The liver, as the largest and most complex organ in the abdomen, can present with diverse abnormalities. The most common clinical conundrum is the characterization of single or multiple hepatic lesions, primarily into benign or malignant disease, but there are…
Colon Anatomy The colon starts at the ileocecal valve and is made up anatomically of the cecum; appendix (which is discussed separately below); ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon; and rectum. The ascending and transverse colon develops along with the…
Anatomy The embryological development of the small bowel (midgut) is complicated, involving herniation into the umbilical cord and a 270-degree counterclockwise rotation before returning to the abdominal cavity. As a result, it is not surprising that there are several congenital…
Normal Anatomy The duodenum is classified into four parts. The first is the duodenal bulb, which is intraperitoneal before it passes posteriorly into the second part, or C-sweep, which is retroperitoneal and fixed. This second part starts at the superior…
Normal Anatomy The stomach begins at the gastric cardia (the portion that envelops the lower esophagus) and ends after the pylorus. It consists of a fundus, body, lesser and greater curvature, antrum, and pylorus. It has three layers of smooth…
The esophagus extends from the lower pharynx at the upper esophageal sphincter to the lower esophageal sphincter at the esophageal vestibule, or phrenic ampulla, just above the gastroesophageal (GE) junction. It consists of inner circular and outer longitudinal muscle layers.…
Increasing emphasis on tailoring of cancer treatment strategies to individual patients (i.e., personalized medicine) has enabled development of multiple therapeutic options in the management of malignant diseases of the abdomen and pelvis. In particular, in patients with malignant hepatic and…
Monitoring the response of tumors to treatment has become an integral component of oncologic imaging. Imaging studies play a vital role in objective assessment by quantifying tumor response to a variety of physical and pharmaceutical treatments. Traditionally, therapeutic response has…
Etiology Abdominal wall hernias, or external hernias (where abdominal contents protrude beyond the abdominal cavity), include inguinal, femoral, umbilical, incisional, spigelian, epigastric, lumbar, and obturator hernias. All abdominal wall hernias consist of a peritoneal sac that protrudes through a weakness…
Cross-sectional imaging modalities including ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonancy imaging (MRI) provide good anatomic detail of the abdominal wall and allow evaluation of pathologic processes in this area. Ultrasonography is frequently used as the first imaging modality to…