ARKA Clinical Decision Support is designed to meet all four criteria for Non-Device CDS under FD&C Act §520(o)(1)(E) and FDA's January 2026 final guidance on Clinical Decision Support Software. Recommendations support, not replace, the clinician's judgment. Every recommendation is anchored in a published guideline or peer-reviewed source, with the basis available for independent review. CLIN emphasizes imaging appropriateness at order entry.
This recommendation is intended to support, not replace, clinical judgment. It is generated by ARKA, software designed to meet the four criteria for Non-Device Clinical Decision Support under FD&C Act §520(o)(1)(E) and FDA's final guidance on Clinical Decision Support Software (January 2026). The clinician is responsible for the final decision.
AIIE Evidence
Ultrasound is the first study for pediatric appendicitis; escalate equivocal results to MRI (preferred) or low-dose CT rather than defaulting to CT.
Children with suspected appendicitis are imaged ultrasound-first to avoid CT radiation. A visualized normal or inflamed appendix is usually diagnostic; equivocal studies escalate to MRI or low-dose CT depending on availability.
The AIIE synthesis above is ARKA-authored; the sources below are the underlying external literature.
Radiology · 2006doi:10.1148/radiol.2411050913
World Journal of Emergency Surgery · 2020doi:10.1186/s13017-020-00306-3
Image Gently Alliance · 2024