TY - JOUR T1 - The use of plain abdominal <em>x</em> rays in the emergency department JF - Emergency Medicine Journal JO - Emerg Med J SP - 160 LP - 163 DO - 10.1136/emj.2008.059113 VL - 26 IS - 3 AU - J E Smith AU - E J Hall Y1 - 2009/03/01 UR - http://emj.bmj.com/content/26/3/160.abstract N2 - Abdominal x rays expose patients to significant doses of radiation and have limited use in emergency medicine. This review explores the evidence supporting the use of abdominal x rays in the emergency department, with particular reference to recent guidelines published by the Royal College of Radiologists. The authors' recommendations for the use of abdominal x rays in the emergency department are given. ER -