The term inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompasses two forms of chronic, idiopathic intestinal inflammation, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Although many other inflammatory diseases affect the gut, most are distinguished by a specific identifiable causative agent or process or by…
The vermiform appendix is the smallest segment of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the least relevant to its function, yet diseases of the appendix are among the most common surgical emergencies in the Western world. Anatomy The appendix arises anywhere…
Colonic diverticula are acquired herniations of the mucosa and of portions of the submucosa through the muscularis propria. Diverticular disease of the colon represents a continuum from an initial, prediverticular phase of marked muscular thickening of the colon wall (myochosis)…
Computed tomography colonography (CTC) is a low-dose, cross-sectional imaging examination optimized for the detection of colorectal polyps and masses. As a result of advanced computer three-dimensional (3D) post-processing, a popular misperception is one of an imaging analogue to optical colonoscopy…
Pelvic floor disorders are an underdiagnosed source of morbidity and significantly diminish the quality of life. Most patients are women. In any clinic that deals with pelvic floor disorders, about 80% of patients will be women between the ages of…
Barium enemas are not commonly performed in modern radiology practice because of greater use of other diagnostic tests such as colonoscopy, computed tomography (CT), and, most recently, CT colonography. As senior radiologists retire, it has become increasingly difficult for young…
Abnormalities of Small Bowel Development in Adults MECKEL’S DIVERTICULUM During embryologic development, the yolk sac is connected to the midgut by the omphalomesenteric duct, which is later obliterated during the seventh to eighth weeks of embryogenesis. Persistence of the entire…
Surgical treatment of small bowel disease requires the use of relatively few surgical techniques, and most are applicable to any segment of the jejunum and ileum. These techniques include enterotomy for removal of polyps or foreign bodies; enteroplasty for treatment…
Small bowel abnormalities continue to be a significant diagnostic challenge for clinicians and radiologists. Clinicians have historically struggled to diagnose many small bowel diseases because patients typically present with only nonspecific complaints such as abdominal pain, weight loss, or anemia.…
In patients with known or suspected small bowel obstruction (SBO), the radiologist is called on to answer the following questions: Is the bowel obstructed? If so, what is the level of obstruction? What is the cause of obstruction? What is…