Gastrointestinal: Luminal, Small Bowel Flashcards
Differential for small bowel dilatation with thin (<3 mm) small bowel folds
- Mechanical obstruction
- Paralytic ileus
- Scleroderma
- Sprue (e.g. Celiac)
Differential for focal/segmental small bowel fold thickening (>3 mm)
- Small bowel ischemia
- Radiation changes
- Bowel hematoma/hemorrhage
- Adjacent inflammation
Differential for small bowel fold thickening (>3 mm) with a diffuse distribution
- Low protein
- Venous congestion
- Cirrhosis
Differential for nodular small bowel fold thickening in a segmental distribution
- Crohns
- Infection
- Lymphoma
- Metastases
Differential for nodular small bowel fold thickening with a diffuse distribution
- Whipples disease (Tropheryma whipplei)
- Lymphoid hyperplasia
- Lymphoma
- Metastases
- Intestinal lymphangiectasia
What are common causes of small bowel loop separation without bowel tethering on small bowel follow through?
- Ascites
- Wall thickening (e.g. Crohns, lymphoma)
- Adenopathy
- Mesenteric tumors
On small bowel follow through you see loop separation with tethering of the small bowel towards the area of separation…
Think carcinoid
Small bowel follow through demonstrates “sand like nodules” (diffuse micronodules in the jejunum)…
- Whipples disease (Tropheryma whipplei infection)
- Pseudo-Whipples (MAC/mycobacterium avium complex infection)
Small (2-4 mm), uniform small bowel nodules…
Think lymphoid hyperplasia
Small bowel follow through demonstrates multiple nodules of varying sizes
Think metastases (e.g. melanoma)
Small bowel follow through demonstrates “cobblestoning” (raised islands of mucosa separated by linear streaks of contrast…
Think Crohns disease
Note: Especially if you also see strictures and/or loop separation (due to fat proliferation).
Small bowel follow through demonstrated “ribbon bowel” (featureless small bowel that is atrophic and appears thickened at turns)…
Think chronic small bowel ischemia (e.g. graft vs host disease)
What is the bowel pattern depicted by the arrows?
Hidebound bowel (narrow separation of normal small bowel folds)
Note: Think scleroderma.
Hidebound bowel is seen in…
Scleroderma
What is the bowel pattern within the oval?
Moulage sign (dilated jejunal loop with complete loss of jejunal folds, making it look like an opacified tube of wax)
Note: Think Celiac disease.
The moulage (tube of wax) sign is seen in…
Celiac disease
Which bowel pattern is shown here?
Fold reversal (the ileum looks like it has more jejunal-type folds than the jejunum, which appears to have less folds than usual)
Note: Think Celiac disease.
Which disease often demonstrates “fold reversal” on small bowel follow through?
Celiac disease
Note: Fold reversal is when the ileum has more bowel folds than the jejunum (the opposite of normal).
Parasitic roundworm infection (Ascaris lumbricoides or Ascaris suum)
Note: Linear defect in the barium column inferiorly.
Black arrows
Smooth, sessile filing defect in the small bowel
Note: This was carcinoid.
White arrows
Multiple ileal diverticula
Small bowel aphthoid ulcers (punctate collections of barium surrounded by radiolucent mounds of edema), consistent with Crohns disease
Barium enema with reflux of contrast into the terminal ileum
Crohn’s disease
Note: This is the string sign due to terminal ileal edema.
Crohns disease
Note: Narrowing of the terminal ileum (large arrow) with multiple ileocolic fistulas (small arrows).
Think chronic small bowel ischemia (e.g. graft vs host)
Note: Tubular narrowing of the small bowel with complete loss of the small bowel folds (ribbon sign).
Bowel separation with bowel tethering, think carcinoid
Differential for a solitary target sign (not multiple as in this picture)
- GIST
- Primary adenocarcinoma
- Lymphoma
- Ectopic pancreatic rest
- Metastasis (e.g. melanoma)
Differential for multiple target signs
- Lymphoma
- Metastases (e.g. melanoma)
Healed duodenal bulb ulcer
Note; This is the clover leaf sign.
Whipples disease
Small bowel infection of Tropheryma whipplei causing marked swelling of the intestinal villi and irregularly thickened mucosal folds (mostly in the duodenum and proximal jejunum)
Pseudo-whipples
Small bowel infection of MAI that occurs in AIDS pts with CD4 < 100 that appears the same as Whipples disease (jejunal micronodules with irregular fold thickening)
Note: Can get an acid fast stain to differentiate (only MAI in pseudo-whipples will be positive).
Intestinal lymphangiectasia
Dilatation of the intestinal and serial lymphatic channels due to obstruction of lymph flow from the small intestine
Causes of intestinal lymphangiectasia
- Primary (lymphatic hypoplasia)
- Secondary (e.g. obstruction of the thoracic duct)
Which organs are most severely affected by graft vs host disease?
- GI tract (small bowel most severe)
- Skin
- Liver
SMA syndrome
Bowel obstruction caused by compression of the 3rd portion of the duodenum as it passes between the aorta and the SMA, usually secondary to rapid weight loss
Note: The stomach and proximal duodenum should be dilated.
Celiac disease
An immune disorder triggered by gluten
Clinical manifestations of celiac disease
- Diarrhea/weight loss
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Dermatitis herpetiformis (skin rash)
Celiac disease is associated with…
Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (Lane Hamilton Syndrome if they occur together)
Lane Hamilton Syndrome
- Celiac disease
- Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis
Pts with Celiac disease are at increased risk for…
Bowel wall lymphoma
Gold standard diagnostic test for celiac disease
Biopsy
Pt is positive for tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibody…
Celiac disease