Evidence Hub

Cross-sectional imaging features of duodenal obstruction: A case series highlighting etiologic diversity

A. Khaled, M. Oussafi, I. Chaouche, H. O. Chahdi, A. Akammar, Younes Amrani, A. Zerhouni, Omar Marghich et al.

Radiology Case Reports, 2025

Abstract

Duodenal obstruction is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening cause of upper gastrointestinal obstruction. Its clinical presentation is often nonspecific, necessitating prompt and accurate imaging for diagnosis and therapeutic planning. We present a series of 6 cases of duodenal obstruction evaluated in our radiology department, highlighting a broad spectrum of underlying etiologies, including congenital, inflammatory, neoplastic, and vascular-mechanical origins. Imaging modalities included contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) in 5 patients and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 1 case. The causes identified were superior mesenteric artery syndrome, annular pancreas, left paraduodenal hernia, edematous duodenal bulb ulcer, duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), and complicated duodenal diverticulitis. Cross-sectional imaging played a pivotal role in precisely localizing the obstruction, characterizing its etiology, and guiding appropriate medical or surgical management. Familiarity with the imaging features of these diverse entities is essential for timely diagnosis and improved patient outcomes.

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a case series, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free