As I was scrolling through the worklist, I came across a case with priors that significantly changed the disposition of a patient, emphasizing the magic of priors. A chest CTA showed numerous pulmonary emboli sitting in multiple branches of the pulmonary arteries. At first glance, any radiologist would be ready to pick up the phone and call the ER to let them know about the pulmonary emboli. Of course, this patient would most likely need anti-coagulation and possibly thrombolysis. But then, at the very end of the list of prior studies, I noticed a previous chest CTA from 2017. To my surprise, the images looked the same. Those bilateral pulmonary emboli were most likely chronic! No new treatment would likely be necessary. If you want to talk about why priors are so important, this is an excellent example of why. It entirely changed the management of this patient. And it is the proverbial tip of the iceberg. So, if you ever get that feeling of laziness, here are some reasons it pays to take the time to press on and look at the patient’s prior studies.
Increases Sensitivity
No, it is not cheating to look at the prior report. Instead, it is excellent patient care. Some lesions, for instance, pancreatic lesions, can be very subtle. And, if you don’t look back at the prior report and the prior study, you are much more likely to miss it. You may neglect to recommend follow-up on this sort of lesion. And, in this case, you never know what can happen next. It can grow and need further treatment or not. Regardless, why not increase your chances of picking up significant findings?
Increases Specificity
Let’s give the example of that lowly nonspecific liver lesion that we always seem to find. The second time around, the diagnosis can become a lot more specific. If the lesion has been stable for the past ten years, it is highly likely to not be malignant. And, you have made of critical management decision of leaving the lesion alone. Otherwise, a whole workup can ensue, wasting health care dollars and causing potential psychological discomfort to the patient. These issues happen all the time, so don’t forget to compare to the priors.
The Magic Of Priors Changes Patient Treatment
I can’t tell you how often I get calls from oncologists that fail to give us the most recent priors, subsequently add them to our system, and then request an addendum. Why is that, you might ask? Well, most oncologists know the value of comparing to priors. How would you know whether to continue on a chemotherapeutic regimen or not? In an imaging study, learning if there is improvement, stability, or progression takes the guesswork of how to treat the patient next. And this is not to mention the potential life-saving acute issues I mentioned with the chronic PE case at the beginning!
Increases Referring Physician Confidence
Knowing that you have an eye on the previous study on all your reports allows your referrers to feel comfortable that you are safely and methodically correctly interpreting images. Of course, this step can lead to a virtuous circle. You get more patients referred because you increase clinician confidence and patient well-being. And, you earn a better living. It’s all good!
The Magic Of Priors
One of the big life lessons of practicing radiology for so many years is to avoid neglecting prior studies. I have seen one too many cases slip through the cracks, and I certainly don’t want the same to happen on my watch. And, I am sure that you probably don’t want that on yours. So remember why the magic of priors is so essential- increasing sensitivity and specificity, changing patient management, and increasing clinician confidence. And, you should make it part of your standard protocol never to forget to look at them too!
