Duodenal meal stimulation leads to coeliac artery vasoconstriction and superior mesenteric artery vasodilatation: An intra-abdominal ultrasound study

To evaluate the influence of duodenal feeding on splanchnic blood flow, 14 patients with normal coeliac and superior mesenteric arteries underwent intra-abdominal duplex, scanning of the systemic and splanchnic circulation under standardised basal and meal-stimulated conditions. Doppler samples and diameter measurements were taken of the aorta, coeliac artery, common hepatic artery, splenic artery, superior mesenteric artery, and inferior mesenteric artery. Duodenal meal stimulation has no systemic effects (p > 0.4), However, duodenal meal stimulation results in coeliac artery vasoconstriction (p < 0.06) and superior mesenteric artery vasodilatation (p < 0.05), This study supports other reported results that gastrointestinal blood flow is dependent on the site of food stimulation, (C) 1998 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.