title: Cruveilhier-Baumgarten syndrome without esophageal varices: ultrasonographic diagnosis and echo-Doppler study.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Gastroenterologia, Ospedale Generale Regionale, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Caturelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sperandeo
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Squillante
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mangia
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gabbrielli
mesh_terms: 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