title: Doppler sonography of the superior mesenteric artery in children with recurrent abdominal pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Abdominal pain is one of the most common conditions in childhood and adolescence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) Doppler findings in children with recurrent abdominal pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Duplex Doppler sonographic measurements were performed in 20 patients with recurrent abdominal pain and in 34 controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean blood flow velocities, blood flow volume, and diameter of the SMA were significantly lower in patients with recurrent abdominal pain than in controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Insufficient development and/or vasoconstriction of the SMA vascular bed may be involved in recurrent abdominal pain, but further studies on larger groups are needed to test this hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Fatih University, Alparslan Turkes Cad. No. 57, Ankara 06510, Turkey.
authors.forename: Asli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koktener
authors.forename: Ayse Esra
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Ferat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Catal
authors.forename: Sancar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eminoglu
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017538:Mesenteric Artery, Superior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012008:Recurrence; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex / Q000379:methods*