Medical Devices of the Abdomen and Pelvis

Abstract

Medical devices in the abdomen and pelvis are probably less frequently seen than those in the chest or extremities, but they are important and should be recognized. These devices can be grouped into a few major categories: intestinal tubes, genitourinary devices, postoperative apparatus, and a wide variety of odds and ends. Many of these devices are used to monitor or treat gastrointestinal and genitourinary disease. Some of them, such as inferior vena cava filters and drug infusion pumps, treat systemic problems, and some of them are devices used in treating another anatomic region. It is strongly recommended that scout views for chest, abdominal, and pelvic computed tomographic studies be carefully examined for medical apparatus. Medical devices are often more easily recognized on scout images, and their inappropriate locations and complications can be better appreciated on the subsequent cross-sectional images if one is alerted to their presence in the first place. The evaluation of routine medical devices should be considered as important as any other aspect of a radiologic examination.