Ordering Criteria

ACR Appropriateness Criteria®

The ACR Appropriateness Criteria® (AC) can be used by referring providers to help make the appropriate imaging decision based on clinical indications. This is a list of common clinical indications. A full list can be found at acsearch.acr.org/list.

Cardiac

Acute Chest Pain – Suspected Aortic Dissection

Suspected Pulmonary Embolism

Acute Nonspecific Chest Pain – Low Probability of Coronary Artery Disease

Asymptomatic Patient at Rick for Coronary Artery Disease

Chest Pain Suggestive of Acute Coronary Artery Disease

Chronic Chest Pain – Low to Intermediate Probability of Coronary Artery Disease

Known or Suspected Congenital Heart Disease in the Adult

Nonischemic Myocardical Disease with Clinical Manifestations

Chest

Acute Respiratory Illness in Immuno​​​competent Patients​

Acute Respiratory Illness in Immunocompromised Patients

Blunt Chest Traum​​a​

Chronic Dyspnea-Suspected Pulmonary Origin

Hemoptysis

Imaging of Possible Tuberculosis

Intensive Care Unit Patients

Occupational Lung Diseases

Pulmonary Hypertension

Radiographically Detected Solitary Pulmonary Nodule

Rib Fractures

​​Routine Chest Radiography​

Gastrointestinal

Acute (Nonlocalized) Abdominal Pain and Fever or Suspected Abdominal Abscess​​

Acute Pancreatitis

Blunt Abdominal Trauma

Crohn Disease

Dysphagia

Imaging of Mesenteric Ischemia

Jaundice

Left Lower Quadrant Pain-Suspected Diverticulitis

Liver Lesion-Initial Characterization

Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Palpable Abdominal Mass

Right Lower Quadrant Pain-Suspected Appendicitis​

Right Upper Quadrant Pain

Suspected Small Bowel Obstruction​

Musculoskeletal

Acute Hand and Wrist Trauma

Acute Hip Pain-Suspected Fracture

Acute Trauma to the Ankle

Acute Trauma to the Foot

Acute Trauma to the Knee

Nontraumatic Knee Pain

Stress (Fatigue-Insufficiency) Fracture Including Sacrum Excluding Other Vertebrae

Suspected Spine Trauma

Neurological

Ataxia​​

Cerebrovascular Disease

Chronic Neck Pain

Dementia and Movement Disorders

Focal Neurologic Deficit

Head Trauma

Headache

Hearing Loss and Vertigo

Low Back Pain

Myelopathy

Neck Mass-Adenopathy

Orbits Vision and Visual Loss

Seizures and Epilepsy

Sinonasal Disease

Suspected Spine Trauma​

Pediatric

Back Pain-Child

Developmental Dysplasia of Hip-Child

Fever Without Source or Unknown Origin-Child

Head Trauma-Child

Headache-Child

Hematuria-Child

Limping Child-Ages 0-5 years

Seizures-Child

Sinusitis-Child

Suspected Physical Abuse-Child

Urinary Tract Infection-Child

Vomiting in Infants Up to 3 Months of Age​

Urological

Acute Onset Flank Pain-Suspicion of Stone Disease (Urolithiasis)​

Acute Onset of Scrotal Pain-Without Trauma Without Antecedent Mass

Acute Pyelonephritis

Hematuria

Incidentally Discovered Adrenal Mass

Indeterminate Renal Mass

Renal Failure

Renal Trauma

Suspected Lower Urinary Tract Trauma​

Vascular

Blunt Abdominal Trauma

Blunt Chest Trauma-Suspected Aortic Injury

Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Pulsatile Abdominal Mass Suspected AAA

Sudden Onset Cold Painful Leg

Suspected Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis

Upper Extremity Swelling​

Women

Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding

Acute Pelvic Pain in the Reproductive Age Group

First Trimester Bleeding

Second and Third Trimester Bleeding​​​