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Arch Surg. 2008;143(1):94.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Answer: Chilaiditi Sign or Syndrome

Chilaiditi sign refers to the usually asymptomatic interposition of the bowel (usually the hepatic flexure of the colon) between the liver and the right hemidiaphragm. It was first described by a Viennese radiologist, Demetrius Chilaiditi, in 1910.¹ This phenomenon is seen in 0.025% to 0.28% of the general population.² The findings are most often incidental; the condition is slightly more common in males, adults, and individuals with cognitive impairment; and symptoms may present intermittently³. The term sign refers to the asymptomatic presence of the interposed bowel, whereas the term syndrome includes abdominal pain, constipation, vomiting, respiratory distress, anorexia, and rarely, volvulus or obstruction.

Colonic fixation and suspensory ligaments, coupled with the normal anatomy of the diaphragm and the liver, normally inhibit this potential interposition.^{2, 4-7} Predisposing factors to its occurrence include absence of the normal suspensory ligaments of the transverse colon, abnormality or absence of the falciform ligament, redundant colon . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Arch Surg. 2008;143(1):93.
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