Symptoms and Signs of Suspected Small Bowel Disease

초록

Small bowel is a complex organ located between the stomach and colon and is divided into the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. It has been considered very difficult to diagnose small bowel diseases due to its anatomical location and morphology. However, recent technological advances such as capsule endoscopy, enteroscopy, computed tomography enterography, and magnetic resonance enterography have facilitated access to the small bowel and enabled systematic approaches to patients with small bowel disease, including unexplained gastrointestinal bleeding, inflammatory bowel disease, and small bowel tumors. These advances could minimize invasive surgical approaches to the small bowel, which were previously considered the standard. Since the small bowel is associated with a wide variety of diseases and often have ambiguous symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of small bowel diseases are often delayed. We should pay attention to small bowel diseases and attempt to improve the prognosis through prompt and appropriate examination and accurate diagnosis in patients with suspected small bowel disease. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss about the symptoms and signs of suspected small bowel disease. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

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