Gastroesophageal region: source of confusion on CT

Prominent soft-tissue density is often seen in the region of the gastroesophageal junction on CT scans of the upper abdomen. This was seen retrospectively in 38% of randomly selected patients when scans were obtained at 1-2 cm intervals and in 33% of patients evaluated prospectively with scans obtained at 1 cm intervals. The possible source of confusion of the normal but prominent-appearing gastroesophageal junction with a pathological mass and the normal anatomic relationships as seen during computed tomography are discussed.