Are chest X-rays valuable for patients presenting to emergency departments with acute abdominal pain?

Emergency department patients presenting with acute abdominal pain are often prescribed a chest X-ray; however, the value of chest X-rays in acute abdominal pain is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to assess the value of chest X-rays in acute abdominal pain.

A retrospective analysis of 944 chest X-rays performed for acute abdominal pain was conducted. Patient clinical information, radiology reports, and findings of other diagnostic investigations were also collected. MedCal® software was used to calculate diagnostic performance of chest X-rays. A Chi-Square test was used to assess the association between positive chest X-ray findings and both age and gender.

Of the 944 chest X-rays identified as satisfying inclusion factors, only 10 cases (approximately 1%) demonstrated pathology that was likely to be the cause of the abdominal pain. Further analysis demonstrated the following performance metrics at 95%CI: sensitivity (12.8; 8.78-17.72); specificity (100; 98.4-100); positive predictive value (100%); negative predictive value (52.76; 51.54-53.98); accuracy (55.82; 51.17-60.40).

Chest X-ray has limited sensitivity and diagnostic value in patients presenting to the emergency department with abdominal pain and does not appear to be a useful diagnostic investigation for abdominal pain.