The diagnostic yield of head and neck imaging in symptomatic patients with a normal clinical examination

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader The diagnostic yield of head and neck imaging in symptomatic patients with a normal clinical examination via Head & Neck Abstract Aim Nationally, concern has been raised about the overuse of diagnostic testing. In patients with unilateral otalgia and no history of Head and Neck Cancer (HNC), 1% had a malignancy detected on imaging that was not detected on clinical examination. Methods We performed a retrospective review of "MRI soft tissue neck" scans performed at our hospital from May 2020 to May 2021. Patients were excluded if their scan was not ordered for HNC symptoms. Previous HNC patients undergoing follow-up imaging were also included. Results In total, 326 scan requests were analyzed. Of the 132 patients without clinical features of overt disease, only one received a new diagnosis of HNC. This patient had previously had a HNC and was undergoing routine follow-up imaging. Conclusion Our data demonstrate that performing MRI scans in symptomatic patients with a normal examination, FNE, and no history of HNC does not benefit the diagnosis or management of these patients. View on Web

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