Noncardiac Incidental Findings on Cardiac CT: A Step-by-Step Approach

Noncardiac incidental findings on cardiac CT are remarkably common and some of these may have a significant impact on patient management. Herein, we present a straightforward and cost-effective step-by-step approach for identifying and reporting noncardiac incidental findings. In Step 1, we discuss the 'ABCDEFG' search pattern for systematically reviewing noncardiac organ systems. The most prevalent and clinically significant incidental findings are highlighted with strategies for increasing their conspicuity. In Step 2, the importance of reviewing clinical history and prior imaging studies is discussed. In Step 3, we provide a classification scheme and follow-up recommendations for incidental findings based on their potential clinical significance. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.