scholarly journals Ultrasound of Small Bowel Obstruction: A Pictorial Review

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 617
Author(s):  
Nicola Rosano ◽  
Luigi Gallo ◽  
Giuseppe Mercogliano ◽  
Pasquale Quassone ◽  
Ornella Picascia ◽  
...  

Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common condition requiring urgent attention that may involve surgical treatment. Imaging is essential for the diagnosis and characterization of SBO because the clinical presentation and results of laboratory tests may be nonspecific. Ultrasound is an excellent initial imaging modality for assisting physicians in the rapid and accurate diagnosis of a variety of pathologies to expedite management. In the case of SBO diagnosis, ultrasound has an overall sensitivity of 92% (95% CI: 89–95%) and specificity of 93% (95% CI: 85–97%); the aim of this review is to examine the criteria for the diagnosis of SBO by ultrasound, which can be divided into diagnostic and staging criteria. The diagnostic criteria include the presence of dilated loops and abnormal peristalsis, while the staging criteria are represented by parietal and valvulae conniventes alterations and by the presence of free extraluminal fluid. Ultrasound has reasonably high accuracy compared to computed tomography (CT) scanning and may substantially decrease the time to diagnosis; moreover, ultrasound is also widely used in the monitoring and follow-up of patients undergoing conservative treatment, allowing the assessment of loop distension and the resumption of peristalsis.

BMC Surgery ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Liu ◽  
Qiongyuan Hu ◽  
Lihua Shao ◽  
Xiaofeng Lu ◽  
Xiaofei Shen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is common and usually requires surgical intervention. Intestinal plication is a traditional but critical strategy for SBO in certain scenarios. This study is to compare the short-term and long-term outcome between internal and external plications in the management of SBO. Methods All patients receiving intestinal plication in our hospital were retrospectively collected. Short-term outcome including postoperative complications, reoperation, postoperative ICU stay, starting day of liquid diet and postoperative hospitalization, as well as long-term outcome including recurrence of obstruction, readmission, reoperation and death were compared between groups. Gut function at annual follow-up visits was evaluated as well. Results Nine internal and 11 external candidates were recruited into each group. The major causes of plication were adhesive obstruction, abdominal cocoon, volvulus and intussusception. Lower incidence of postoperative complication (p = 0.043) and shorter postoperative hospitalization (p = 0.049) was observed in internal group. One patient receiving external plication died from anastomosis leakage. During the 5-year follow-up period, the readmission rate was low in both groups (22.2 % vs. 9.1 %), and none of patients required reoperation or deceased. None of patients exhibited gut dysfunction, and all patients restored normal gut function after 4 years. Patients in external group demonstrated accelerated recovery of gut function after surgery. Conclusions This study compares short-term and long-term outcome of patients receiving internal or external intestinal plication. We suggest a conservative attitude toward external plication strategy. Surgical indication for intestinal plication is critical and awaits future investigations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pourmand ◽  
U. Dimbil ◽  
A. Drake ◽  
H. Shokoohi

Radiological imaging plays an essential role in the evaluation of a patient with suspected small bowel obstruction (SBO). In a few studies, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been utilized as a primary imaging modality in patients with suspected SBO. POCUS has been shown to be an accurate tool in the diagnosis of SBO with multiple research studies noting a consistent high sensitivity with a range of 94–100% and specificity of 81–100%. Specific sonographic findings that increase the likelihood of SBO include dilatation of small bowel loops > 25 mm, altered intestinal peristalsis, increased thickness of the bowel wall, and intraperitoneal fluid accumulation. Studies also reported that emergency physicians could apply this technique with limited and short-term ultrasound training. In this article, we aim to review the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound examinations performed by emergency physicians in patients with suspected SBO.


2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 1216-1217
Author(s):  
Hadi Najafian ◽  
Camille Eyvazzadeh

The wireless enteroscopy capsule (WEC) was approved for noninvasive visualization of small bowel. We report an unusual case of a previously healthy man with history of bowel resection and anastomosis who developed small bowel obstruction after ingestion of a WCE. At operation, an anastomotic stricture site was noted and the WEC was proximal to this stricture, causing obstruction. This case emphasizes the importance of a good history and physical examination, as well as vigilant follow-up and retrieval of WEC.


1992 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaya Mukai ◽  
Takashi Noto ◽  
Yoshio Iwata ◽  
Masami Ikeda ◽  
Seiei Yasuda ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 259 (6) ◽  
pp. 1173-1177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolin Isaksson ◽  
Agneta Montgomery ◽  
Ann-Cathrin Moberg ◽  
Roland Andersson ◽  
Bobby Tingstedt

BJS Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Fang Quek ◽  
Andrew Tanase ◽  
Fang Fang Quek

Abstract Introduction Enterolith ileus is a rare complication of jejunal diverticulosis, which in itself is a rare entity. Here we report a rare case of enterolith ileus as a complication of jejunal diverticulosis which is successfully managed conservatively. Case Report A 75-year-old female presented with a 7- day history of “gripey” abdominal pain with intermittent vomiting. She was able to pass flatus and had open bowel with small amount of loose stool. Patient was previously fit and well with no significant past medical history and had not undergone previous abdominal surgery. On admission, patient was in no acute distress and was afebrile. On examination, she had a very distended tympanic abdomen with left-sided tenderness but no palpable mass. Bowel sounds were present. Laboratory investigations revealed a white cell count of 22.6 x109/L, C-reactive protein of 26 mg/L and haemoglobin of 144 g/L. Abdominal X-rays revealed distended loops of small bowel indicating small bowel obstruction. CT images did not reveal pneumobilia which would be suggestive of gallstone ileus but showed intraluminal small bowel obstruction secondary to an enterolith in the terminal ileum. The scan also showed an inflamed jejunal diverticulum with fat stranding around but no perforation nor abscess was seen. The working diagnosis was acute intestinal obstruction caused by jejunal enterolith expulsed from jejunal diverticulum. Since no perforation nor abscess was noted, this patient was treated conservatively. Patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged with an MRI scheduled in 4-6 weeks for follow-up. The follow-up MRI was completely normal and patient has recovered uneventfully with conservative management. Discussion Acute intestinal obstruction caused by jejunal enterolith expulsed from jejunal diverticulum is rare. However, it is important to diagnose jejunoileal diverticulosis timely as they may lead to acute complications which can be life- threatening and may even cause death. Conclusion Many cases have reported jejunoileal diverticulosis being overlooked or misdiagnosed for other acute abdominal conditions. It is important to have a clinical awareness of this condition as although rare, it can lead to life-threatening complications.


2015 ◽  
Vol 110 ◽  
pp. S990
Author(s):  
Lindsay K. Rumberger ◽  
Brian Daley ◽  
Christopher Kolze ◽  
Robert Heidel ◽  
Joseph Spinell ◽  
...  

Diagnostics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefania Tamburrini ◽  
Marina Lugarà ◽  
Francesco Iaselli ◽  
Pietro Paolo Saturnino ◽  
Carlo Liguori ◽  
...  

Introduction: Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common presentation to the Emergency Department (ED). This study aimed to analyze the accuracy of ultrasound (US) in diagnosing and staging SBO. Objectives: The main object of this study was to analyze the accuracy of ultrasound in diagnosing and staging SBO compared to CT. Methods: Retrospectively, stable patients with an ultrasonographic diagnosis of SBO who underwent abdominal CT immediately after US and before receiving naso-intestinal decompression, were included. US criteria for the diagnosis of SBO were related to morphological and functional findings. US diagnosis of obstruction was made if fluid-filled dilated small bowel loops were detected, peristalsis was abnormal and parietal abnormalities were present. Morphologic and functional sonographic findings were assigned to three categories: simple SBO, compensated SBO and decompensated SBO. US findings were compared with the results of CT examinations: Morphologic CT findings (divided into loop, vascular, mesenteric and peritoneal signs) allowed the classification of SBO in simple, decompensated and complicated. Results: US diagnostic accuracy rates in relation to CT results were calculated: ultrasound compared to CT imaging, had a sensitivity of 92.31% (95% CI, 74.87% to 99.05%) and a specificity of 94.12% (95% CI, 71.31% to 99.85%) in the diagnosis of SBO. Conclusions: This study, similarly to the existing literature, suggests that ultrasound is highly accurate in the diagnosis of SBO, and that the most valuable sonographic signs are the presence of dilated bowel loops ad abnormal peristalsis.


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