Hide-Bound Bowel

"Hide-bound bowel" refers to the close spacing of valvulae conniventes in a dilated small bowel and is characteristically seen with scleroderma. The valvulae conniventes themselves are of normal thickness. The underlying histology is the atrophy and fibrosis of the inner circular layer of the tunica muscularis relative to the outer longitudinal layer. Bowel dilatation causes further packing of the valvulae conniventes, giving us the hide-bound bowel.

There are normally four to seven folds per inch of jejunum.

Reference

• Levine MS, Rubesin SE, Laufer I. Pattern approach for diseases of mesenteric small bowel on barium studies. Radiology. 2008 Nov;249(2):445-60.
• Pickhardt PJ. The "hide-bound" bowel sign. Radiology. 1999 Dec;213(3):837-8.