Case: Abdomen radiograph #11634265
Abdomen Beginner
Read this radiograph systematically before revealing the answer. What is the main abnormality?
Image: Nevit Dilmen ( talk ) via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized and converted to WebP
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Answer: Bowel obstruction
What to look for in bowel obstruction
- Dilated loops of bowel proximal to the obstruction (small bowel over 3 cm, colon over 6 cm, caecum over 9 cm).
- Small bowel: central loops with valvulae conniventes crossing the full width.
- Large bowel: peripheral loops with haustra that cross only part of the width.
- Little or no gas distal to the obstruction; multiple fluid levels on an erect film.
Description by the image author (may be in another language): Medical X-rays. Dilated jejunal small intestine segment due to mechanical obstruction at ileocecal valve.
Educational case. The diagnosis comes from the image's documented source; the "what to look for" list describes the condition in general and is not a report of this individual image.
