[Role of ultrasonic echo location in the diagnosis of nonspecific thoraco-abdominal aortoarteritis].

Ultrasonic echo-location (UEL) was used in 14 patients with nonspecific thoracoabdominal aortoarteritis before and after surgical treatment. Ultrasonic data were compared with aortographic and intraoperative findings. Patients with atherosclerosis of the abdominal aorta and congenital hypoplasia of the latter made up the control group. UEL is regarded as a fairly informative method of the diagnosis of nonspecific aortoarteritis, as thickened walls of the aorta and other affected vessels as well as irregular indurations involving aortic walls and para-aortic fat are pathognomonic signs of nonspecific aortoarteritis that differentiate it basically from other kinds of lesions. Besides, UEL is capable of early detection of the condition and the assessment of the routes of pathologic spread. After surgery, UEL might be used to control the state of the alloprosthesis.