Articles

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1,463 results found
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Irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the commonest of the functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs). Its key presenting features are recurrent abdominal pain and change in bowel habit (diarrhea and/or constipation), which may be severe, such that for an individual, there may be a marked negativ...
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Anal atresia

Anal atresia, or imperforate anus, refers to a spectrum of anorectal abnormalities ranging from a membranous separation to complete absence of the anus. Epidemiology The estimated incidence is 1 in 5000 live births. Associations There are frequent associations with other congenital abnormali...
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Small bowel mesentery internal hernia

Small bowel mesentery internal hernias (alternative plural: herniae) are a form of internal bowel herniation involving protrusions of viscera through defects in the peritoneum or bowel mesentery. Epidemiology This type of internal herniation is more often seen in neonates than in adults ref. ...
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Chemical shift artifact

Chemical shift artifact or misregistration is a type of MRI artifact. It is a common finding on some MRI sequences and used in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). This artifact occurs in the frequency-encoding direction and is due to spatial misregistration of fat and water molecules.  Chemi...
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Crohn disease

Crohn disease, also known as regional enteritis, is an idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by widespread discontinuous gastrointestinal tract inflammation. The terminal ileum and proximal colon are most often affected. Extraintestinal disease is common. Epidemiology The diagnos...
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Ascites

Ascites (hydroperitoneum is a rare synonym) is defined as an abnormal amount of intraperitoneal fluid. Terminology Ascites (plural is the same word) tends to be reserved for relatively sizable amounts of peritoneal fluid. The amount has not been defined formally. It is noted physiologically, h...
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Gastropericardial fistula

Gastropericardial fistulas are rare abnormal communications between the stomach and the pericardial sac. This is a life-threatening condition that can lead to impaired cardiac function, sepsis and eventually death. Clinical presentation Patients with gastropericardial fistula may present with ...
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Cystic lesions of the pancreas (differential)

The differential for cystic lesions of the pancreas includes: unilocular pancreatic pseudocyst intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) serous cystadenoma uncommonly uni/macrolocular simple pancreatic cyst cystic neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas diffuse pancreatic cysts pancrea...
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Rectoanal intussusception

Rectoanal intussusception refers to the telescoping or infolding of the rectal wall within the rectum itself, or into the anal canal, or externally, during defecation. Terminology Rectoanal intussusception is also termed internal intussusception and internal procidentia1 . Epidemiology Recto...
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Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms or tumors (IPMNs or IMPTs) are epithelial pancreatic cystic tumors of mucin-producing cells that arise from the pancreatic ducts. They are most commonly seen in elderly patients.  On imaging, particularly MRCP, they are characterized by single or multipl...
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Intestinal transplant

Intestinal transplantation is a surgical treatment for intestinal failure. It is one of the most rarely performed transplant procedures performed, exclusively involving the transplantation of donor small bowel to a recipient, with an ileostomy formation.  Due to the high risk of complications w...
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Benign post-traumatic pseudopneumoperitoneum

Benign post-traumatic pseudopneumoperitoneum is the presence of ectopic gas typically between the 5th-10th intercostal spaces after high-energy trauma in the absence of other causes of pseudopneumoperitoneum such as pneumomediastinum 9.  Epidemiology Occurs with an incidence of 5% post-trauma...
Article

Barium sulfate contrast medium

Barium sulfate (BaSO4), often just called barium in radiology parlance, is an ionic salt of barium (Ba), a metallic chemical element with atomic number 56. Barium sulfate forms the basis for a range of contrast media used in fluoroscopic examinations of the gastrointestinal tract. Unlike barium ...
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Appendix

The appendix or vermiform appendix (plural: appendices) is a blind muscular tube arising from the cecum, the first part of the large bowel. Gross anatomy The appendix arises from the posteromedial surface of the cecum, approximately 2-3 cm inferior to the ileocecal valve, where the three longi...
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Rectal cancer (staging)

Staging of rectal cancer uses the TNM staging system and strongly predicts the success, and rate, of local recurrence following rectal cancer resection. MRI is the modality of choice for the staging of rectal cancer, to guide surgical and non-surgical management options. MRI is used at diagnosis...
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Cone-shaped cecum (differential)

A cone-shaped cecum refers to a loss of the normal rounded appearance of the cecum, which instead becomes narrow and cone-shaped with the apex pointing towards the base of the appendix. It is encountered in a number of conditions including: inflammatory infective blastomycosis amoebiasis Ye...
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Aortoesophageal fistula

Aortoesophageal (aorto-esophageal) fistulae are pathologic communications between the aorta and esophagus and result in life-threatening upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. They are fatal in the absence of prompt management.  Epidemiology Aortoesophageal fistulas are a rare entity that accounts...
Article

Traumatic abdominal wall hernia

Traumatic abdominal wall hernia describes the traumatic disruption of musculature and fascia of anterior abdominal wall without skin penetration. Clinical presentation Abdominal skin ecchymosis or abrasions may be seen. Pathology Traumatic abdominal wall hernia is caused by blunt trauma to t...
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Right hemicolectomy

A right hemicolectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the cecum and ascending colon. Indications cancer of the appendix, cecum or ascending colon (most common) 1 inflammatory bowel disease, particularly Crohn disease complicated appendicitis cecal volvulus perforation of the right colon ...
Article

Epiploic appendagitis

Epiploic appendagitis is a rare self-limiting ischemic/inflammatory process that affects the appendices epiploicae of the colon and may either be primary or secondary to adjacent pathology. This article pertains to primary (spontaneous) epiploic appendagitis. The term, along with omental infarct...

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