Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Salvatore LaRusso on February 2, 2012 at 9:03am

Karen,

As you probably know CPT code for a limited abdomen is single organ, quadrant, or follow up.

I don't know how you could look at the liver and not evaulate the Rt kidney

If a RUQ is ordered we do Liver, GB, Ducts, Panc, and RT kidney.

We also include Color doppler of the hapatic veins as well as the MPV and portal splenic confluence to include splenic vein as we image the panc.

We never just do "single organ".

Hope this helps

I have always been under the thought process of more is better

Permalink Reply by Dr MM Nurus shafi on February 4, 2012 at 7:47am

This is a tricky situation .  Ordering a RUQ    US  is  a good option for the pHysician but some times put  the sonographers in a difficult situation . In a hypothetical situation eg Rt hydronephrosis or   rt renal mass  we must evaluate ureter, bladder , pelvis,  prostate in male, the contralateral kidney , lymph nodes  & essentially the whole abdomen.

 

Permalink Reply by Laura Burke on February 9, 2012 at 6:06pm

I agree with Salavatore, we look at the pancreas, liver, gb, rt.kidney, and ducts when ruq is ordered. I was trained that you must assess the echogenicity of the liver compared to the rt. kidney.