Leg duplex comes first and CT pulmonary angiography with fluid prophylaxis second in this NU652 brief, which weighs three studies for suspected embolism in pneumonia with an eGFR of [26]. Searches like "nu 652 unit 7 assignment example", "nu652 unit 7 sample" and "nu652 unit 7 example" land here.
What a finished NU652 Unit 7 imaging selection brief looks like
Three pages, headed by a boxed clinical question: in this patient, does a pulmonary embolism explain the new tachycardia and oxygen requirement? Pretest probability follows, with a two-tier Wells score of [4.5] placing her in the likely group and a note that a D-dimer adds little in a hospitalized patient with pneumonia. At its center, a table weighs four candidate studies, CT pulmonary angiography, ventilation-perfusion scanning, bilateral leg duplex and transthoracic echocardiography, each row giving the ACR rating for the relevant variant in brackets, what either result would change, and the main limitation for her. A decision section then orders the studies. The last half page addresses contrast in reduced kidney function, citing the 2020 ACR and National Kidney Foundation consensus statement and specifying [isotonic saline] at a bracketed rate before and after the scan.
How a NU652 Unit 7 example is structured
The brief is built so that the question chooses the study, never the reverse. Stating that question in one sentence, with the finding that raised it, makes every later row answerable. Pretest probability is set before any study is discussed, because an imaging choice means little without knowing how likely the disease is. Each candidate row follows the same order: rating, what each result would change, then the limitation specific to this patient. That last column carries the argument. The infiltrate on her chest film makes a ventilation-perfusion scan more likely to be nondiagnostic, and the eGFR complicates contrast. Echocardiography is included and then set aside as a test that can neither confirm nor exclude a clot. The decision paragraph gives the sequence and its logic: a positive duplex would justify anticoagulation without chest imaging, so the contrast question may never arise.
The question in a box
One sentence names the suspected diagnosis and the new findings behind it. Everything in the table answers to that sentence, and a study that could not address it is not listed at all.
Probability before pictures
A two-tier Wells score and a sentence on the limits of D-dimer in inpatients come ahead of the table. A study's rating means little until the likelihood of disease has been fixed.
Ratings quoted, not invented
Each rating comes from the ACR Appropriateness Criteria variant closest to her situation, shown on its 1 to 9 scale, where 7 to 9 is usually appropriate. The brief names the topic and variant it used.
An infiltrate that weakens one option
Perfusion scanning is most useful when the chest radiograph is clear. With consolidation in the right lower lobe, a nondiagnostic result becomes likely, and the limitation column records exactly that.
Contrast handled with a source
The 2020 ACR and National Kidney Foundation consensus supports prophylactic fluids for an eGFR below [30] when contrast is needed. The brief brackets the rate and volume and names the creatinine check afterward.
Where marks go in NU652 Unit 7
Selection that answers the question earns the marks here, and the most common failure is a brief that orders CT pulmonary angiography first and justifies it afterward. Ratings cited without naming the ACR variant, or quoted from memory on the wrong scale, draw a correction because the criteria are specific to clinical scenarios. Leaving out pretest probability weakens every later claim. Papers that treat the eGFR of [26] as an absolute bar to contrast, or ignore it entirely, both lose credit; the expected position is a weighed risk with prophylaxis stated. Missing the effect of the pneumonia infiltrate on perfusion scanning is a frequent omission. Credit also rides on recognizing that a positive duplex settles the management question alone. Echocardiography proposed as a diagnostic test for embolism, and a D-dimer ordered without comment, draw the smaller comments.
Get a NU652 Unit 7 example written to your instructions
Imaging briefs in this unit cover chest, abdomen, spine or head depending on the case, and each region has its own ACR topic. Tell us the clinical scenario and the question the prompt poses, with the grading criteria. Expect the first brief inside 24-48h, without charge, rating each candidate study against the matching variant.
NU652 Unit 7 questions, answered
Where do the ACR ratings in the brief come from?
From the published ACR Appropriateness Criteria, which the American College of Radiology maintains as topics divided into clinical variants, each study rated from 1 to 9. The sample names the topic and variant it used and brackets the ratings so you can confirm them against the current version, since the criteria are revised periodically.
Why not order CT pulmonary angiography straight away?
In many patients that is the right choice. Here, calf swelling makes a positive duplex reasonably likely, and a positive duplex would lead to anticoagulation without further imaging, sparing contrast in reduced kidney function. The sample explains that trade-off and moves to angiography with prophylaxis if the duplex is negative, so the embolism question is never left unanswered.
Does the brief need to discuss radiation dose?
Briefly, when it bears on the choice. For an older adult with a suspected embolism, the diagnostic benefit usually outweighs radiation concerns, and the sample states this in one sentence. In a younger patient or in pregnancy the balance shifts, and a brief built for that scenario would give dose a larger place in its table.