Doppler ultrasonographic evaluation of blood flow in the superior mesenteric artery in celiac patients and in healthy controls in fasting conditions and after saccharose ingestion

We studied, by means of Doppler ultrasonography, the blood flow in the superior mesenteric artery in 12 untreated patients with celiac disease (nontropical sprue) and in 15 healthy controls; peak systolic velocity, end diastolic velocity, mean velocity, flow volume, and resistive index were measured in the fasting state and at regular intervals after ingestion of 0.5 liter of water containing 50 g of saccharose. Under fasting conditions, celiac patients showed peak systolic velocity, end diastolic velocity, mean velocity, and flow volume values significantly higher than those of normal subjects, whereas resistive index was significantly lower. After saccharose ingestion these parameters showed greater variations in normal subjects than in celiac patients. Fasting end diastolic velocity turned out to be the best parameter to distinguish celiac patients from healthy subjects. Doppler ultrasonography of the superior mesenteric artery could discriminate between normal subjects and celiac patients with overt disease. However, these data need further confirmation given the limited sample that we studied; moreover, the capability of this technique in distinguishing nontropical sprue from other gastrointestinal diseases that cause increasing splanchnic flow remains to be ascertained.