Low vs. Standard Dose CT for Appendicitis Trial
Low vs. Standard Dose CT for Appendicitis Trial
To determine whether low-dose (LD) CT is noninferior to standard-dose (SD) computed
 tomography (CT) as the first-line imaging test in adolescents and young adults in regard to
 negative appendectomy rate (NAR).
-  Acute appendicitis is a very common disease. Many patients are adolescents or young
 adults.

 -  CT is the current standard imaging test for the diagnosis of appendicitis.

 -  In recent years, the awareness of carcinogenic risk associated with CT radiation has
 increased.

 -  According to a recent single-institutional randomized controlled trial, LD CT (employing
 a quarter of standard radiation dose) was found to be noninferior to SD CT with respect
 to NARs in adolescents and young adults with suspected appendicitis.

 -  However, LD CT is not yet widely accepted.

 -  To establish LD CT as the first-line imaging test, a multi-institutional study is needed
 to confirm the generalizability of the prior single-institutional study.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Emergency department visit with suspected symptoms and signs of acute appendicitis

 -  Intravenous contrast-enhanced computed tomography examination requested due to
 suspicion of appendicitis

 -  Willing to provide telephone or cell phone numbers for follow-up

 -  Signed informed consent provided prior to study entry

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Prior cross-sectional imaging tests to evaluate the presenting symptoms and signs

 -  Prior history of surgical removal of the appendix