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Updated: Apr 29, 2026

Multimodality Diagnosis of Mesenteric Ischemia
Published on: July 21, 2023
Small bowel obstruction in the emergency department: MDCT features of common and uncommon causes
Harika Tirumani1, Ravi Vassa2, Najla Fasih3
1Department of Imaging, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02212.
Abstract:
Small bowel obstruction is a common condition encountered by the radiologist in the emergency department. Though intestinal adhesions and obstructed hernias are the most common causes of acute small bowel obstruction, a variety of uncommon and rare conditions can cause acute and subacute bowel obstruction. Imaging plays a key role in the workup of bowel obstruction by identifying the cause, level, and degree of bowel obstruction. In this article, we present a comprehensive review of the multi-detector computed tomography features of common and uncommon causes of acute and subacute small bowel obstruction.
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