[Diagnosis of pneumatosis intestinalis coli in CT]

Pneumatosis intestinalis coli seldom causes symptoms of an acute abdomen and is rarely diagnosed in CT. The origin of the gas collections in the wall of the bowel often remains unclear. As shown in our case, pneumatosis may involve any portion of the bowel, but usually spares the rectum. Due to extreme meteorism and coprostasis it can be difficult to recognize pneumatosis radiographically. In CT the gas collections beneath the serosa are well defined, discrete, oval or round.