Cruveilhier-Baumgarten syndrome without esophageal varices: ultrasonographic diagnosis and echo-Doppler study.
Two cases of Cruveilhier-Baumgarten syndrome not clinically evident and without esophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension are presented. The diagnosis was made by real-time ultrasonography, which showed echographic caput medusae with large afferent umbilical veins and efferent inferior superficial epigastric veins. Doppler flowmetry documented high blood flow rates in these collateral portal-systemic circulations, and this explained the absence of large varices at endoscopy. The role of massive spontaneous portal-systemic shunts in preventing the formation of other shunts and particularly esophageal variceal bleeding is discussed.
Caturelli
E
E
Divisione di Gastroenterologia, Ospedale Generale Regionale, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy.
Sperandeo
G
G
Squillante
M M
MM
Mangia
A
A
Gabbrielli
L
L
D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D003097:Collateral Circulation; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014463:Ultrasonography