RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Incidental Chest Radiographic Findings in Adult Patients With Acute Cough
JF The Annals of Family Medicine
JO Ann Fam Med
FD American Academy of Family Physicians
SP 510
OP 515
DO 10.1370/afm.1384
VO 10
IS 6
A1 van Vugt, Saskia
A1 Broekhuizen, Lidewij
A1 Zuithoff, Nicolaas
A1 de Jong, Pim
A1 Butler, Christopher
A1 Hood, Kerenza
A1 Coenen, Samuel
A1 Goossens, Herman
A1 Little, Paul
A1 Almirall, Jordi
A1 Blasi, Francesco
A1 Chlabicz, Slawomir
A1 Davies, Mel
A1 Godycki-Cwirko, Maciek
A1 Hupkova, Helena
A1 Kersnik, Janko
A1 Mierzecki, Arthur
A1 Mölstad, Sigvard
A1 Moore, Michael
A1 Schaberg, Tom
A1 De Sutter, An
A1 Torres, Antoni
A1 Touboul, Pia
A1 Verheij, Theo
A1 On behalf of the GRACE Project Group
YR 2012
UL http://www.annfammed.org/content/10/6/510.abstract
AB PURPOSE Imaging may produce unexpected or incidental findings with consequences for patients and ordering of future investigations. Chest radiography in patients with acute cough is among the most common reasons for imaging in primary care, but data on associated incidental findings are lacking. We set out to describe the type and prevalence of incidental chest radiography findings in primary care patients with acute cough. METHODS We report on data from a cross-sectional study in 16 European primary care networks on 3,105 patients with acute cough, all of whom were undergoing chest radiography as part of a research study workup. Apart from assessment for specified signs of pneumonia and acute bronchitis, local radiologists were asked to evaluate any additional finding on the radiographs. For the 2,823 participants with good-quality chest radiographs, these findings were categorized according to clinical relevance based on previous research evidence and analyzed for type and prevalence by network, sex, age, and smoking status. RESULTS Incidental findings were reported in 19% of all participants, and ranged from 0% to 25% by primary care network, with the network being an independent contributor (P <.001). Of all participants 3% had clinically relevant incidental findings. Suspected nodules and shadows were reported in 1.8%. Incidental findings were more common is older participants and smokers (P <. 001). CONCLUSIONS Clinically relevant incidental findings on chest radiographs in primary care adult patients with acute cough are uncommon, and prevalence varies by setting.