Abdominal x-ray review: artifacts/external

Changed by Vikas Shah, 7 Dec 2017

Updates to Article Attributes

Body was changed:

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.

Reference article

This is a summary article; we do not have a more in-depth reference article.

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 localise the object to the abdominal wall or within the abdominal cavity
    • clothing or jewellery are commonly identified, these include:
      • navel/nipple 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

Related articles

  • -<li>many objects are placed <a title="iatrogenically" href="/articles/medical-devices-in-the-abdomen-and-pelvis">iatrogenically</a>, some are the result of <a title="misadventure" href="/articles/rectal-foreign-bodies">misadventure</a>
  • +<li>clothing or jewellery are commonly identified, these include:<ul>
  • +<li>navel/nipple piercing</li>
  • +<li>metal from clothing, e.g. metal rings from jogging bottoms, beads, sequins</li>
  • +<li>metal objects in shirt/trouser pockets: cellphone, car keys, lighter, pen</li>
  • +<li>printed shirts</li>
  • +</ul>
  • +</li>
  • +<li>many objects are placed <a href="/articles/medical-devices-in-the-abdomen-and-pelvis">iatrogenically</a>, some are the result of <a href="/articles/rectal-foreign-bodies">misadventure</a>

Sections changed:

  • Approach

Systems changed:

  • Gastrointestinal

ADVERTISEMENT: Supporters see fewer/no ads

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.