Percutaneous abdominal ultrasonography of patients with chronic inflam
matory bowel disease provides important information on the extent and
pattern of invasion of the affected sections of bowel and the associat
ed complications. Our own studies investigated the haemodynamic change
s in the superior mesenteric artery: duplex ultrasonography was used t
o measure flow rate, the vascular diameter and the vascular resistance
indices RI and PI in 40 healthy subjects and 41 Crohn's disease patie
nts. The blood flow volume was measured before and after a meal. The C
rohn's disease patients were classified according to the disease activ
ity, defined by the Best index, the van-Hees index, and the severity a
ctivity index. The duplex ultrasonographic haemodynamic findings alone
were inadequate for assigning Crohn's disease patients to separate ac
tivity groups.