Video Reveals The Abdominal Emergency Behind "The Doughnut Sign"

In a sobering reminder that we are all just sentient udder made up of lots of smaller bags , a video recently shared to Twitter demonstrates the medical emergency that gives rise to the " doughnut sign of the zodiac ” . enteric intussusception is the culprit , a condition in which the gut in effect folds in on itself that can run to an obstructer and even a exit of blood stream to the gut .

The sinker sign is a fun soubriquet given to the radiological presentation of enteral introversion , though it ’s also get laid as the target sign . you may get donut signs elsewhere in the body that correspond to different conditions , but in the case of gastroenterology , it applies to a complication of the gut whereby a section of the bowel telescopes into an adjacent bowel section .

If you ’re skin to visualize exactly what a human intestine telescope in on itself looks like , Dr Keith Siau – a GI doc who you may commemorate fromLadybug star In A Colonoscopy – shared an eye - opening TV onTwitterto demonstrate . It seemsGreat Ormond Street Hospital For Childrenin the UK really murder the nail on the head when they say : “ It is a scrap like a getting a sock turned inside itself . ”

“ This process can lead to multiple complications such as bowel obstruction , intestine mortification , and sepsis , ” pen Dr Andrew Brill and Dr Richard Lopez in a2022 articleabout intestinal invagination . “ The disease process is much more common in the paediatric population and uncommon in adults , but when present is potential due to a pathological lead point such as [ a growth ] . ”

For baby , enteric intussusception is the most common abdominal emergency with symptoms include “ currant jelly feces ” ( make by blood and mucus in faeces ) , a mass in the stomach , severe infliction that may come and go , and throw up . However , these symptom are non - specific and not all patient role present with them , making reaching a diagnosis tricksy for some patients .

The doughnut sign of the zodiac is a radiological indicator that something ’s go bad awry with the intestine , which on ultrasonography expect like a ring inside another ring , sort of like a sinker . If a diagnosis is made , an air enema can be enough to secure the problem by inflate the intestine and straightening it out again .

Complicated cases may require surgical process to set right , which can be done as a keyhole surgery ( laparoscopically ) . Other times a bigger surgical operation may be needed to open up the belly so that surgeons can gently squeeze the bowel and reverse the intussusception and verify that normal rake flow returns to the organ .

Is n’t the human body a stumble ?