Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 16, Issue 2 85-91, Copyright © 1997 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Doppler ultrasonographic evaluation of blood flow in the superior mesenteric artery in celiac patients and in healthy controls in fasting conditions and after saccharose ingestion
A. Aliotta, M. Pompili, G. L. Rapaccini, I. De Vitis, S. Caputo, A. Cedrone, A. Grattagliano and G. Gasbarrini
Istituto di Medicina Interna e Geriatria, Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
We studied, by means of Doppler ultrasonography, the blood flow in the
superior mesenteric artery in 12 untreated patients with celiac disease
(nontropical sprue) and in 15 healthy controls; peak systolic velocity, end
diastolic velocity, mean velocity, flow volume, and resistive index were
measured in the fasting state and at regular intervals after ingestion of
0.5 liter of water containing 50 g of saccharose. Under fasting conditions,
celiac patients showed peak systolic velocity, end diastolic velocity, mean
velocity, and flow volume values significantly higher than those of normal
subjects, whereas resistive index was significantly lower. After saccharose
ingestion these parameters showed greater variations in normal subjects
than in celiac patients. Fasting end diastolic velocity turned out to be
the best parameter to distinguish celiac patients from healthy subjects.
Doppler ultrasonography of the superior mesenteric artery could
discriminate between normal subjects and celiac patients with overt
disease. However, these data need further confirmation given the limited
sample that we studied; moreover, the capability of this technique in
distinguishing nontropical sprue from other gastrointestinal diseases that
cause increasing splanchnic flow remains to be ascertained.
