title: Stercoral colitis: diagnostic value of CT findings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to evaluate the CT findings of stercoral colitis (SC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one patients diagnosed with SC between February 2006 and April 2015 were retrospectively reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rectosigmoid colon was the most frequently involved segment (100%, n=41). CT findings can be summarized as follows: dilatation >6 cm and wall thickening >3 mm of the affected colon segment (100%, n=41), pericolonic fat stranding (100%, n=41), mucosal discontinuity (14.6 %, n=6), presence of free air (14.6%, n=6), free fluid (9.7%, n=4), and pericolonic abscess (2.4%, n=1). The sign most related with mortality was the length of the affected colon segment >40 cm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CT has an important role in SC, since life-threatening complications can be easily revealed by this imaging modality. Increased length of involved colon segment (>40 cm) is more likely to be associated with mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey; Department of Radiology, Zonguldak Atatürk State Hospital, Zonguldak, Turkey. emreunal.rad@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ünal
authors.forename: Mehmet Ruhi
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Onur
authors.forename: Sinan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Balcı
authors.forename: Ayşegül
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Görmez
authors.forename: Erhan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Akpınar
authors.forename: Medine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Böge
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003092:Colitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D003106:Colon / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005244:Fecal Impaction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult