Case of the Month: February 2009

Question: Does the bowel wall (jejunal loops) look thickened??

Answer: This is a good case of not interpreting the bowel wall on radiographs. The loop of the jejunum in the mid abdomen which contains a mild amount of gas, does NOT have a thickened wall. Many times this is a misinterpretation and the way to definitely prove it is by ultrasound and not radiographs. You are seeing the silhouette of more that one dimension of the tubular structure which give the false impression of thickening.

Case submitted by Sloan H. Dupree, DVM, DACVR