Abdominopelvic extra-enteric findings at computed tomography enteroclysis: a retrospective evaluation of 430 consecutive patients

Abstract

Background Our objective was to retrospectively determine the frequency with which CT enteroclysis (CTE) shows abdominopelvic extra-enteric abnormalities and to analyze how such findings had actually and prospectively affected patient's care. Methods The CTE examinations of 430 consecutive patients were retrospectively and blindly reviewed for the presence of possible pathologic conditions that might have affected abdominopelvic organs other than the small bowel. Extra-enteric abnormalities were categorized as negligible or important and correlated with patient's outcome and thus classified as having or not influenced patient's care. Results Abdominopelvic extra-enteric abnormalities were present on CTE in 258 (60%) of 430 patients. Retrospective analysis of CTE images revealed negligible abnormalities in 217 patients (217/430, 50.5%) and important ones in 41 patients (41/430, 9.5%). Among the 41 patients with important abnormalities, CTE demonstrated already documented abnormalities in 22 patients (22/41, 53.7%) and unknown abnormalities in 19 patients (19/41, 46.3%). In the latter 19 patients, the detection of unknown abnormalities altered patient's care in 18 (94.7%) of them. In one patient (1/19, 5.3%), important abnormality was detected during retrospective evaluation but not prospectively, resulting in a delayed treatment, yielding missed important abnormality rate of 2.4% (1/41). Conclusions Abdominopelvic extra-enteric abnormalities are frequent on CTE, but their depictions rarely alter patient's care. However, in a few patients (19/430; 4.4%), CTE may reveal unknown extra-enteric abnormalities that require further evaluation and have substantial impact on patient's management.