Abdominal Radiography Findings in Small-Bowel Obstruction

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Abstract
OBJECTIVE. Our aim was to determine which findings on abdominal radiography are relevant for distinguishing complete or high-grade partial small-bowel obstruction from low-grade partial or no small-bowel obstruction.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Admitting abdominal radiographs with the patients in the supine and upright positions were scored for 25 different findings in 81 patients with clinically suspected small-bowel obstruction. Forty-one patients had complete or high-grade partial small-bowel obstruction, and 40 had low-grade partial small-bowel obstruction or no obstruction as determined by enteroclysis examination. Abdominal radiography findings were subjected to statistical analysis for correlation with degree of obstruction.RESULTS. Of 12 radiographic findings strongly associated (p < 0.05) with the severity of obstruction, two findings were found to be the most significant (p ≤ 0.0003) and predictive of a higher grade small-bowel obstruction: the presence of air-fluid levels of differential height in th...