Doppler sonography of hemodynamic changes of the celiac artery in chronic active gastritis

Aim: In this study, we determined how Doppler parameters of the celiac artery (CA) are affected in patients with chronic gastritis. Materials and methods: We examined 23 patients (group 1) with chronic active gastritis (diagnosed by endoscopy and histology) and 19 asymptomatic control subjects (group 2) with duplex Doppler ultrasonography. The patient group (group 1) was classified in 2 subgroups according to the severity of the inflammation. The second classification was done according to the presence of the Helicobacter pylori infection within group 1. Mean peak systolic velocity (PSV), enddiastolic velocity (EDV), resistive index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI) of the CA were compared. Results: The mean PSV and the mean EDV were significantly lower in patients than in controls (P 0.05). The mean PI and the mean RI were higher in the patient group than in the controls. However, these differences were not statistically significant (P 0.05). Conclusion: In this preliminary study, patients with chronic active gastritis, regardless of the degree of the inflammation and the presence of H. pylori, were associated with a decrease in CA flow velocities that could be seen on Doppler sonography. These data might be useful in understanding the pathophysiology of gastritis and lead the way for future studies.