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

We studied, by means of Doppler ultrasonography, the blood flow in the superior mesenteric artery in 12 untreated patients with celiac disea se (nontropical sprue) and in 15 healthy controls; peak systolic veloc ity, end diastolic velocity, mean velocity, flow volume, and resistive index were measured in the fasting state and at regular intervals aft er ingestion of 0.5 liter of water containing 50 g of saccharose. Unde r fasting conditions, celiac patients showed peak systolic velocity, e nd diastolic velocity, mean velocity, and flow volume values significa ntly higher than those of normal subjects, whereas resistive index was significantly lower. After saccharose ingestion these parameters show ed greater variations in normal subjects than in celiac patients. Fast ing end diastolic velocity turned out to be the best parameter to dist inguish celiac patients from healthy subjects. Doppler ultrasonography of the superior mesenteric artery could discriminate between normal s ubjects and celiac patients with overt disease. However, these data ne ed further confirmation given the limited sample that we studied; more over, the capability of this technique in distinguishing nontropical s prue from other gastrointestinal diseases that cause increasing splanc hnic flow remains to be ascertained.