Catch-22 for the radiologist.

ABSTRACT

Here is a scenario not very uncommon for radiologists in day–to-day practice. A pregnant woman, who has symptoms such as pain or bleeding per vaginam, comes to a stand-alone ultrasound clinic for an obstetric ultrasound examination in what is apparently an emergency. She does not have a prescription for ultrasound examination from her obstetrician, either because the obstetrician is not reachable for some reason or there is a technical difficulty in obtaining a prescription at that time. What should a radiologist do in such a case?