Computed tomographic findings in bowel ischemia.

Computed tomography (CT) has been used in the evaluation of 11 patients with ischemic bowel lesions before confirmation of the disease with surgery or autopsy. The CT abnormalities were thickened bowel wall (10 patients) with post-contrast enhancement (9 patients), dilated fluid-filled bowel (9 patients), intramural low attenuation zones (5 patients), intramural gas (8 patients), and focal or diffuse free intraperitoneal fluid (5 patients). The diagnosis of bowel ischemia should be considered when performing CT in patients with abdominal pain of unknown etiology.