Transcripts
DR. TARR:
Now, what would one ask a
radiologist to look for on ultrasound or CT scan
would be abscesses. Abscesses are rather unusual
in the absence of a fever. Gall stones are not
so very terribly uncommon and can be picked up
by either of these modalities.
One can also consider performing
a contrast study where a child drinks barium and
one follows the barium through the small bowel.
Also, one could consider a colon
study with barium. These studies are
uncomfortable and barium doesn't taste good, and these
investigations can cause a lot of stress for a
family that's already been through a tremendous
amount of stress by virtue of this initial
infection, but a stricture needs to be considered
if a child is having a lot of vomiting or
tremendous bloating. In these situations, these
studies should be performed early.
Of all the tests I have
discussed, the KUB is the very easiest test to
obtain. And this is just a quick abdominal film
looking for abnormally dilated use of bowel
suggesting that a contrast study should be
performed potentially looking for gall stones,
seeing collections of gall stones in the right
upper quadrant. This would be an unusual
finding but it is worth a glance, but mostly the
test is to look for excess fecal matter
throughout the colon.
