RID35099 colon cutoff sign

synonym colon cut-off sign

definition Colonic gas abruptly stops near the splenic flexure. Suggests acute pancreatitis; inflammatory exudate spreads to phrenicocolic ligament, causing spasms that narrow the lumen at the flexure, where the colon becomes retroperitoneal.

comment http://radiology.rsna.org/cgi/content/full/215/2/387