Khursheed Durrani, Seema Tabassum
Background: Abnormalities in the intestinal wall can be detected using computed tomography (CT) by analyzing changes in attenuation and applying morphologic characteristics learned from barium studies. These changes in attenuation can be categorized into white, gray, water halo sign, fat halo sign, and black.
Aim: Assessment of CT images with abdominal wall thickening.
Material & Methods: This prospective study involved 65 patients abdominal CT reports with colonic wall thickening. Patients with clinical presentations of bowel, mesentery, and related pathologies from the duodenum to the rectum were included in the study and underwent Multidetector CT scans. Diagnosis was confirmed through follow-up with ultrasound or CT, as well as other radiological and non-radiological investigations, surgery, and histopathology.
Results: Out of the 65 patients included in the study, 1 had congenital lesions, 27 had infective and inflammatory lesions, 3 had ischemic bowel conditions, 31 had neoplastic lesions of the bowel, and 3 had miscellaneous bowel conditions. Among the cases with bowel lesions, 3 cases showed mild (<1.5 cm) bowel wall thickening, indicating colitis (infective/inflammatory bowel lesions). Additionally, 33 cases exhibited asymmetrical bowel wall thickening, while 34 cases showed focal bowel wall thickening (<10 cm), and 8 cases showed segmental bowel wall thickening (>10 cm).
Conclusion: Careful analysis of lesion characteristics on CT scans can help narrow down the differential diagnosis. Therefore, multidetector CT scan is the preferred imaging modality for characterizing bowel conditions.