Policy statementEmergency Ultrasound Imaging Criteria Compendium
Section snippets
1. Introduction
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has developed these criteria to assist practitioners performing emergency ultrasound studies (EUS) of the abdomen and retroperitoneum in patients suspected of having an acute abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
Ultrasound has been shown to accurately identify both aneurysmal and normal abdominal aortas. In most cases, EUS is used to identify or exclude the presence of infrarenal AAA. In some cases, EUS of the abdominal aorta can also identify the
1. Introduction
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has developed these criteria to assist practitioners performing emergency ultrasound studies (EUS) of the heart in patients suspected of having emergent conditions where cardiac imaging may influence diagnosis or therapy.
The primary applications of cardiac EUS are in the diagnosis or exclusion of pericardial effusion, cardiac tamponade and the evaluation of gross cardiac function. Increasingly, evaluations of the right ventricle and aortic
1. Introduction
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has developed these criteria to assist practitioners performing emergency ultrasound studies (EUS) of the kidneys and bladder in patients suspected of having diseases involving the urinary tract.
Emergency ultrasound of the kidneys and urinary tract may identify both normal and pathological conditions. The primary indications for this application of EUS are in the evaluation of obstructive uropathy and acute urinary retention. The evaluation of
1. Introduction
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has developed these criteria to assist practitioners performing emergency ultrasound (EUS) studies of the chest to rule out pneumothorax and abnormal collections of pleural fluid.
Ultrasound has been shown to be helpful in the diagnosis of acute pneumothorax and is particularly sensitive for ruling out the presence of pneumothorax and pleural effusion. The ultrasound evaluation for pneumothorax examines the apposition of visceral and parietal
1. Introduction
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has developed these criteria to assist practitioners performing emergency ultrasound (EUS) studies of the eye to evaluate for traumatic and non-traumatic findings.
The use of EUS of the eye has been used for the detection of posterior chamber and orbital pathology. Specifically, ultrasound has been described to detect retinal detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, and dislocations or disruptions of structures. In addition, the structures posterior to
1. Introduction
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has developed these criteria to assist practitioners performing emergency ultrasound studies (EUS) of the pelvis in emergency patients to evaluate for evidence of acute pathology including ectopic pregnancy, ovarian cysts and tubo-ovarian abscess.
First trimester pregnancy complications such as abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding are common presenting complaints. Ultrasound finding of a clear intrauterine pregnancy, in many instances, minimizes
1. Introduction
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has developed these criteria to assist practitioners performing emergent ultrasound (EUS) studies of the right upper quadrant (RUQ) in patients suspected of having acute biliary disease.
Abdominal pain is a common presenting complaint in the emergency department. Biliary disease is frequently a consideration among the possible etiologies. In many cases, EUS of the RUQ may be diagnostic for biliary disease, may exclude biliary disease, or may
1. Introduction
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has developed these criteria to assist practitioners performing emergency ultrasound (EUS) studies of soft tissue and musculoskeletal systems (ST-MSK).
Ultrasound allows the practitioner to rapidly assess patients for pathology that is difficult or impractical to assess by other means. Primarily, ultrasound can aid in the classification of soft tissue infection, localization of foreign bodies (FB), detection of joint effusions and guidance of
1. Introduction
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has developed these criteria to assist practitioners who are performing emergency ultrasound studies (EUS) of the torso of the injured patient and commonly referred to as the Focused Assessment by Sonography in Trauma (FAST) exam.
Trauma EUS is used to evaluate the peritoneal, pericardial or pleural spaces in anatomically dependent areas by combining several separate focused ultrasound examinations of the chest, heart, abdomen and pelvis. Since
1. Introduction
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has developed these criteria to assist practitioners utilizing emergency ultrasound (EUS) to facilitate the performance of procedures in the emergency patient.
Ultrasound has been shown to be helpful in determining patency of vascular structures and with the placement of central lines as well as peripheral lines. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality highlighted ultrasound-guided central lines as a key intervention that should be
1. Introduction
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has developed these criteria to assist practitioners performing emergency ultrasound studies (EUS) of the venous system in the evaluation of venous thrombosis.
The primary application of venous EUS is in evaluation of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of the proximal lower extremities. Lower extremity venous EUS differs in two fundamental aspects from the “Duplex” evaluation performed in a vascular laboratory. First, its anatomic focus is limited to
References (0)
Cited by (0)
Approved October 2014
Revised and Approved by the ACEP Board of Directors October 2014
Originally Approved by the ACEP Board of Directors April 2006