ◽

Tension Pneumothorax ◽

Penetrating Trauma ◽

Trauma Patients ◽

Chest Computed Tomography ◽

X Ray ◽

Occult Pneumothorax ◽

Chest X Ray

Background: The emergency department usually takes a supine posteroanterior (PA) chest X-ray imaging in trauma patients. In some cases, pneumothorax is not seen in the chest X-ray because of the patient's position. These cases are called occult pneumothorax. Misdiagnosis of occult pneumothorax in the emergency department may lead to complications such as tension pneumothorax. This study aimed to update patients’ features with occult pneumothorax due to blunt or penetrating trauma. Methods: In this study, data of 615 thoracic trauma patients admitted to the emergency department between January 2008 and December 2010 were evaluated. In total, 157 patients had undergone both chest X-ray and chest computed tomography and were diagnosed with pneumothorax. Of the 157 patients, 52 were excluded due to some criteria. Data of 105 patient, including their characteristics, trauma types, accompanying traumas, etiology of the chest trauma, chest X-ray findings, and computed chest tomography results were recorded. Data obtained were compared with the results of similar studies conducted in the last 10 years. Chest computed tomography was considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of pneumothorax. Results: The mean patient age was 36.19 ± 14.74 years. Occult pneumothorax was detected in 8 of 105 patients, giving a 7.6% overall incidence of occult pneumothorax. A traffic accident was the most common cause of etiology. All occult pneumothorax cases were caused by blunt trauma, and tube thoracostomy was performed in all of them. No significant differences were found between pneumothorax and occult pneumothorax cases concerning the etiology, accompanied trauma, intervention types, and trauma reasons (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study supports the incidence of occult pneumothorax reported in the literature. When a patient is admitted with thoracic trauma, a physician should carefully evaluate the patient through supine chest X-ray examination. Only one misdiagnosis in trauma patients can be lead to many unintentional clinical and forensic results.

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The effectiveness of the DIBH technique in protecting the heart of radiotherapy breast cancer patients treated at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon

Health and Technology ◽

10.1007/s12553-021-00569-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ibrahim Duhaini ◽

Bilal Shahine ◽

Youssef Zeidan ◽

Abbas Mkanna ◽

Ahmad Maarouf ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Medical Center ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

American University ◽

American University Of Beirut

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Efficacy of chest X-ray in the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia: comparison with computed tomography through a simplified scoring system designed for triage

Egyptian Journal of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine ◽

10.1186/s43055-021-00541-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Akın Çinkooğlu ◽

Selen Bayraktaroğlu ◽

Naim Ceylan ◽

Recep Savaş

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Intensive Care Units ◽

Scoring System ◽

Imaging Modality ◽

Ground Glass Opacity ◽

Initial Presentation ◽

X Ray ◽

Chest X Ray

Abstract Background There is no consensus on the imaging modality to be used in the diagnosis and management of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. The purpose of this study was to make a comparison between computed tomography (CT) and chest X-ray (CXR) through a scoring system that can be beneficial to the clinicians in making the triage of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia at their initial presentation to the hospital. Results Patients with a negative CXR (30.1%) had significantly lower computed tomography score (CTS) (p < 0.001). Among the lung zones where the only infiltration pattern was ground glass opacity (GGO) on CT images, the ratio of abnormality seen on CXRs was 21.6%. The cut-off value of X-ray score (XRS) to distinguish the patients who needed intensive care at follow-up (n = 12) was 6 (AUC = 0.933, 95% CI = 0.886–0.979, 100% sensitivity, 81% specificity). Conclusions Computed tomography is more effective in the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia at the initial presentation due to the ease detection of GGOs. However, a baseline CXR taken after admission to the hospital can be valuable in predicting patients to be monitored in the intensive care units.

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Diagnosing gastric volvulus in chest X-ray: report of three cases

Journal of Surgical Case Reports ◽

10.1093/jscr/rjaa229 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 (7) ◽

Author(s):

Narendra Pandit ◽

Abhijeet Kumar ◽

Tek Narayan Yadav ◽

Qamar Alam Irfan ◽

Sujan Gautam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Acute Abdomen ◽

Gastric Volvulus ◽

X Ray ◽

Pain Abdomen ◽

Life Threatening ◽

Chest X Ray ◽

High Index Of Suspicion ◽

Specific Symptoms ◽

Prompt Diagnosis

Abstract Gastric volvulus is a rare abnormal rotation of the stomach along its axis. It is a surgical emergency, hence requires prompt diagnosis and treatment to prevent life-threatening gangrenous changes. Hence, a high index of suspicion is required in any patients presenting with an acute abdomen in emergency. The entity can present acutely with pain abdomen and vomiting, or as chronic with non-specific symptoms. Chest X-ray findings to diagnose it may be overlooked in patients with acute abdomen. Here, we report three patients with gastric volvulus, where the diagnosis was based on the chest X-ray findings, confirmed with computed tomography, and managed successfully with surgery.

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