Oclusión intestinal y patrones imagenológicos

Abstract

Introduction: Intestinal obstruction is characterized by abnormal retention of feces in any part of the intestine, causing alteration of normal intestinal transit and causing inability to expel gas and evacuate intestinal contents. It accounts for 15 to 20% of hospital admissions for abdominal pain. One of the important elements for the determination and treatment is the radiological study, since it helps to define whether it is a clinical or surgical situation, so it is important to know the imaging criteria for the diagnosis of this pathology. Objective: To describe the imaging patterns, present in intestinal occlusion. Methodology: a bibliographic review was carried out based on scientific articles from PUBMED, SCOPUS, SCIELO in relation to imaging methods and criteria for intestinal obstruction. Conclusion: radiology allows to distinguish between a high and low obstruction according to the number of visible loops, the recognition of its image and where the gas is located in them, each imaging method presents different patterns that can guide us towards the diagnosis of intestinal obstruction such as the presence of hydro-aerial levels, dilation of intestinal loops, colonic decompression, abnormal vascular course, among others, as well as characteristic signs that identify complications such as ischemia such as "bead necklace" or "coffee bean" in case of x-ray, the sign of "whirlpool" and "fish tooth" in the tomography or the "comb" sign that is observed in the magnetic resonance imaging.