The European journal of surgery = Acta chirurgica
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Are routine preoperative chest radiographs useful in general surgery? A prospective, multicentre study in 3959 patients. Association des Chirurgiens de l'Assistance Publique pour les Evaluations médicales.
To find out which patients about to undergo general or gastrointestinal operations could have the routine preoperative posteroanterior chest radiograph omitted. ⋯ Preoperative chest radiographs should be routine for patients about to undergo general and gastrointestinal operations with three or more risk factors, and done selectively for patients with one or two. Routine preoperative films are unnecessary for patients with no risk factors.