Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31776813›Full record

SynthesisEmergency radiology2020

The influence of arm positions on abdominal image quality of whole-body computed tomography in trauma: systematic review.

E S Speelman, B Brocx, J E Wilbers, M J de Bie, O Ivashchenko, Y Tank, A J van der Molen

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Emergency radiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

E S SpeelmanStudent Clinical Technology, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE), Mekelweg 2, 2628, CD, Delft, The Netherlands.
B BrocxStudent Clinical Technology, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE), Mekelweg 2, 2628, CD, Delft, The Netherlands.
J E WilbersStudent Clinical Technology, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE), Mekelweg 2, 2628, CD, Delft, The Netherlands.
M J de BieStudent Clinical Technology, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE), Mekelweg 2, 2628, CD, Delft, The Netherlands.
O IvashchenkoDepartment of Radiology, C-2S, Leiden University Medical Centre, Albinusdreef 2, 2333, ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Y TankDepartment of Radiology, C-2S, Leiden University Medical Centre, Albinusdreef 2, 2333, ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands.
A J van der MolenDepartment of Radiology, C-2S, Leiden University Medical Centre, Albinusdreef 2, 2333, ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands. A.J.van_der_Molen@lumc.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2376-9424

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeWhole-body computed tomography (WBCT) is the standard diagnostic method for evaluating polytrauma patients. When patients are unable to elevate their arms, the arms are placed along the body, which affects the image quality negatively. Aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the influence of below the shoulder arm positions on image quality of WBCT.

methodsLiterature in PubMed and Scopus databases was systematically searched. Results of the papers were stratified into 4 categories: arms elevated, 1 arm up 1 arm down, arms ventrally supported, arms along the body. A qualitative analysis was performed on subjective image quality and a quantitative analysis on objective quality (image noise).

resultsEight studies were included with 1421 participants. Various studies reported significantly higher quality scores with arms elevated, compared to arms along the body. Significant differences in objective image quality were found between the arms elevated and the arms ventrally on support group. The arms ventrally supported group had a significantly higher image quality than the arms along the body group. A statistically significant difference was found in objective image quality between the 1 arm up 1 arm down and arms along the body group. No preferential below the shoulders position could be identified.

conclusionPositioning the arms alongside the body results in a poor image quality. Placing the arms on a pillow ventrally to the chest improves image quality. Interestingly, asymmetrical arm positioning has potential to improve the image quality for patients that are unable to elevate the arms.

Indexed as

ArmPatient PositioningHumansTomography, X-Ray ComputedWhole Body ImagingWounds and InjuriesArtifactsPatient positioningSystematic reviewTomographyTraumatologyX-ray computed

Identifiers

PMID31776813
PMCPMC7082374

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.