Imaging the Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar Spine
In this chapter, we discuss imaging of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. Although differences exist, many common themes are shared in both the selection and the interpretation of diagnostic…
Imaging of the Pelvis and Hip
Imaging of the pelvis can be required following minor or major trauma and for nontraumatic painful conditions. In this chapter, we review a systematic approach to interpretation of the standard…
Imaging of Pulmonary Embolism and Nontraumatic Aortic Pathology
In the two preceding chapters we discussed chest imaging in patients without a history of injury and in the setting of trauma. In this chapter, we focus on imaging of…
Imaging Abdominal Vascular Catastrophes
Abdominal vascular conditions demand special attention in diagnosis. First, despite highly variable presentations, they must be suspected by the clinician so that appropriate imaging can be performed. Routine abdominal imaging…
Emergency Department Applications of Musculoskeletal Magnetic Resonance Imaging: An Evidence-Based Assessment
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a relatively rarely used modality in the emergency department, most often applied to acute neurologic conditions such as stroke and spinal cord injury. MRI offers…
“Therapeutic Imaging”: Image-Guided Therapies in Emergency Medicine
Medical imaging serves first to diagnose disease or injury, but imaging techniques are increasingly used to guide temporizing or definitive therapy for a range of conditions. Depending on the practice…
Imaging Abdominal and Flank Trauma
Abdominal trauma presents challenges in diagnostic imaging. Patients with abdominal trauma may have multiple, concomitant life-threatening injuries to the head, spine, chest, and extremities. For the unstable patient, the greatest…
Cardiac Computed Tomography
In the previous three chapters, we discussed chest imaging for a variety of indications, ignoring one of the most obvious concerns—cardiac ischemia. Among chief complaints to the emergency department, chest…
Imaging Soft Tissues of the Neck
Imaging of soft tissues of the neck can be essential in the evaluation of patients with a variety of chief complaints, including neck trauma, ingested or aspirated foreign body, nontraumatic…
Imaging the Head and Brain
Emergency physicians frequently evaluate patients with complaints requiring brain imaging for diagnosis and treatment. The diversity of imaging modalities and variations of these modalities may be daunting, creating uncertainty about…
