Why is CT commonly used initially for diagnostic purposes in patients with an acute abdomen or pelvis?
Accurate and timely diagnosis of life-threatening disease involving the abdomen and pelvis is essential to decrease potential morbidity and mortality. Clinical evaluation is sometimes difficult, and laboratory analysis and radiographic findings are not always useful in diagnosing the condition at hand. CT imaging of the abdomen and pelvis is a reliable, highly accurate, and fast imaging diagnostic modality for the evaluation of symptomatic patients. It is most useful in patients with a clinical presentation that is unrevealing or confusing. CT allows for direct visualization of anatomic structures in the abdomen and pelvis, along with detection and characterization of the nature and extent of disease, when present.
