Role of multi-detector CT (MDCT) in diagnosis of intestinal obstruction

Abstract

The clinical diagnosis of intestinal obstruction classically depends on cardinal findings: abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation and abdominal distention while the CT diagnosis of bowel obstruction is based on the presence of dilated bowel proximal to a transition zone and a collapsed distal bowel. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of MDCT in the diagnosing of intestinal obstruction, detection of its cause and possible complications, and to correlate CT features and the operative findings. This was a cross sectional study with a total of 31 patients (15 males and 16 females) aged between 7 month and 75 years with clinically suspected intestinal obstruction. The most common cause of small bowel obstruction was post-operative adhesions, the remaining causes include hernia, intussception, crohn's, ischemia, malrotation, and others. The most common cause of large bowel obstruction was adenocarcinoma CT was accurately depicting the level of obstruction and mass lesion in all cases. Jejunal