American College of Radiology Releases New and Updated Appropriateness Criteria

The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) released an update to its ACR Appropriateness Criteria® (ACR AC), which includes 239 diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology topics with more than 1,200 clinical variants covering 3,900 clinical scenarios. The update includes six new and six revised topics. All topics include a narrative, evidence table and a literature search summary.

“Several important updates to the ACR Appropriateness Criteria in this release should help referring physicians and other providers enhance the quality of care for their patients,” said Mark E. Lockhart, MD, MPH, chair of the ACR Committee on Appropriateness Criteria.

New Topics:
1. Acute Elbow and Forearm Pain
2. Endometriosis
3. Imaging of Suspected Intracranial Hypotension
4. Penetrating Torso Trauma
5. Thoracic Back Pain
6. Tracheobronchial Disease

Revised Topics:
1. Acute Onset of Scrotal Pain-Without Trauma, Without Antecedent Mass
2. Altered Mental Status, Coma, Delirium, and Psychosis
3. Multiple Gestations
4. Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding
5. Pretreatment Staging of Urothelial Cancer
6. Stress (Fatigue/Insufficiency) Fracture, Including Sacrum, Excluding Other Vertebrae

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.