Week 6: Intro to abdomen File Not completed: Intro to abdomen

Question 1

Which one is recumbent and which one is upright? (L/R)

Answer 1

L is recumbent

R is upright

Question 2

Why is it easier to visualize soft tissue structures in the chest and not as easy in the abdomen?

Answer 2

Because the chest structures are surrounded by air. In the abdomen there is less air and the margins are less visible.

Note: The gut (esophagus to rectum) may be seen on plain films where it contains air including: stomach (stomach bubble or magenblase), the colon (cecum to sigmoid) and the rectum. It is unusual for the small bowel (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) to contain air or gas densities.

Question 3

4

Answer 3

gas shadow of … cannot localize to a portion of the colon

Question 4

2

Answer 4

gas shadow of descending colon

Question 5

3

Answer 5

gas shadow of sigmoid colon and rectum

Question 6

1

Answer 6

gas shadow of ascending colon

Question 7

3

Answer 7

transverse colon, splenic flexure and descending colon are somewhat superimposed

Question 8

2

Answer 8

haustra

Question 9

1

Answer 9

semilunar folds or plicae semilunaris

Question 10

3

Answer 10

Gas in descending colon

Question 11

2

Answer 11

Gas in cecum

Question 12

1

Answer 12

Margin of the liver

Question 13

blue lines

Answer 13

Bowel gas on lateral views can rarely be localized to a portion of the colon.

It can be determined to be in the colon by the large diameter of the lumen, and by the thicker, widely spaced plicae semilunaris.

Question 14

blue outlines

Answer 14

haustra

Question 15

red arrows

Answer 15

Plicae semilunaris

Question 16

yellow circle

Answer 16

sigmoid colon

Question 17

red circle

Answer 17

feces within the bowel

Question 18

blue line

Answer 18

Gas in the colon outlined on the inside wall (mucosal surface) of the colon

Question 19

red

Answer 19

inner margin of the abdominal wall

Question 20

purple

Answer 20

Inferior margin of the liver

Question 21

yellow

Answer 21

gas in splenic flexure

Note: In an upright patient, gas will tend to collect in the hepatic and splenic flexures

Note: The splenic flexure should be the highest point of bowel gas and is often very near the hemidiaphragm

Question 22

blue

Answer 22

gas in hepatic flexure

Note: In an upright patient, gas will tend to collect in the hepatic and splenic flexures

Question 23

Green circle

Answer 23

magenblase (stomach bubble)

Note: identified by the rounded superior border and flat (fluid level) inferior border.

Question 24

Gas in rectum (blue) is a marker for what measurement? (red line)

Answer 24

presacral space

which should be <2cm in adults

Question 25

blue

Answer 25

Gas in the rectum

Note: directly anterior to sacrum

Question 26

blue line

Answer 26

margin of the bladder

remember: superimposed gas shadows are in the rectum is midline. And there is not (normally) gas in the bladder.

Question 27

blue line

Answer 27

thin line of fat

Question 28

blue line

Answer 28

margin of the spleen

Note: spleen is sometimes clearly visible, sometimes not seen at all. The location in the left upper quadrant and basic shape help identify it.

Question 29

red line

Answer 29

Splenomegally

Note: An enlarged spleen is important to identify. The location and general shape help identify this as (likely) the spleen.

Question 30

blue

Answer 30

inferior pole of the kidney

Question 31

red

Answer 31

superior pole of the kidney