Endoscopic ultrasonography in the diagnosis of thrombosis of the portal blood vessels in patients with infected pancreatic necrosis

Aim. To study the effectiveness of endoscopic ultrasound investigation in the diagnosis of thrombosis of blood vessels of the portal system. Methods. Endoscopic investigation using an ultrasound gastric videoscope manufactured by «Olimpus» was performed in 35 patients who had suffered from infected pancreatic necrosis (the main group) and in 10 healthy volunteers (the control group). Results. In the control group of healthy volunteers no signs of thrombosis of the blood vessels of the portal system were revealed. In the main group thrombosis of the blood vessels of the portal system was detected in 12 patients (34.3% of cases) during endoscopic ultrasound investigation, of which in 3 patients (25%) the thrombus was localized in the splenic vein, and in 9 patients (75%) - in the portal vein. In 10 (83.3%) patients identified were varicose veins of different localization and degrees of severity, including 4 patients (40%) - with esophageal varices, and 6 patients (60%) - with dilated varicose veins of the gastric cardia. Conclusion. Endoscopic ultrasound investigation, being a highly informative non-invasive diagnostic method, provides objective information about the presence of portal vein thrombosis and the extent of transformation of varicose veins of the esophagus and stomach.

thrombosis of the blood vessels of the portal systems, endoscopic ultrasound investigation