No abstract

No abstract

Differentiating bowel intussusception occurring in adults from other bowel diseases represents a diagnostic problem because this condition is not a common finding. Contrast radiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and abdominal ultrasonography are imaging techniques suitable for this diagnosis. Sonography is easy to perform, reproducible, and less invasive than the other techniques. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of abdominal sonography in four patients affected by bowel intussusception and to assess the advantages offered by this method.

The jejunoileal length was measured on double-contrast small bowel enema radiographs, obtained from 10 patients who had been investigated for abdominal pain. Previous endoscopic and radiologic examinations had excluded lesions of the upper and lower GI tract. The length of the small bowel ranged from 230 to 370 cm, with an average length of 280 cm.

This study is the first to assess the role of ultrasonography in comparison with endoscopy in detecting Crohn's disease recurrence after surgery. Our data suggest that ultrasonography should be used first in the case of clinical suspicion of Crohn's disease recurrence, reserving ileocolonoscopy for negative or uncertain cases.