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Infectious, Inflammatory, and Ischemic Diseases of the Colon and Rectum

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Diseases of the Abdomen and Pelvis 2014–2017
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Abstract

Infectious, inflammatory, and ischemic diseases of the colon and rectum are very common causes of abdominal pain. Patients with these disorders often present with nonspecific signs and symptoms. As clinical and laboratory assessment cannot confidently identify a specific etiology in the majority of patients with acute abdominal pain, cross-sectional imaging is required. Computed tomography (CT) is the primary means of evaluating these patients because it nicely depicts pathologic changes in the colon wall, serosa, surrounding mesentery, and peritoneum. Ultrasound (US) is a readily available, real-time technique with reasonable accuracy that uses no ionizing radiation. CT provides fast assessment with high accuracy, optimal field of view, and good reproducibility. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with acute abdominal pain offers great clinical potential by virtue of providing a global imaging perspective, exquisite softtissue resolution, and high accuracy without using ionizing radiation.

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Gore, R.M., Silvers, R. (2014). Infectious, Inflammatory, and Ischemic Diseases of the Colon and Rectum. In: Hodler, J., von Schulthess, G.K., Kubik-Huch, R.A., Zollikofer, C.L. (eds) Diseases of the Abdomen and Pelvis 2014–2017. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-5659-6_5

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