title: Abdominal sonography for the diagnosis of large bowel obstruction.
abstract: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of abdominal sonography in the diagnosis of large bowel obstruction, the sonographic findings of 39 patients with a large bowel obstruction, in the form of a simple obstruction in 36 patients and a sigmoid volvulus in 3, were reviewed in comparison with their plain X-ray findings. Abdominal sonography showed a large bowel obstruction in 33 patients, and an obstructing lesion in 14 of these patients. However, in the other 6 patients, including the 3 with a sigmoid volvulus, the image was disturbed by extensive colonic gas. Although the plain abdominal X-ray films showed no gaseous colonic dilatation, isolated small bowel dilatation was seen in six patients with a large bowel obstruction proximal to the splenic flexure. In five of these six patients, abdominal sonography revealed a dilated colon filled with fluid and feculent contents which was difficult to evaluate on the plain X-ray films. Consequently, abdominal sonography was proven to be useful, especially for detecting X-ray-negative colonic dilatation.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, Kobe City General Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hosotani
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aoyama
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012002:Rectal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014463:Ultrasonography