CASE REPORT

Pictorial interlude: Caught up in a 'whirl'

Marianne Kuehnast^I; Savvas Andronikou^II

^IM.B. Ch.B., D.A. (S.A.). Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
^IIM.B. B.Ch., F.C. Rad. (S.A.), F.R.C.R. (Lond.), Ph.D., Visiting Professor. Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

ABSTRACT

A patient with the 'whirl sign' on computed tomography is 25.3 times as likely as a patient without the sign to have small-bowel obstruction (SBO) necessitating surgery. The 'whirl sign' therefore has an important role in the assessment of patients with clinical and radiological signs of SBO.

“Full text available only in PDF format”

REFERENCES

1. Duda JB, Bhatt S, Dogra VS. Utility of CT whirl sign in guiding management of small-bowel obstruction. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2008;191:743-747.         [ Links ]

2. Owuagwu O, Deans GT. Small bowel volvulus: a review. J R Coll Surg Edinb 1999;44:150-155.         [ Links ]

3. De Korte N, Grutters CT, Snellen JP. Small bowel volvulus diagnosed by the CT 'whirl sign'. J Gastrointest Surg 2008:12(8):1469-1470. Epub 2007 Oct 20.         [ Links ]

4. Jaramillo D, Raval B. CT diagnosis of small-bowel volvulus: Case report. AJR Am J Roentgenol 1986;147:941-942.         [ Links ]

5. Khurana B. The whirl sign. Radiology 2003:226:69-70.         [ Links ]