A síndrome do intestino curto é definida pela incapacidade da superfície do intestino delgado em manter as condições adequadas de absorção de nutrientes, ocasionando deficiências nutricionais. Em adultos, as principais causas de síndrome do intestino curto são as ressecções cirúrgicas amplas ou múltiplas, secundárias a infarto mesentérico, doença de Crohn e enterite actínica. Além de avaliar o tempo de trânsito até o intestino grosso, o exame contrastado de trânsito intestinal pode ser utilizado na medição da extensão do intestino remanescente e no acompanhamento dos fenômenos de adaptação estrutural das alças delgadas e colônicas. Em pacientes com síndrome do intestino curto, a adaptação estrutural do intestino delgado consiste na hiperplasia das vilosidades e das pregas mucosas, que se tornam mais numerosas, profundas e de maior diâmetro, assim como a dilatação do segmento remanescente. Esses achados morfológicos são mais pronunciados e bem estabelecidos nas alças ileais, evidenciando sua maior capacidade adaptativa. O conhecimento dos achados por imagem das características morfológicas e adaptativas do intestino delgado é de grande importância na abordagem multidisciplinar da síndrome do intestino curto.

Short bowel syndrome is defined as the small bowel functional absorptive surface inability to provide adequate nutrition, leading to intestinal failure and chronic malnutrition. In adult individuals the main etiologies for short bowel syndrome are related to extensive or multiple surgical bowel resections secondary to mesenteric ischemia, Crohn's disease and actinic enteritis. Besides evaluating the transit time through the large bowel, barium follow through may be utilized in the measurement of bowel remnants length as well as in the follow-up of structural adaptation phenomena of small bowel and colonic loops. In patients with short bowel syndrome, structural small bowel adaptation consists in hyperplasia of villi and mucosal folds, which become more numerous, deeper and larger in diameter, as well as remnant segment dilation. Such morphological findings are more prominent and best established in the ileal loops, whose remarkable adaptive capacity has been well documented. Therefore, the knowledge of imaging findings regarding morphological and adaptive characteristics of the small bowel is extremely relevant in the multidisciplinary approach to short bowel syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of radial torsion angle measurement using computed tomography. METHODS: Twelve pairs of cadaver radii and 116 forearms from 58 healthy volunteers were evaluated using axial computed tomography sections measured at the level of the bicipital tuberosity and the subchondral region of the radius. During digital imaging, the angle was formed by two lines, one diametrically perpendicular to the radial tubercle and the other tangential to the volar rim of the distal joint surface. Measurements were performed twice each by three observers. RESULTS: In cadaveric bones, the mean radial torsion angle was 1.48º (-6º - 9º) on the right and 1.62º (-6 º - 8º) on the left, with a mean difference between the right and left sides of 1.61º (0º - 8º). In volunteers, the mean radial torsion angle was 3.00° (-17° - 17°) on the right and 2.91° (-16°- 15°) on the left, with a mean difference between the sides of 1.58º (0º - 7º). There was no significant difference between each side. The interobserver correlation coefficient for the cadaver radii measurements was 0.88 (0.72 - 0.96) and 0.81 (0.58 - 0.93) for the right and left radius, respectively, while for the volunteers, the difference was 0.84 (0.77 - 0.90) and 0.83 (0.75 - 0.89), respectively. Intraobserver reliability was high. CONCLUSION: The described method is reproducible and applicable even when the radial tubercle has a rounded contour.