Applied Radiology: September 2006; 11-23.
Geraghty P, Desser TS.
Historically, the length and convoluted course of the small bowel have presented formidable diagnostic challenges to radiologists. The volumetric and multiplanar images that can now be obtained routinely with multide-tector computed tomography (MDCT) scanners have greatly expanded the ability of CT to systematically evaluate the small bowel luminal contents, with the added bonus of being able to evaluate the bowel wall, mesentery, and associated vasculature. This article will summarize the use of MDCT in a variety of pathologic entities that involve the small bowel.