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Lookup NU author(s): Emeritus Professor Michael Goodfellow
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© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Aim: Nationally, concern has been raised about the overuse of diagnostic testing. In patients with unilateral otalgia and no history of Head and Neck Cancer (HNC), 1% had a malignancy detected on imaging that was not detected on clinical examination. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of “MRI soft tissue neck” scans performed at our hospital from May 2020 to May 2021. Patients were excluded if their scan was not ordered for HNC symptoms. Previous HNC patients undergoing follow-up imaging were also included. Results: In total, 326 scan requests were analyzed. Of the 132 patients without clinical features of overt disease, only one received a new diagnosis of HNC. This patient had previously had a HNC and was undergoing routine follow-up imaging. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that performing MRI scans in symptomatic patients with a normal examination, FNE, and no history of HNC does not benefit the diagnosis or management of these patients.
Author(s): Goodfellow M, Lim C, Tustin H, Mentias Y, Cocks H
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Head and Neck
Year: 2022
Volume: 44
Issue: 11
Pages: 2564-2570
Print publication date: 01/11/2022
Online publication date: 02/08/2022
Acceptance date: 21/07/2022
ISSN (print): 1043-3074
ISSN (electronic): 1097-0347
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/hed.27168
DOI: 10.1002/hed.27168
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