Bow and arrow sign

Additional recommended knowledge

Essential Laboratory Skills Guide

How to quickly check pipettes?

Correct Test Weight Handling Guide: 12 Practical Tips

The bow and arrow sign is an endoscopic sign for determining the location of the ileocecal valve during colonoscopy. Identifying the ileocecal valve in a colonoscopy is important, as it indicates that the entire colon has been visualized.

The identifiable landmarks in the cecum are the appendiceal orifice -- which is a curvilinear indent indicating the location of the appendix from the lumen of the bowel, and the ileocecal valve, which appears as a puckering in the most distal fold of the cecum.

The bow and arrow sign uses the curve of the appendiceal orifice to point toward the direction of the ileocecal valve, as if it were a bow guiding an arrow. The colonoscope can be passed in this direction in order to enter the terminal ileum.^[1] This is used as one of two identifiable landmarks of the colon (the other being the anus), and signifies that the entire colon has been visualized.

References

1. ^ Cotton PB, Williams CB. Practical Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Blackwell Publishers, London, 1996

For [terminal ileum] intubation this simple 5 step approach is used.

1. Identify the tri-radiate fold and appendicular orifice 2. Pull the scope and suck the air out, this will make the valve bubble and the caecum fall on you 3. turn the tip towards the IC valve making a “hook” 4. slowly skim over the valve, you will see the red salmon coloured mucosa of small GUT 5. blow some air in and when visualized, push gently.