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Colegio de Medicina Interna de México.

2024, Number 2

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Med Int Mex 2024; 40 (2)

Utility of computed tomography in study protocol for patients with unexplained weight loss

Moranchel GL, Pineda GLF, Casarrubias RM

Language: Spanish
References: 15
Page: 107-120
PDF size: 237.07 Kb.


ABSTRACT

Objective: To determine the diagnostic performance of computed tomography (CT) as part of the study protocol of patients with unexplained weight loss.
Materials and Methods: Cohort, ambispective study was made in the department of Internal Medicine, Specialty Hospital Antonio Fraga Mouret, CMN La Raza, Mexico City, in patients with unexplained weight loss recorded in the database during 9 years. A descriptive analysis with frequency distribution of variables was performed and sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were calculated, as well as χ2 for the evaluation and comparison of the diagnostic performance of CT.
Results: The CT has a sensitivity and specificity greater than 80%, so it is considered useful to guide a firm diagnosis; mainly in the group of patients with high suspicion of malignancy. If the cause is organic, non-malignant, it is considered a very specific (100%) study enabling us to rule out disease in those subjects with any finding.
Conclusions: The advantages of computed tomography allow it to be validated as the imaging study in unexplained weight loss that provides the most data to the final diagnosis.


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