Abstract
This article reviews the diagnostic imaging modalities currently available that are used to evaluate pathologies affecting the small bowel. The small bowel has been a challenging part of the body to investigate because of its length of approximately 6 m, compounded by the small area within the abdominal cavity in which it is constrained. The costs, patient preferences, strengths, and potential weaknesses of each diagnostic imaging modality will be discussed, including examples of pathologies that are best suited to each modality. In addition, new frontiers in small bowel imaging will be introduced. These innovative imaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography scanning, as well as updated computed tomography hardware and novel scanning protocols, may improve sensitivity and specificity of detecting abnormalities of the small bowel.