INFLAMMATORY INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND NEOPLASMS OF COLON EVALUATION WITH CT/

The purpose of this study is to review the computed tomography (CT) ap pearance of infectious and inflammatory diseases, and neoplasms of col on. Forty-five patients with 25 cases of colonic neoplasms and 20 case s of inflammatory and infectious diseases of colon were evaluated base d on CT findings of colonic wall thickening (>5 mm, soft tissue densit y versus pure wall edema or both), length of the involved segment (sho rt (less than or equal to 5 cm) versus long segment), pericolic infilt ration, mesenteric infiltration, lateroconal fascial thickening, mecha nical ileus, ascites, contiguous terminal ileum involvement, distribut ion of the diseased colon, and abscess formation. The results were com pared using chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Our results show-e d that colonic wall thickening of soft tissue density with or without edema and pure bowel wall edema were the two statistically significant findings in differential diagnosis of colon (p < 0.05). We concluded that CT is a good imaging tool to make differential diagnosis between infectious/inflammatory diseases and neoplasms. (C) Elsevier Science I nc., 1998.