Published in:
01-05-2019 | Upper Gastrointestinal Series | Classics in Abdominal Radiology
The “trumpeting elephant” sign
Published in: Abdominal Radiology | Issue 5/2019
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Elephants are often observed to raise their trunks in order to produce a “vocalization,” be it either in anger or under more playful circumstances. A large column of barium refluxing from the proximal stomach and extending superiorly into the esophagus, as seen during a barium upper gastrointestinal series (UGI), has been likened to the appearance of a trumpeting elephant (Fig. 1, 2) [1].
Fig. 1
An African elephant with its trunk held high in mid-trumpet. (Elephant trumpeting in grasslands or chaurs of Corbett National Park at sunset: Aditya Singh. Downloaded from shutterstock.com 1/19/2019 with the artist’s permission. Royalty-free stock photo ID: 56770723)
Fig. 2
Representative image from an UGI series demonstrating a column of refluxing barium (the elephant’s trunk) (arrow) emanating from the barium-filled, herniated gastric fundus and cardia (the elephant’s head and ear!)
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