The small bowel

Abstract

The small bowel poses an important technical challenge to assess both clinically and radiologically. This difficulty can be attributed to its location, length, and numerous loops and its distance from both the proximal and distal orifices. The small bowel is prone to a broad spectrum of disorders, which ranges from complex developmental anomalies to life-threatening vascular and neoplastic entities. Over the last three decades, cross-sectional imaging techniques have evolved substantially, allowing for accurate noninvasive visualization of the entire length of the small bowel which thereby helped in accurate detection of pathologies. This chapter discusses an algorithmic approach to techniques and illustrates a broad spectrum of disorders afflicting the small bowel.