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Diagnosing Diverticulitis: Balancing Cost, Efficiency, and Safety. Can I Make This Diagnosis by Clinical Assessment Alone? What Is the Role of Imaging?

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Abstract

Diverticulitis is a disease affecting over 70% of Americans over the age of 80. It is defined as an inflammation of an outpouching of the colon and episodes range in severity from mild pain and leukocytosis to peritonitis and septic shock. Clinical assessment alone has limited value in the acute care setting. Current recommendations for the evaluation of the patient with signs and symptoms of diverticulitis include laboratory studies and computed tomography (CT) for diagnosis and risk stratification.

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Bromberek, E., Graham, A. (2019). Diagnosing Diverticulitis: Balancing Cost, Efficiency, and Safety. Can I Make This Diagnosis by Clinical Assessment Alone? What Is the Role of Imaging?. In: Graham, A., Carlberg, D.J. (eds) Gastrointestinal Emergencies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98343-1_84

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98343-1_84

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-98343-1

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