The Division of Emergency Imaging

The Division of Emergency Imaging provides imaging services for Mass General's Level I Trauma Center, which treats over 100,000 patients a year. 

In addition to providing imaging services, the division develops protocols that are widely adopted by other ERs. Many of the emergency imaging procedures and protocols in current use today at other medical centers were first established at and reported by the division. For example, a CT technique for diagnosing appendicitis, developed at Mass General, is now widely used throughout the country and can prevent up to 50,000 unnecessary operations per year by identifying patients who present with symptoms of, but do not have, appendicitis. Cross-sectional imaging protocols for other acute abdominal conditions can quickly identify patients who need emergency surgery and differentiate them from those for whom surgery is not necessary.

Acute stroke neurovascular imaging for prompt diagnosis and treatment is another area for which the division is a leader. Similar protocols have been developed for both traumatic and non-traumatic emergencies of the central nervous system, chest, spine, pelvis, face and extremities.

The division is at the forefront of radiology education and runs the country's first emergency-imaging fellowship. Dr. Robert Novelline, co-founder of the American Society of Emergency Radiology, has edited a Core Curriculum in Emergency Imaging, which describes the educational content taught to trainees.