Grayscale and pulsed Doppler characteristics of non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis: a preliminary report.
OBJECTIVE
Non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis is a common cause of portal hypertension in India. Inspite of this there is no published data delineating the imaging findings in patients with this disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate Grayscale and pulsed Doppler findings of the portal venous system in non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis.


METHODS
Grayscale and Doppler sonography was performed on 19 patients with clinically and histologically proven non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis. Portal venous flow was determined along with the portal venous diameter, congestive index of the portal vein, and the splenic index. Twenty normal control subjects were also studied.


RESULTS
Doppler analysis revealed features of portal hypertension. These included increased portal venous flow, and congestive index (1062.1 +/- 199.7 vs 724.4 +/- 181.2; and 0.140 +/- 0.070 vs 0.049 +/- 0.011 respectively) when compared with the control group. Increased splenic index and dilatation of the portal venous diameter was also present (116.4 +/- 29.8 vs 45.8 +/- 7.0; and 14.3 +/- 1.5 vs 10.3 +/- 1.1 respectively). Grayscale findings demonstrated echogenic and thickened intrahepatic portal venous branches in 10 cases. Subcapsular atrophy of the liver was seen in three cases. Varices were identified in 15 cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis have features of portal hypertension at the time of presentation. Ultrasonic findings that include echogenic, thickened portal venous tracts and subcapsular liver atrophy were frequently observed in such cases and were not seen in the control group.
Sinha
R
R
Department of Radiodiagnosis, Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, India.
D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013163:Splenomegaly / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D018617:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed