THE MEANING OF A NONSPECIFIC ABDOMINAL GAS PATTERN

Rationale and Objectives. The radiology report is the primary means of communication between the radiologist and the referring physician. A lack of precision in this report may adversely affect patient care. We examined how radiologists would define ''nonspecific abdominal gas pattern'' and how referring physicians would perceive the meaning. Methods. A questionnaire was distributed to radiologists and referring physicians in Flint, Michigan. They were asked to categorize their definition or interpretation, respectively, of ''nonspecific abdominal gas pattern'' into ''normal''; ''either normal or abnormal''; or ''abnormal, representing either mechanical obstruction or adynamic ileus. Results. Thirty-three radiologists responded, 23 (69.7%) of whom used the term. One hundred fifty-seven referring physicians responded, 127 of whom assigned a specific definition to the term. Using a 2 x 3 chi-square test (df = 2), we found a statistically significant difference (p < .03) between the distribution of the meaning of the term between radiologists and their referring physicians. Conclusion. The term ''nonspecific abdominal gas pattern'' should be abandoned because it may signify a normal condition or a pathologic state. We found the definition to be dichotomous and asynchronous between radiologists and their referring physicians.