Usefulness of selective preoperative chest x-ray films. A prospective study.

Preoperative screening chest x-ray studies continue to be used widely despite the high cost and reported low-yield. Most physicians now use "clinical judgment" to mitigate the frequency of chest x-ray. To determine the usefulness of "selective" preoperative chest x-ray studies, 403 consecutive patients undergoing operation were prospectively studied. Chest x-ray films were analyzed both for abnormality and the frequency with which the changes seen on x-ray films led to cancellation of surgery or resulted in a further evaluation of the pathology discovered. There were 228 male and 175 female patients, (average age: 54 years). A total of 166 (41%) patients had operations performed without a preoperative chest x-ray study. The x-ray studies on 136 of the 237 patients who had preoperative chest x-ray were considered normal. A variety of abnormalities such as effusion, cardiomegaly, atelectasis, or granuloma were found in the remaining 101 patients. Sixty-four of these patients were known from previous studies to have the abnormality that was recorded. Eight of 37 (21%), who had surgery as scheduled, subsequently underwent evaluation for the new pulmonary problem detected on x-ray films. Only two operations were cancelled as a result of the screening x-ray. The majority of abnormalities detected were already known or were considered insufficient for further evaluation. In a metropolitan area of Michigan the cost for a chest x-ray is $70. Projected nationwide, more than $1 billion could be saved on needless "selective" preoperative chest x-ray studies each year. These data suggest that preoperative chest x-ray is still widely overused.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)