DELAYED ENHANCEMENT OF THE BOWEL WALL - A NEW CT SIGN OF SMALL-BOWEL STRANGULATION

Purpose: To report a new CT sign of small bowel strangulation. Materia ls and Methods: Two cases of small bowel obstruction evaluated by spir al CT with intravenous contrast injection. Results: In both cases we o bserved an absence of parietal enhancement of the diseased bowel loop, visible on early scans only. This feature was accompanied by signs of bowel obstruction. The two patients had a segment of necrotic ileum r esected. Conclusion: Delayed enhancement of a bowel loop in cases of s mall bowel obstruction should suggest the diagnosis of strangulation a nd lead to rapid surgical treatment.