J Emerg Med
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Pseudoaneurysms of the extracranial arterial system are rare. We report a case of a facial artery pseudoaneurysm initially mistaken for an abscess. With bedside ultrasound performed in the Emergency Department (ED) by the treating physician, the mass was identified as a pseudoaneurysm. ⋯ Although pseudoaneurysms of the head and neck are rare, a history of trauma should prompt the consideration of a vascular injury with the need for imaging before drainage procedures of a presumed abscess. To our knowledge, the use of clinician-performed bedside ultrasound to detect facial artery pseudoaneurysms has never been reported.
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The standard evaluation of patients with right upper quadrant (RUQ) abdominal pain consists of a history and physical examination, laboratory analysis, and radiological investigation. Given the increasing availability of bedside ultrasound in the Emergency Department (ED), a growing proportion of Emergency Physicians are now performing their own ultrasound examinations in patients with RUQ abdominal pain to circumvent diagnostic delays and improve patient care. ⋯ In this small sample, additional radiological testing after ED ultrasounds significant for acute cholecystitis led to sizable economic costs on a local and national level. Formal cost-benefit analyses are needed to evaluate the full economic and patient care implications of ED ultrasound use in this setting.