Abdom Radiol (NY). 2016 Apr;41(4):794-5. doi: 10.1007/s00261-015-0628-0.
Berl S1, Dawkins A2, DiSantis D1.
Diagnosing SBO on plain films can be difficults, especially if the bowel is fluid filled. In contrast, the sensitivity of diagnosing SBO with CT approaches 100% [1]. The small bowel feces sign is a CT manifestation of small bowel obstruction: particulate material mixed with gas bubbled in the small bowel, similar to the apprearance of stool in the colon [2] (Fig. 1,2). This altered appearance presumably reflects stasis and resultant absorption of more fluid than normal in the small bowel. It usually occurs proximal to the site of obstruction, thus helpful in locating a transition point in some cases [3,4].