Objective:
This study aims to assess the diagnostic yield of esophagrams and assess the added value of scout radiographs.
Materials and Methods:
An IRB-approved exemption was granted to conduct a retrospective review of diagnostic esophagrams of adult patients with a preprocedural scout radiograph performed from January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023. Patient information was collected, such as patient relative age, sex, examination cancellations, referral clinical history/indications, any abnormalities mentioned on radiologic report, and specific findings of diagnostic esophagram and scout radiograph. Frequencies of findings on the radiology report were tabulated and compared to the initial referral clinical indications to determine whether findings correlated with the indications.
Results:
Out of 136 included exams, only three exams were ever cancelled, with one being able to resume at a later date, all of which the preprocedural scout radiographs did not contribute toward. Roughly 65% of the radiologic reports showed unremarkable findings. The three most common clinical indicators were dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and globus sensation. Roughly 46% of patients were older than 60, 31% of patients were 45–60 years old, and 33% were 18–45 years old; 63% were women, and 36% were men, and 1% of patients identified as nonbinary.
Conclusion:
In the United States, two in three adult patients experience some sign of possible gastrointestinal disorder, with almost half being upper gastrointestinal (GI) in nature. However, in our retrospective review, scout radiographs did not yield any information that modified the procedure or would have led to cancellation of the procedure. Scout radiographs could be done on an individual basis. Fluoroscopic scout images could be substituted to further reduce radiation exposure in accordance with ALARA. For future studies, we could expand the study to include more patients. We could also assess the diagnostic yield with respect to the symptoms.
