Incidence and pathology of repeat CT abdomen and pelvis in an adult emergency department population.

INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to identify the incidence of adult patients who undergo more than one computed tomography (CT) abdomen and pelvis within 1 year and detect the incidence of significant pathology on these repeat scans. METHODS: All adults with an initial CT within 12 months and then during an emergency department visit were retrospectively identified. RESULTS: A percentage of 21.1 of the repeat CT scans were positive. Approximately 20% of positive repeat CT scans occurred within the first month and nearly 70% within 6 months of the initial CT scan. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients undergo multiple CT scans within a 1 year time frame with significant pathology identified.