Abdominal compartment syndrome.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to discuss the pathogenesis, clinical features, radiologic findings, and treatment of abdominal compartment syndrome, which is defined as an acute elevation of the intraabdominal pressure with organ dysfunction. CONCLUSION Abdominal compartment syndrome is not well reported in the radiology literature. In this review, we discuss a range of CT signs such as elevated diaphragm, collapsed inferior vena cava, bowel wall thickening, bowel mucosal hyperenhancement, hemoperitoneum, and increasing abdominal girth, which, in combination, may allow the radiologist to raise the possibility of abdominal compartment syndrome.