Abstract
Pregnant patients may present in the emergency setting for various reasons, and they can be broadly divided into those with trauma, pregnancy-related problems, and nonpregnancy-related problems. The spectrum of pathologies or injuries in traumas and nonpregnancy-related problems are similar in the pregnant population compared to that of the general population, but the pattern of injury, presentation, and management may differ. Radiologic examinations of pregnant patients in an emergency setting remain an important diagnostic series of tests, and present a unique set of challenges. On one hand, timely identification of the presence or absence of pathology or injury may play a critical role in management decision-making, and can affect clinical outcome for both the mother and fetus. On the other hand, it is also important to consider potential fetal and maternal risks related to the exposure to radiologic examinations, contrast agents, and contrast reaction premedication regimens (Tables 1 and 2). The aim of this chapter is to review the appropriateness of different imaging modalities, pathologies that occur in pregnant women, and important related imaging findings.
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Shin, D., Lee, J., LeBedis, C.A. (2021). Emergency Imaging of Pregnant Patient. In: Patlas, M.N., Katz, D.S., Scaglione, M. (eds) Atlas of Emergency Imaging from Head-to-Toe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44092-3_35-1
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