ACR Releases New and Updated Appropriateness Criteria

The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) released an update to its ACR Appropriateness Criteria® (ACR AC), which includes 257 diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology topics with more than 1,200 clinical variants covering nearly 3,700 clinical scenarios. The update includes 11 new and six revised topics. All topics include a narrative, evidence table and literature search summary.

“There are 17 new and revised topics — including new neuro topics for eye disorders and vision loss — and for the first time, the ACR Appropriateness Criteria is providing guidance covering staging and follow-up of leukemia,” said Ihab Kamel, MD, PhD, chair of the ACR Committee on Appropriateness Criteria. “This is our first completed topic for the Systemic Oncology panel, and we believe this will help referring physicians and other providers enhance the quality of care they provide to these patients.”

New Topics

• Acute Left Upper Quadrant Pain
• Breast Imaging During Pregnancy
• Horner Syndrome
• Male Breast Cancer Screening
• Management of Acute Pulmonary Embolism
• Preoperative and Postoperative Imaging for Bariatric Procedures
• Staging and Disease Monitoring of Colon Cancer and Appendiceal Cancer
• Staging and Follow-Up of Leukemia
• Staging and Disease Monitoring of Rectal Cancer
• Staging and Follow-up of Primary Liver Cancer
• Vision Loss

Revised Topics

• Female Breast Cancer Screening
• First Trimester Vaginal Bleeding
• Hematospermia
• Screening, Locoregional Assessment, and Surveillance of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
• Staging and Follow-up of Ovarian Cancer
• Suspected Osteomyelitis of the Foot in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

The ACR AC was first introduced in 1993 by expert panels in diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology. The guidelines are developed and reviewed annually by expert panels in diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology. Spanish translations of the ACR AC are now available from Colegio Interamericano de Radiología for more than 60 topics. More Spanish versions will be posted on a rolling basis as translations progress. More information about ACR AC is available on the ACR website.