[Ultrasound in diagnosis of superior mesenteric artery syndrome].
OBJECTIVE
To reveal a possible reduction of the aorto-mesenteric angle and to diagnose suspected cases of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome. It was controlled, prospective study in which, in order to reveal a possible reduction of aorto-mesenteric angle, the following techniques.


METHODS
In a cohort of patients referred to our department by their general practitioners for unexplained dyspepsia and/or abdominal pain an abdominal ultrasonography with power colour Doppler was performed; patients with reduced SMA angle were screened by gastroduodenoscopy, hypotonic duodenography, contrast-enhanced spiral computerized tomography.


RESULTS
In a cohort of 1468 patients, 460 subjects were taken into consideration, specifi cally the patients where US and power colour Doppler had been adequately performed. US detected a signifi cant reduction of the SMA angle in 20 of those patients; in these 20 subjects, gastroscopy showed duodenal compressive pulsation in 5 of the 20 patients under examination, and X-ray revealed a compression of the third segment of the duodenum in 18 of them. The following CT examination confi rmed the presence of a reduced angle and various degrees of duodenal compression in all patients. US and CT examinations gave overlapping results (p>0.05) in diagnosing pathological aorta-mesenteric angle.


CONCLUSIONS
The analysis of data led the authors to believe that the incidence of reduced aorto-mesenteric angle and SMA syndrome might be underrated. US power colour Doppler imaging that is a rapid, repeatable, and non invasive, low cost and easy to perform diagnostic procedure, is useful in epidemiological screening of reduced aorto-mesenteric angle to diagnose suspected cases of SMA syndrome in patients with inexplicable abdominal pain.
Mauceri
B
B
Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Patologie Sistemiche, Universitegli Studi di Catania, Italia.
Misseri
M
M
Tsami
A
A
Vecchio
C
C
Di Pino
A
A
Galati
D
D
Maiorca
D
D
Mastrosimone
G
G
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004384:Duodenoscopy; D005260:Female; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013478:Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color