Imaging in Intestinal Ischemic Disorders

Intestinal ischemia and infarction are a heterogeneous group of diseases that have as their unifying theme hypoxia of the small bowel and/or colon. The incidence of bowel ischemia is increasing for a number of reasons: the aging of the population, the ability of intensive care units to salvage critically ill patients, and heightened clinical awareness of these disorders. Improvements in diagnostic imaging techniques have contributed greatly to the earlier diagnosis of intestinal ischemia, which can have a positive influence on patient outcomes. In this review, advances in multidetector computerized tomography, magnetic resonance, and ultrasound in the detection of intestinal ischemia are highlighted and placed in the context of expeditious patient management.