Abdominal CT (computed tomography) is among the most common imaging tests performed for the investigation of acute abdominal pathology. There are many pitfalls that clinicians and radiologists should be aware of when requesting these studies and interpreting the findings. This article covers ten mistakes frequently made with abdominal CT, focusing on gastrointestinal tract and hepatobiliary pathology. These mistakes and their discussions are based on the available literature where possible and thereafter on our clinical experience.

Ultrasound is a routine diagnostic procedure widely used in gastroenterology departments worldwide, and gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS) has become increasingly important in diagnosing and following gastrointestinal disorders. Being a real-time imaging modality, it has some advantages over static imaging modalities such as CT and MRI, and it allows the examiner to perform various techniques and methods to enhance visualisation. GIUS requires more than essential ultrasound experience, and acquiring good images for correct interpretation can be challenging even for the experienced examiner. As such, there are several pitfalls that clinicians should be aware of. Based on our clinical experience with an evidence-based approach, we present the ten most common mistakes made in gastrointestinal ultrasound and how to avoid them.

Barrett’s oesophagus is a premalignant condition of the distal oesophagus predisposing to oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Given the potential for malignant progression and the poor prognosis of eosophageal adenocarcinoma when diagnosed at a symptomatic stage, patients with known Barrett oesophagus undergo regular endoscopic surveillance to detect neoplastic progression at an early and preferably endoscopically, treatable stage. Endoscopic management of early Barrett oesophagus neoplasia consists of a combination of endoscopic imaging, endoscopic resection and endoscopic ablation. Below we discuss a number of mistakes that are frequently made when managing Barrett oesophagus neoplasia and how to avoid them. Much of this discussion draws on existing guidelines (for background reading, check the ESGE Barrett oesophagus guideline), but in many instances the underlying evidence (even in the guideline) is missing and therefore many of our practically driven recommendations are based on common sense and our experience in this field.

It is a difficult task and a great responsibility to evaluate and manage patients with acute - and potentially life-threatening - clinical presentations. It is even more complex to achieve high standards of care for cases on call. Indeed, on-call gastroenterologists, hepatologists and endoscopists are faced with a wide and protean range of gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatic emergencies.  The decision-making process for cases on call is mainly based on information received over the phone, on medical knowledge and clinical experience, and on the resources available. As the degree of confidence in any information given on call may vary, it is of tremendous importance to note, and to document, with precise timing, what has been communicated by, proposed to, and eventually decided with, multiple caregivers (i.e. nurses, emergency physicians, intensive care physicians, surgeons, radiologists etc.)