Assessment of abnormal bowel perfusion using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography after small bowel transplantation: a case report.
A 59-year-old man with short-bowel syndrome received a small bowel transplantation. Because the recipient complained of severe abdominal pain 40 hours after the surgery and was highly suspected of having mesenteric vascular thrombosis, contrast-enhanced sonography (CEUS) was performed at his bedside. CEUS demonstrated that the superior mesenteric artery was patent, but the bowel graft showed hypoenhancement, indicating severely inadequate perfusion of the graft. Due to this complication, the patient underwent an exploratory laporatomy, and the bowel graft was removed. The pathologic findings support the diagnosis of acute vascular rejection after intestinal transplantation. This case suggests that CEUS can be used to assess perfusion and vascular complications after intestinal transplantation, as it is noninvasive and easily performed at bedside.
Department of Ultrasound, 309th Hospital of Chinese PLA, 17 Heishanhu Road, Haidian, Beijing, 100091, China.
Bing-Sheng
BS
Cao
Lei
L
Li
Yuan-Xin
YX
Li
Yu-Mei
YM
Liang
D064591:Allografts / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000637:transplantation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010743:Phospholipids; D012778:Short Bowel Syndrome / Q000601:surgery*; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex
D010743:Phospholipids; C420843:contrast agent BR1; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride