Blunt injury to mesentery and small bowel: CT evaluation

CT is widely used in the evaluation of trauma patients. Although the sensitivity for CT detection of solid organ injury is 90% or better, hollow viscous injury has historically been more difficult to identify. Diagnosis of small bowel and mesenteric injury often requires special attention to subtle findings. This article discusses the role of CT in the diagnostic approach to blunt trauma victims, the points of controversy regarding the CT examination technique, the CT findings related to small bowel and mesenteric injury, and the accuracy of imaging diagnosis.