1996 Volume 5 Issue 1 Pages 43-47
The aim of this study was to determine whether helical CT provides useful additional information in patients with obstructive colorectal tumors. To visualize lesions in a hollow viscus and their three-dimensional extent, helical CT was performed using air as the contrast medium. In six colorectal cancer patients with bowel stricture or obstruction, helical CT demonstrated the three-dimensional extent of the lesion proximal to the tumor site, which could not have been visualized by ordinary barium enema or colonoscopy. Using air as the contrast medium, helical CT can be effective for detecting co-existing abnormalities of the colon and rectum proximal to the site of stricture or obstruction by a tumor.
