Imaging of Constipation and Its Complications

Radiology is an important tool in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with constipation. Imaging provides both vital anatomic and functional information that may facilitate arriving at an accurate diagnosis, assessing for serious complications, and delivering the appropriate therapy in a timely fashion. In this chapter, we discuss how each imaging modality is used to image patients with constipation. Within this discussion, we review what information is provided by each modality and we detail complete imaging protocols and technical parameters for each test. Finally, we highlight key findings with illustrative images from radiography, fluoroscopy, CT, and MR imaging