title: Radiologic diagnosis of gastrointestinal perforation.
abstract: Perforations of the gastrointestinal tract have many causes. Holes in the wall of gastrointestinal organs can be created by blunt or penetrating trauma, iatrogenic injury, inflammatory conditions that penetrate the serosa or adventitia, extrinsic neoplasms that invade the gastrointestinal tract, or primary neoplasms that penetrate outside the wall of gastrointestinal organs. This article provides a radiologic approach for investigating the wide variety of gastrointestinal perforations. General principles about contrast agents and studies are reviewed, and then perforations in specific gastrointestinal organs are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. rubesin@oasis.rad.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Rubesin
authors.forename: Marc S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Levine
mesh_terms: D003287:Contrast Media; D004939:Esophageal Perforation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010614:Pharynx / Q000293:injuries*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013270:Stomach / Q000293:injuries*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media