J Korean Radiol Soc.  2004 Aug;51(2):249-255. 10.3348/jkrs.2004.51.2.249.

Usefulness of Air as Oral Contrast Material at CT Examination in Patient with Post-Operative Gastric Cancer

• Chung JJ
• Kim MJ
• Kim JH
• Kim KW

• KMID: 2209234
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/jkrs.2004.51.2.249

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of multidetector-row CT (MDCT) with gastric luminal distention using effervescent granules in patients with previous subtotal gastrectomy for the evaluation of the stomach, anastomotic site and jejunum, and to compare its findings with those of spiral CT using oral contrast media in the same patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-one patients (M:F=25:6, mean age; 58 years) with previous subtotal gastrectomy, who underwent both spiral CT using oral contrast media and MDCT using effervescent granules, were studied. The distensibility of the gastric lumen, anastomotic site and jejunal lumen was graded as either poor, fair or good. The thickening or mass of the gastric and small bowel wall was also evaluated.
RESULTS
The distensibility of the gastric lumen, anastomotic site and jejunal lumen were better demonstrated by MDCT using effervescent granules than by spiral CT using an oral contrast agent (p<0.05). The distensibility of the stomach and jejunum was similar in 14 cases (45.2%) on spiral CT and 16 cases (51.6%) on MDCT. The anastomotic site was better demonstrated when effervescent granules were used than when oral contrast media was used in 21 cases (67.7%). No cases of poor distention of the stomach or anastomotic site were detected when using effervescent granules.
CONCLUSION
Follow-up MDCT using effervescent granules showed better distensibility of the gastric lumen, anastomotic site and jejunal lumen than spiral CT using oral contrast media in all of the patients having undergone subtotal gastrectomy.

Keyword

Computed tomography (CT); Computed tomography (CT), multi-detector row; Contrast media; Stomach, neoplasms

MeSH Terms

Contrast Media
Follow-Up Studies
Gastrectomy
Humans
Jejunum
Phenobarbital
Stomach
Stomach Neoplasms*
Tomography, Spiral Computed
Contrast Media
Phenobarbital