title: Imaging of ischemic colitis.
abstract: Ischemic colitis accounts for more than half of all cases of gastrointestinal ischemia and constitutes between 1 per 2000 and 3 per 1000 acute hospital admission. It typically affects elderly patients, being a frequent cause of rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. This article describes the epidemiology, physiology, and pathology of this underdiagnosed condition; reviews the clinical patterns of this disease, which constitute a key diagnostic point in patients who have a thickening of the colonic wall; and describes the ultrasound (US) and CT findings, pitfalls, and differential diagnoses of ischemic colitis. The value and limitations of US and CT at the different diagnostic stages is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging, CHU Montpellier, Hospital Lapeyronie, 371 Avenue du Doyen Gaston-Giraud, 34295 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. p-taourel@chu-montpellier.fr
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Taourel
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aufort
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Merigeaud
authors.forename: Fernanda Curros
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Doyon
authors.forename: Marine Devaux
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Hoquet
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Delabrousse
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017091:Colitis, Ischemic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography