Hide-bound sign (bowel)

Last revised by Joshua Yap on 19 Feb 2023

The hide-bound bowel sign refers to an appearance on a barium study of the small bowel in patients with scleroderma. The sign describes the narrow separation between the valvulae conniventes which are of normal thickness despite dilatation of the bowel lumen.  

Although the term hide-bound is used specifically to describe scleroderma, the same appearance may also be seen in sprue. The stack of coins sign, although similar, should not be confused with the hide-bound sign. The former is seen in intramural hematoma as adjacent, thickened folds with sharp demarcation and crowding of the valvulae conniventes. 

Pathology

The cause of the hide-bound appearance in scleroderma is thought to be asymmetric smooth muscle atrophy of the inner circular muscularis layer relative to the outer longitudinal layer. Contraction of the longitudinal layer results in foreshortening of the bowel and close packing of the valvulae conniventes.

History and etymology

The term hide-bound sign was coined by Alfred Horowitz and Morton Meyers in a study published in 1973, although according to their article the appearance had been described prior to that 3. The term hide-bound was originally used to describe emaciated cattle.

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