Surgery Shelf - "what would you order next?"

[OnMyWayThere]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I just finished my surgery rotation but the place was a very specialized surgery hospital so I did not get to see any general surgeries. My shelf exam is in another 2 months (my school makes us take 2-3 shelf exams at a time) and I am still unclear about when to order CT, XRAY, MRI... is there a general rule that you can share or a good source for when to order which test? I think these are some basics I may miss on the shelf when it comes around. Thanks!

 

[Anka]

CaseFiles was very helpful for these sorts of questions (in addition to your general reading and a question book). As far as dumb rules which will get you through most things -- In general, it's bad form to have someone die in the CT or MRI, so anyone who is acutely dying shouldn't be sent there. CT or plain films is what you need for most surgical problems (e.g., appendicitis, pneumonia), think ultrasound for Ob/Gyn problems. MRI is most often used to further deliniate a problem on CT, or for c spine injuries with neuro defecit.

Anka

 

[Blade28]

Lawrence and Recall may help as well.