Multimedia
 | Media file 1: A 47-year-old man with blunt trauma to the abdomen. Axial CT through upper abdomen reveals 2 spots of free intraperitoneal air (arrows). |
 | Media file 2: A 15-year-old boy with blunt trauma to the abdomen and a perforated stomach. Axial CT demonstrates large amount of free intraperitoneal air (green arrow). An air/fluid level with fluid is seen in the right paracolic gutter (red arrow). Extravasated oral contrast is seen in the left paracolic gutter (blue arrow) adjacent to the stomach. |
 | Media file 3: Patient in a motor vehicle collision with injury to the spleen. Axial CT through the abdomen shows thickening and enhancement of bowel wall in the left lower quadrant resulting from hypotension and hypoperfusion of the bowel. No bowel injury was seen. |
 | Media file 4: A 47-year-old man with blunt trauma to the abdomen. Axial CT through the level of the pelvis shows small bowel wall thickening and enhancement (red arrow) from blunt small bowel injury. Free intraperitoneal air visualized (blue arrow) is from a perforated sigmoid colon. Image from AJR 2000;174:1538 printed with permission from American Roentgen Ray Society. |
 | Media file 5: A 19-year-old man with right-sided chest trauma. Axial CT through the upper abdomen shows a large amount of right retroperitoneal air surrounding the right kidney (arrows). Some air is seen in the right subcutaneous tissues. Retroperitoneal air dissected downwards from a right-sided chest pneumothorax. |
 | Media file 6: Patient with blunt abdominal trauma with duodenal hematoma. Axial CT through the abdomen shows soft tissue density and mild stranding surrounding duodenum (arrow) consistent with a duodenal hematoma. |
 | Media file 7: Female patient with blunt abdominal trauma and duodenal perforation. Focal axial CT of the right upper abdomen shows free intraperitoneal air (red arrow) and contrast extravasation (blue arrow) from the duodenum (yellow arrow). |
 | Media file 8: Female patient with right-sided colon perforation. Axial CT through the abdomen shows focal gas bubbles (red arrow) and anextraluminal fluid collection (blue arrow) adjacent to the contrast-filled colon. |
 | Media file 9: A 79-year-old woman after a motor vehicle collision. Axial CT through the level of the pelvis shows a focal area of small bowel wall thickening (red arrow) consistent with focal blunt small bowel injury. Fat stranding is seen in the mesentery (yellow arrow) consistent with a mesenteric hematoma. |
 | Media file 10: A 24-year-old man with blunt abdominal trauma and duodenal hematoma. Upper gastrointestinal series of the region of the duodenum shows large filling defect (arrow) compressing the contrast-filled second portion of duodenum lumen. Findings are consistent with an intramural duodenal hematoma. No extravasation of contrast is observed that suggests duodenal perforation. |
More on Bowel, Trauma |
| Overview: Bowel, Trauma |
| Imaging: Bowel, Trauma |
| Follow-up: Bowel, Trauma |
 Multimedia: Bowel, Trauma |
| References |
| Further Reading |
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Further Reading
Related eMedicine topics
Abdominal Trauma, Blunt
Abdominal Trauma, Penetrating
Abdominal Vascular Injuries
Abdominal Trauma (from Pediatrics: Surgery)
Ultrasonography, Abdominal
Clinical guidelines
Clinical Policy: Critical Issues in the Evaluation of Adult Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With Acute Blunt Abdominal Trauma
ACR Appropriateness Criteria Blunt Abdominal Trauma
Clinical studies
A Colonic Tube to Improve Bowel Function in Spinal Cord Injury
Keywords
bowel trauma, abdominal injuries, intestinal injury, wounds nonpenetrating, wounds penetrating, blunt abdominal trauma
