The clinical and roentgenological findings in steatorrhea of varying etiology.

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

In a survey of several conditions in which the common presenting sign was steatorrhea, clinical, pathological and radiographic studies suggested certain distinctions among the entities,—pancreatogenic steatorrhea, symptomatic sprue and idiopathic steatorrhea. The first of these differs clinically and roentgenographically from the two others. The moulage sign and flocculation of barium were not seen in our cases of pancreatogenic steatorrhea. In symptomatic sprue we have found that x-ray studies of the small intestine are of help in making the sometimes difficult distinction from the idiopathic syndrome. Above all, we found that repeated x-ray examinations of the small bowel are indispensable in all cases of steatorrhea, and we make a plea for its greater use in these cases.