Abstract
Ultrasonographic examination of the gastrointestinal tract is currently employed in many suspected acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, for purely diagnostic purposes and the follow-up of well-known gastrointestinal diseases. Improvement in ultrasonographic technology and investigation techniques of the gastrointestinal tract have overcome to a great extent all impediments and prejudices in using bowel ultrasound for the assessment of digestive diseases. Nowadays, it is possible to assess accurately the main features of the intestinal wall such as its thickness, echo pattern, vascularity, flexibility and motility, to evaluate the diameter and intraluminal content of the bowel and peri-intestinal changes, such as lymph nodes and the status of mesenteric fat. Acknowledgment of these ultrasonographic findings makes it now possible to suspect or detect various gastrointestinal diseases, and improve and speed up diagnostic process of several conditions.
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© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Maconi, G., Rigazio, C., Ercole, E. (2013). Bowel Ultrasound: Investigation Technique and Normal Findings. In: Maconi, G., Bianchi Porro, G. (eds) Ultrasound of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Medical Radiology(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2013_824
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2013_824
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