Abstract
Background: To reevaluate the advantages and limitations of gray-scale and color Doppler sonography in the diagnosis of splenic artery (Sp-A) aneurysm.
Methods: We reviewed the gray-scale and color Doppler sonograms of five cases with Sp-A aneurysm (four patients with portal hypertension and one patient without portal hypertension). Color Doppler sonography was performed in all five patients, and power Doppler sonography was performed in three.
Results: Gray-scale sonography failed to detect the aneurysm in four of five cases because of a surrounding splenorenal (Sp-R) shunt in three patients and marked calcification of the aneurysmal wall in one patient. Pulsed Doppler sonography showed a slightly turbulent pulsatile flow along the aneurysmal wall, which immediately led to the diagnosis in four cases, including the three cases with Sp-R shunt. In one case, color Doppler sonography failed to detect the aneurysm because of a markedly calcified aneurysmal wall, although power Doppler sonography could visualize the aneurysm.
Conclusions: Gray-scale sonography is not a useful diagnostic tool for Sp-A aneurysm. Clinicians should use color Doppler sonography in the evaluation of the splenic hilus in patients with Sp-R shunt to find a small Sp-A aneurysm. The addition of power Doppler sonography is helpful in visualizing calcified Sp-A aneurysms.
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Received: 4 April 1997/Revision accepted: 15 July 1997
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Ishida, H., Konno, K., Hamashima, Y. et al. Splenic artery aneurysm: value of color Doppler and the limitation of gray-scale ultrasonography. Abdom Imaging 23, 627–632 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002619900418
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002619900418