ROENTGEN STUDIES IN EXPERIMENTAL COLONIC OBSTRUCTION

¹ Director of Radiology, Jewish Hospital and Medical Center of Brooklyn; Clinical Associate Professor of Radiology, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center.
² Research Fellow, Department of Surgery, Jewish Hospital and Medical Center of Brooklyn.
³ Director of Surgery, Jewish Hospital and Medical Center of Brooklyn; Professor of Surgery, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center.

Experimental colon obstruction was produced in dogs and rabbits. The roentgenographic image as seen in the recumbent and erect abdominal roentgenograms was correlated with the clinical picture, the duration of obstruction, the intraluminal pressures and the autopsy studies. Roentgen findings seen in human colon obstruction such as fluid filled colon, mottled fluid content, ragged inner colonic contour, thickened septa and accentuated haustrations with increased number of septa were produced in the experimental animals.

The correlative studies were indicative of the following: (a) gaseous distention with particulate fecal matter is indicative of early obstruction or mild obstruction with low intraluminal pressures. Mottled fluid is seen in more chronic obstruction with episodes of improvement. The degree of roentgen colonic distention correlates with the intraluminal pressure. (b) The ragged inner colonic contour is due to adherent secretions and fecal matter. (c) Thickened colonic septa are due to submucosal edema, muscular hypertrophy and adherent secretions and fecal matter. Early obstruction with muscular hypertrophy produces accentuated haustrations with increased number of septa.

This experimental study thus provides a better understanding of the roentgen findings seen in the obstructed human colon.

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