Suspected Pediatric Appendicitis: When Should CT Scans Be Used?

Have you ever treated a child with abdominal pain that you suspected might be caused by appendicitis? It’s tempting to go straight to a CT scan, but such scans expose children to ionizing radiation, which is potentially harmful. Eric Glissmeyer, MD, a pediatric emergency physician, discusses how doctors can know whether to employ advanced scanning in kids. He presented this information to his peers at the 2016 Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Baltimore.