Doppler ultrasonography criteria of superior mesenteric artery stenosis

Purpose The techniques mostly used for the diagnosis of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) stenosis are computed tomography angiography (CTA), and magnetic resonance angiography. We aimed to evaluate color-coded Doppler Ultrasonography (CDUS) for the detection of SMA stenoses and to determine Doppler criteria. Methods We identified retrospectively 65 patients with CTA images of SMA stenosis and examined them with CDUS for the Doppler measurement of SMA peak systolic flow velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), and mesenterico-aortic ratio (MAR). Results were analyzed with receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis. Results The optimal threshold values for determining 50%-69% SMA stenoses were PSV >280 cm/s, EDV >45 cm/s, and MAR >3.6. For identifying 70%-99% SMA stenoses, they were PSV >395 cm/s, EDV >74 cm/s, and MAR >3.6. Conclusion CDUS is a convenient method with high accuracy for identifying SMA stenosis. PSV yielded better results than EDV and MAR.