Can computed tomography aid in diagnosis of intramural hematomas of the intestinal wall ?

Background : We sought to use computed tomography (CT) data to support the correct differential diagnosis of patients with spon- taneous intramural hematomas of the gastrointestinal tract, to aid in the clinical management of those using oral anticoagulants. Methods : Patient data were retrospectively analyzed and pa- tients were divided into two groups. The first group contained 10 patients (5 females, 5 males, median age 65 years [range 35- 79 years]) who had been diagnosed with spontaneous intramural hematomas of the gastrointestinal tract. The second group con- tained nine patients (5 females, 4 males, median age 41 years [range 24-56 years]) who exhibited intestinal wall thickening on CT, and who had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, ameboma, and lymphoma. The enhancement patterns in the CT images of the two groups were compared by an experienced and inexperienced radiologist. The differences in values were subjected to ROC analysis.