La radiologia medica - Editor's Pick

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The target sign: a significant CT sign for predicting small-bowel ischemia and necrosis (this opens in a new tab) 

_{Bo Li, Zhifeng Wu & Jinjun Wang} 

Small-bowel obstruction (SBO) is one of the most common types of acute abdomen in clinical practice, and accounts for approximately 12–16% of all emergent surgical procedures. Necrosis (SBN) is a serious complication of SBO that requires urgent surgical treatment. 
Therefore, accurately distinguishing the type of SBO and whether there is an SBN before surgery is highly important for treatment decision-making.

In this study, Bo Li et al. assessed CT findings or signs of possible changes in the thickness and density of the diseased intestinal wall that were significantly related to SBN.

The "target sign" resulted to be a prominent and easily recognizable indicator of SBN on CT images. These findings provide valuable insights for clinical treatment and prognosis in SBO patients.

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