Usefulness of screening chest roentgenograms in preoperative patients
L. Rucker, E. B. Frye and M. A. Staten
We proposed that clinical criteria could define a group of patients very
unlikely to have abnormal preoperative chest roentgenograms. Nine hundred
five surgical admissions were screened for the presence of clinical factors
we thought would make those patients more likely to have abnormal
preoperative chest roentgenograms. Of these, 368 had no risk factors. One
patient (0.3%) of the 368 had an abnormal x-ray film, which did not affect
the surgery. No material abnormalities were found in the remainder of the
group without risk factors. Five hundred four patients had identifiable
risk factors. Of these, 114 (22%) were found to have serious abnormalities
on preoperative chest roentgenogram.
