[Duplex ultrasound in diagnosis of visceral blood circulation].

Duplex sonography as a non-invasive technique to measure splanchnic and hepatoportal haemodynamics under physiological and pathophysiological conditions has recently attracted much attention. Determination of arterial and venous profiles enables reproducible pre- and postoperative flow estimations. Furthermore, this technique has harvested many interesting results in the complicating haemodynamic changes seen in patients with portal hypertension. The technique can even be considered as gold standard in the evaluation of flow changes in patients after orthotopic liver transplantation. This article reviews the use of duplex scanning in the splanchnic vascular bed.