Chilaiditi's syndrome and obesity

Hepatodiaphragmatic interposition (HDI) of the colon or small intestine (Ch ilaiditi's syndrome) is more prevalent in the elderly and in men. The reaso n for this is unclear. In obese individuals, fat deposition between the liv er and colon widens this potential space, and this may be an important fact or in the etiology of this condition. As men store more fat intra-abdominal ly than women, this may explain the increased prevalence in men. This study was performed to investigate the relationship between Chilaiditi's syndrom e and obesity. A total of 850 abdominal CT examinations were assessed for t he presence of HDI of the colon or small intestine, and 10 patients with Ch ilaiditi's syndrome were identified. The present Body Mass Index (BMI) and the highest BMI in the past was recorded for each patient. Eight of the 10 patients were male: five had a BMI greater than 28.5 and three had a BMI be tween 25 and 27.5 at some period in their lives. Obesity may be a causative factor in the etiology of Chilaiditi's syndrome, and the difference in fat deposition between men and women may explain its increased prevalence in m en. Clin. Anat. 13:181-184, 2000. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.