Meaning of free intraperitoneal fluid in small-bowel obstruction: preliminary results using high-frequency microsonography in a rat model.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to detect the onset, evolution, and meaning of extraluminal free fluid in a rat model of small-bowel obstruction using high-frequency microsonography.

Methods: Small-bowel obstruction was surgically created in 8 rats divided into 2 groups of 4 rats each. All rats were examined by high-frequency microsonography to monitor the evolution of small-bowel obstruction and the abdominal sonographic findings.