Colorectal cancer is reliably excluded in the frail and elderly population by minimal preparation CT.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to retrospectively assess the accuracy of minimal preparation computed tomography (MPCT) in the detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) within the frail and elderly population and to evaluate the relevance of extra-colonic findings (ECF). METHODS: Radiology reports, clinical notes and follow-up reports from 207 patients who underwent MPCT to investigate for CRC between 2005 and 2009 were analysed. Patients were scanned following the administration of oral contrast for 48 h, without bowel preparation or colonic insufflation. MPCT results were measured against patient outcomes, with a minimum of 2 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Twelve cases of clinically relevant CRC were confirmed (5.8 %). MPCT correctly identified 11 of these lesions (sensitivity 91.6 %). Thirty-one patients had a possible CRC identified by MPCT, which was not confirmed by further examination (specificity 84.1 %). This results in a positive predictive value of 26.2 % and a negative predictive value of 99.4 %. Five of the patients with colon cancer underwent curative surgery. Sixty-eight clinically relevant ECF were confirmed, including 14 previously undiagnosed extra-colonic malignancies. ECF were considered to account for the presenting complaint in 15.0 % (31/207) of all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Minimal preparation computed tomography is an effective and reliable investigation for the exclusion of clinically relevant CRC in this population. It provides clinicians with a valuable and pragmatic alternative to colonoscopy and CT colonography when invasive examination or cathartic bowel preparation will be poorly tolerated and small polyps are of limited significance. MPCT has an advantage over purely luminal imaging in the detection of extra-colonic pathology and appears to have an equally important role in the detection of CRC.

Delay in diagnosis and lessons learnt from a case of abdominal wall abscess caused by fishbone perforation.

Complications following foreign body (FB) ingestion are an uncommon clinical problem. A 59-year-old man presented with a 4-week history of left iliac fossa pain and 1 episode of dark red blood mixed with stools. Inflammatory markers were elevated, and computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis showed an ill defined abdominal wall inflammatory collection in close contact with the small bowel loops. He was treated with antibiotics, and follow-up CT, colonoscopy and small bowel enema were mostly unremarkable. The patient presented again ten months later with left iliac fossa cellulitis and fever. Multiplanar CT (the patient's fourth scan) demonstrated a 10cm abdominal wall collection with a linear hyperdense structure in the collection. The radiologists suspected a FB and on close scrutiny of the previous scans, they noted it to have been present on all of them. A targeted incision led to the removal of a 3cm fishbone from the collection. This case highlights the need to consider the possibility of a FB being the underlying cause in any unexplained intra-abdominal or abdominal wall inflammatory process so that the diagnosis is made in a timely manner.

Delayed reactions to urographic contrast media.

Reactions to urographic contrast media occurring after the patient had left the department were studied by giving patients a questionnaire to complete. 841 questionnaires were returned (about 80% of those issued). 70% of patients had no delayed reactions and 7% expressed a positive response to urography i.e., found the procedure interesting and not unpleasant; 13% had arm pain, 5% a rash and 14% had a variety of reactions, many of which were the same as those described in iodism. Women had significantly more rashes (7%) than men (4%) and those media containing the meglumine or iodamide ions caused more rashes than other media. Conray 420 caused more arm pain than Conray 280 or the non-ionic media, which would be expected from the known effects on vascular endothelium. Symptoms of iodism were equally common from the various contrast media.

The old and the new: a study of five contrast media for urography.

Five contrast media, Conray 280 and 420, Urografin 370, Uromiro Sodium 300 and Niopam 370, were compared in a randomised trial involving a total of 482 patients. The best urographic agent was Conray 420 and the worst Conray 280, these control agents defining the ends of the scoring system. Uromiro Sodium 300 was very nearly as good as Conray 420. A non-ionic agent, Niopam 370, scored nearly equal with Urografin 370; both were rather better than Conray 280. There was little difference in minor reactions between the media. No reason was found to prefer non-ionic to ionic agents for general use in urography; indeed for a diagnostic examination the sodium salt of an ionic agent is preferable.

Comparison of two strengths of iohexol and iothalamate in urography.

Iohexol and iothalamate were studied in 2 strengths and compared with results from a previous trial of Iopamidol and 4 ionic agents. Scoring was consistent from trial to trial. No worthwhile increase in density was achieved at high doses using nonionics and pyelographic distention was less than for ionic media. The timing of the nephrogram was the same for ionics and nonionics. There is no need to adopt a different film sequence for nonionic media. Urticarial reactions were identical for all 4 media studied in this trial. Nonionic media perform as well as other media; at lower doses they are much better than meglumine salts of ionic media.

Pneumatosis coli: an uncommon but treatable cause of faecal incontinence.

Pneumatosis intestinalis is defined as the presence of gas within the bowel wall. Small bowel pneumatosis is less commonly reported and more severe than colonic disease in adults. Pneumatosis coli is characterised by multiple collections of encysted gas occurring within the sub-mucosa and subserosa of the colon and rectum. It is an uncommon condition which typically presents in late middle age and has been associated with a number of gastrointestinal (e.g. pyloric stenosis, sigmoid volvulus and ischaemic bowel) and non-gastrointestinal (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression and multiple sclerosis) diseases. Some cases, however, are idiopathic or primary. Symptoms can include diarrhoea, constipation, mucus per rectum, bleeding, flatus, abdominal pain and, rarely, faecal incontinence. We report on two patients, one of whom presented with faecal incontinence, the other who had troublesome lower gastrointestinal symptoms including faecal incontinence. Both responded well to continuous oxygen therapy.