title: Duodenitis: a reliable radiologic diagnosis?
abstract: The authors performed a retrospective study of 50 patients with endoscopically diagnosed duodenitis who had undergone double-contrast upper gastrointestinal (GI) examinations. Duodenitis was diagnosed on the original radiographic reports in six of 37 patients (16%) with mild-to-moderate duodenitis, five of 13 patients (38%) with severe duodenitis, and 11 of 50 patients (22%) with all grades of duodenitis on endoscopy. Subsequent analysis of the films revealed one or more radiologic signs of duodenitis (including folds more than 4 mm in thickness, mucosal nodularity, bulbar deformity, and erosions) in 18 of 37 patients (49%) with mild-to-moderate duodenitis, eight of 13 patients (62%) with severe duodenitis, and 26 of 50 patients (52%) with all grades of duodenitis on endoscopy. In a separate part of the study, the authors identified another 20 patients with radiographically diagnosed duodenitis who had undergone endoscopic examinations. Nine of those 20 patients (45%) had duodenitis on endoscopy. Subsequent analysis of the films revealed one or more signs of duodenitis in 17 patients from this group. Nine of the latter patients (53%) had duodenitis on endoscopy. Using established radiologic criteria for duodenitis, our rate of false-positive and false-negative radiologic diagnoses still was about 50%. Thus, the double-contrast upper GI examination is a relatively unreliable technique for diagnosing duodenitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ekberg
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Rubesin
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Katzka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001466:Barium Sulfate; D004382:Duodenitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D004384:Duodenoscopy; D004386:Duodenum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011859:Radiography; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D001466:Barium Sulfate