Imaging of Ischemic Colitis - 08/08/11

Doi : 10.1016/j.rcl.2008.06.003

P. Taourel, MD, PhD ^a,^⁎ , Sophie Aufort, MD ^b, Samuel Merigeaud, MD ^a, Fernanda Curros Doyon, MD ^a, Marine Devaux Hoquet, MD ^a, Eric Delabrousse, MD ^c
^a Department of Imaging, CHU Montpellier, Hospital Lapeyronie, 371 Avenue du Doyen Gaston-Giraud, 34295 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
^b Department of Imaging, CHU Montpellier, Hospital St Eloi, 80 Avenue Augustin Fliche, 34295 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
^c Department of Imaging, CHU Besançon, Hospital Jean Minjoz, Radiologie A, 3 Bd Alexandre Fleming, 25030 Besançon, France

Corresponding author.

Abstract

Ischemic colitis accounts for more than half of all cases of gastrointestinal ischemia and constitutes between 1 per 2000 and 3 per 1000 acute hospital admission. It typically affects elderly patients, being a frequent cause of rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. This article describes the epidemiology, physiology, and pathology of this underdiagnosed condition; reviews the clinical patterns of this disease, which constitute a key diagnostic point in patients who have a thickening of the colonic wall; and describes the ultrasound (US) and CT findings, pitfalls, and differential diagnoses of ischemic colitis. The value and limitations of US and CT at the different diagnostic stages is discussed.

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Keywords : Ischemia, Colitis, US, CT