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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Radiol Imaging 2010; 20(04): 289-293
DOI: 10.4103/0971-3026.73541
Abdominal

Color Doppler evaluation of left gastric vein hemodynamics in cirrhosis with portal hypertension and its correlation with esophageal varices and variceal bleed

Subathra Adithan
Department of Radiodiagnosis, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry - 605 006, India
,
Bhuvaneswari Venkatesan
Department of Radiodiagnosis, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry - 605 006, India
,
Elangovan Sundarajan
Department of Radiodiagnosis, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry - 605 006, India
,
Vikram Kate
Department of Surgery, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry - 605 006, India
,
Raja Kalayarasan
Department of Surgery, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry - 605 006, India
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Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the value of Doppler evaluation of left gastric vein hemodynamics when monitoring portal hypertension patients, by correlating Doppler ultrasonography (USG) parameters with the severity of esophageal varices and occurrence of variceal bleeding. Methods: This study was carried out on 100 patients using Doppler USG and endoscopy. Forty-seven of these were patients with cirrhosis with portal hypertension, who had not had a recent variceal bleed (group 1) and 26 were patients with cirrhosis with portal hypertension, with a recent history of bleeding (group 2). The control group comprised of 27 subjects who did not have liver disease or varices on endoscopy (group 3). The hemodynamic parameters, namely the diameter of the left gastric vein and the direction and flow velocity in the vessel, were compared in these groups, with the grade of esophageal varices. Results: Hepatofugal flow velocity in the left gastric vein was higher in patients with large-sized varices compared to those patients with small-sized varices (P < 0.001). The left gastric vein hepatofugal flow velocity was higher in patients with a recent variceal bleed than in those patients without a history of a recent variceal bleed (P < 0.0149). Large-sized varices were more commonly found in patients with a history of a recent variceal bleed (P < 0.0124). Conclusion: Left gastric vein hemodynamics were found to correlate with the severity of the varices and the occurrence of recent variceal bleed in patients with cirrhosis with portal hypertension. Evaluation of the left gastric vein portal dynamics could be helpful in monitoring the progress of the disease in these patients.

Keywords

Esophageal varices - grade of varices - hepatofugal flow velocity - left gastric vein


Publication History

Article published online:
02 August 2021

© 2010. Indian Radiological Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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