Portal venous gas and pneumatosis intestinalis; radiologic signs with wide range of significance in surgery.
BACKGROUND
Portal vein gas (PVG) was described as an uncommon ominous radiologic sign usually harboring an intra-abdominal catastrophe. When accompanied by pneumatosis intestinalis (PI), it is more predictive of bowel ischemia. Since the wide use of computed tomography (CT), both signs could also be viewed as incidental findings during routine radiologic investigations.


METHODS
We present a series of 12 cases that showed either or both signs, collected in a district general hospital between 1991 and 2011.


RESULTS
The diagnoses in these cases varied between fatal bowel ischemia and the mere presence of radiologic signs in the absence of significant pathology.


CONCLUSIONS
PVG and PI are radiologic signs that can represent a wide range of pathology.
Department of Surgery, Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil, United Kingdom. nadernaguib71@yahoo.com
Nader
N
Naguib
Peter
P
Mekhail
Vivek
V
Gupta
Nagy
N
Naguib
Ashraf
A
Masoud
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011006:Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011169:Portal Vein; D011859:Radiography