Inappropriate imaging requests in abdominal imaging: observations from the MIDAS study, a multicenter randomized...

Diagnostic imaging is essential in evaluating abdominal pathology, yet inappropriate imaging requests remain a concern due to potential radiation exposure, extended hospital stays, increased healthcare costs, and resource strain. However, little is known about the extent of inappropriate imaging in abdominal radiology. This study investigates the prevalence of inappropriate imaging across imaging modalities and departments in three German hospitals.

We analyzed all 3393 scored abdominal imaging requests submitted by any of 13 departments from three German university hospitals over a 2.5-year period within the context of the MIDAS trial (NCT05490290). Each request was scored for appropriateness using the European Society for Radiology (ESR) iGuide and categorized as appropriate, appropriate under certain conditions, or inappropriate. Descriptive statistics were used to assess appropriateness overall, by modality, and by patient demographics. Estimated radiation exposure and cost were also calculated using standardized dose and pricing models.

Of all scored imaging requests, 6.19% were deemed inappropriate (99% Confidence Interval (CI) 5.12-7.25). Ultrasound had the highest proportion of inappropriate requests (12.35%, 99% CI 8.14-16.56), followed by fluoroscopy (7.14%, 99% CI 1.23-13.05), Computed Tomography (CT) (5.47%, 99% CI 3.94-6.99), MRI (5.20%, 99% CI 3.63-6.77), and conventional radiography (1.89%, 99% CI 0-6.70). The most frequently requested exams were chest/abdominal/pelvic CTs, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Abdomen, MRI pelvis, abdominal ultrasound and CT angiogram chest/abdomen/pelvis. The total estimated radiation exposure of requested exams was 27,954 miligray (mGy), and the total associated cost was €604,411.

Inappropriate abdominal imaging requests were relatively uncommon but varied across modalities. The findings in this paper highlight areas for potential improvement in imaging practices, further training and further development of clinical decision support tools to enhance guideline adherence in real-world settings.