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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Author Spotlight: Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Comprehensive Evaluation of the Abdominal Aorta
Published on: September 8, 2023
Gastrointestinal Gas and Abdominal Fat Quantity Measured by Three-Dimensional Abdominal Computed Tomography in
Hong Sub Lee1,2, Jai Keun Kim3, Joo Sung Sun3
1Department of Gastroenterology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
Background/Aims:
The aim of this study was to assess whether increased intestinal gas or fat content in the abdominal cavity is related to abdominal bloating, using three-dimensional abdominal computed tomography scan.
Methods:
Twenty-nine healthy individuals without abdominal bloating and organic disease (15 women; mean age, 49 years; range of age, 23-73 years) and 30 patients with chronic recurrent abdominal bloating-diagnosed with functional bloating (10 women; mean age, 53 years; range of age, 35-75 years) - participated in this study. The mean values of measured parameters were compared using independent sample t-test.
Results:
The mean volume of total colon gas in bloated patients was similar to that in control subjects. The distribution of intra-abdominal gas was also similar between the two groups. However, the amount of gas in the transverse colon tended to be significantly higher in patients with bloating than in controls (p=0.06). Body mass index was similar between the two groups (23.4±3.2 kg/m2 and 22.3±3.1 kg/m2, respectively). Moreover, no significant differences with respect to circumferential area, subcutaneous fat, visceral fat area, and total fat area were found between the two groups.
Conclusions:
Bloating might not just be the result of gastrointestinal gas or intra-abdominal fat. Other contributing factors, such as localized abnormality in gas distribution and visceral hypersensitivity, may be involved.
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