imaging of the Abdomen Flashcards
CT characteristics?
- Radiation
- Fast (less than 5 minutes)
- Good overall look at solid organs, fat planes
- Best spatial resolution
- Excellent for calcification
- Good for overall look of pelvic organs, but with limited detail
- Iodine based intravenous contrast
Characteristics of MRI?
- No radiation
- Not so fast (usually more than 20 minutes)
- Good for characterization of lesions
- Best tissue resolution
- Not good for calcification
- Excellent for pelvic organs
- Gadolinium based IV contrast
What structures are at T11
- Spleen
- Stomach
- Liver
- Aorta
- IVC
- Diaphragm and inferior aspects of lung
What structures are at T12?
- Pancreas, spleen, kidneys, particularly left
- Gallbladder, portal triad
- SMA, aorta, IVC
- Small bowel
Structures at T12-L1
Kidneys
Gall bladder, biliary tree
SMA, left renal vein, aorta, inferior vena cava
View of small bowel and colon
Structures at L3-L4
Right kidney
Small bowel, ascending and descending colon
abdominal musculature
what is the modalitiy of choice for diagnosing and treating problems in the biliary tree?
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
Ultrasound is used more commonly for diagnosing gallstones
What is the Mid Sagittal View used for?
Useful in assessing SMA and nutcracker syndromes
What is Superior Mesenteric Artery syndrome?
- Digestive condition when the 3rd part of the duodenum is compressed between aorta and the SMA
- results in partial or complete blockage of duodenum
- symptoms may include abdominal pain, fullness, nausea, vomitting, and or weight loss
- Surgery may be needed if other treatment strategies do not work
What is the Nutcracker syndrome?
Compression of left renal vein between SMA and Aorta
can lead to renal venous hypertension and disruption of thin veins in collecting system of kidney leading to hematuria
-varisoces in the left testicle
What is ascitesq
Accumulation of fluid in the abdomen
Most common cause is portal hypertension but also salt and water retention, heart failure, end stage renal failure, cancer
May be accompanied by pain or discomfort and sense of bloading
Diuretics and therapeutic paracentesis can treat
what is a hiatal hernia and the two types?
A bulge of stomach through the esophageal hiatus into the thorax
symptoms may include reflux sense of shortness of breath
due to age related changes to stomach and or diaphragm
two types:
-sliding type vs paraesophageal type hiatal hernia
what is zenkers diverticulum?
A diverticular formation in the esophageal wall adjacent to the inferior pharyngeal cnstrictor and cricopharyngeus muscles
notorious for trapping food and causing severe halitosis
dysphagia, feelings of food being stuck in the throat, aspiration and regurgitation hours after eating are also associated symptoms
what is Ulcerative Colitis
Lead pipe apperance of long standing ulcerative colitis due to spasm of longitudingal muscles and or irreversible fibrosis
note the loss of haustral markings throughoit the entire colon
what is Cholelithiasis?
formed by high concentrations of cholesterol or bilirubin in bile and or inefficient emptying of gallbladder
the gallbladder is not typically well visualized on plain films of the abdomen without the wuse of a contrast media
Procedure of choice for suspected cholelithiasis is ultrasonography
