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Table 3 Evaluation of renal, biliary, and venous pathology

From: A systematic review of the cost-effectiveness of ultrasound in emergency care settings

Study

Year

Findings

CHEERS Score (max 24)

Durston [35]

2001

Initial POCUS by ED physicians for right-upper quadrant pain followed by radiology department scans if needed, is the most cost-effective approach

12

Goodacre [36]

2006

Assessing for deep vein thrombosis with the Wells score and D-dimer prior to US improves cost-effectiveness by avoiding unnecessary scans

20

Young [37]

2010

There may be a large cost associated with repeating imaging tests for cholecystitis after they have already been performed by proficient ED physicians

9

Ward [38]

2010

In patients with high suspicion for pulmonary embolism but low likelihood of mortality, starting the diagnostic workup with US to assess for deep vein thrombosis and proceeding with only selective CT scanning is cost-effective

22

Melnikow [39]

2016

In patients with suspected kidney stones randomized to initial POCUS, radiology US, or CT there were no significant differences in either outcome or cost

14

Sternberg [40]

2017

An assessment of over 10,000 cases of acute renal colic showed that if US was ordered at the initial visit, overall imaging cost and radiation exposure were lower than if CT scan was ordered initially

9