Imaging Of The GI System Flashcards
What is the ABDO X approach to an abdominal x ray?
ABDO X
- Air
- Bowel
- Dense structures + calcifications
- Organs + soft tissues
- external objects, lines + tubes
How do you differentiate between the small + large bowel on an abdominal x ray?
small bowel: central | valvulae conniventes | contains air or fluid
large bowel: peripheral | haustral folds | contains air or faeces
Reasons for requesting abdominal x ray
- position of iatrogenic items
- forgein objects
- confirm ureteric stone identified on CT
- specialist cases
US or CT preferred as first line
Where should you see air in an abdominal x ray?
- should only be within the bowel (intramural)
- not within the perioneal space (extramural) | pneumoperitoneum
What is pneumoperitoneum?
Air within the peritoneal cavity
abnormal
What is Rigler’s sign?
- Bowel wall crisply + clearly defined due to gas on both sides
- Seen in pneumoperitoneum on AXR
What imaging is best to detect pneumoperitoneum?
CT
Features of small bowel on AXR
- Central
- Valvulae conniventes (lines across whole diameter)
- Contains air or fluid
Features of large bowel on AXR
- peripheral
- haustral folds
- contains air or faeces
What is seen in sigmoid volvulus on AXR?
- coffee bean sign
- large gas filled viscus from pelvis + epigastrium
- normal positioned caecum
What is seen in caecal volvulus on AXR?
- Reverse C shaped viscus on right side ‘fetal appearance’
- Normal sigmoid
What does oedematous bowel wall indicate on AXR?
What sign shows this?
Inflammatory bowel disease
e.g. crohn’s, ulcerative colitis
Thumb printing
What is seen in inflammatory bowel disease on AXR?
- thumb printing sign: mucosa thickening of haustra due to inflammation + oedema
- lead pipe colon: loss of haustral markings
- toxic megacolon: colonic dilation, oedema + pseudopolyps
What does a coffee bean sign on AXR indicate?
Sigmoid voluvus
What does thumb printing sign on AXR indicate?
Irritable bowel disease
Bowel wall oedema
What do you look for for A on ADBO X?
air
- pneumoperitoneum
- rigler sign: bowel wall crisply + cleared defined