CT of Small-Bowel Obstruction in Children
Sensitivity and Specificity
Amal A. Jabra1,
John Eng2,
Christopher G. Zaleski3,
George E. Abdenour, Jr.1,
Hao V. Vuong4,
Uwa O. Aideyan1 and
Elliot K. Fishman2
1
Department of Radiology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Jackson
Memorial Medical Center, West Wing 279, 1611 N.W. 12th Ave., Miami, FL
33136.
2
Department of Radiology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 600 N. Wolfe
St., Baltimore, MD 21287.
3
Nemours Children's Clinic, 807 Nira St., P. O. Box 5720, Jacksonville, FL
32247.
4
Department of Radiology, Baptist Hospital, 8900 N. Kendall Dr., Miami, FL
33176.

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Fig. 1. 8-month-old boy with small-bowel obstruction resulting from
adhesions. CT scan with IV contrast medium shows difference in bowel caliber
with proximal dilated small bowel (straight arrows) filled
predominantly with fluid and collapsed distal small bowel (curved
arrows). Ascites is present.
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Fig. 2. 17-year-old boy with small-bowel obstruction. CT scan was
obtained 5 days after right nephrectomy for trauma. Obstruction was produced
by combination of adhesions, segmental volvulus, and ileoilial intussusception
related to Meckle's diverticulum. Scan shows intussusception
(arrowheads). Also note small-bowel dilatation and collapsed colon
(arrows).
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Fig. 3. 12-year-old girl presenting with feeding intolerance and
abdominal distention. Patient had undergone previous Nissen fundoplication and
spinal instrumentation, which produced artifact. CT scan shows several
localized mildly dilated air-filled small-bowel loops resulting from
compression and entrapment by adhesive bands. Note typical hairpin appearance
of bowel loop (arrows) frequently seen in closed-loop obstruction.
Diagnosis of obstruction was missed by both interpreters.
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Fig. 4. 16-year-old boy with ileus. CT scan shows generalized
small-bowel dilatation (straight arrows) as well as dilatation of
ascending colon (curved arrow).
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Fig. 5. Graph of fitted receiver operating characteristic curve for
the detection of small-bowel obstruction among the subset of abnormal cases.
The area under the curve is 0.84, with a standard deviation of 0.06.
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Fig. 6. 8-month-old girl with prolonged abdominal distention. CT scan
obtained 23 days after exploratory laparatomy for unresectable neuroblastoma
shows area of ileoileal intussusception (arrows) causing obstruction,
which was missed by both interpreters. Note lack of fat density in
intussusceptum.
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Fig. 7. Segmental small-bowel volvulus in 7-year-old girl. CT scan
shows whirl sign (arrows) produced by twisted mesenteric vessels.
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Copyright © 2001 by the American Roentgen Ray Society.