Rheumatology · 2 h ago
Pilot study evaluates left gastric artery Doppler ultrasound in systemic sclerosis
A pilot study compared left gastric artery Doppler ultrasound findings in 38 people with systemic sclerosis and 25 healthy controls. The artery was visualized in 78% of participants, and resistive index was higher in the systemic sclerosis group; the clinical significance of this difference is not established.
- LGA was visualized in 78% of participants.
- Resistive index was higher in systemic sclerosis patients.
- Clinical significance and diagnostic thresholds remain unknown.
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) commonly affects the gastrointestinal tract, but assessment of esophageal involvement may be limited by a lack of suitable screening tools. This pilot study examined whether Doppler ultrasound (DUS) of the left gastric artery (LGA), which supplies the lower esophageal sphincter, was feasible and whether its blood-flow measures might indicate upper gastrointestinal vasculopathy. The study included 38 patients meeting ACR/EULAR 2013 classification criteria for SSc and 25 healthy controls. A single expert operator performed the examinations.
The LGA was clearly visualized in 49 of 63 participants (78%): 29 patients with SSc and 20 controls. Of the Doppler parameters assessed, only the resistive index (RI) differed significantly between groups. Mean RI was 0.81 (SD 0.04) in SSc patients and 0.77 (SD 0.08) in controls, a mean difference of 0.04 (p=0.041; 95% CI 0.001–0.08).
The findings suggest that LGA DUS is feasible in many participants and that RI warrants further study as a possible marker of vascular involvement. This small, exploratory study does not establish clinical utility or diagnostic thresholds. The authors note potential confounding and call for larger studies, including assessment of age- and sex-specific cutoffs.
In practice
For clinicians caring for people with systemic sclerosis, this study suggests that Doppler ultrasound assessment of the left gastric artery is technically feasible in many patients and may detect a group-level difference in resistive index compared with healthy controls. It does not establish the test’s diagnostic accuracy, link the measurement to symptoms or outcomes, or provide validated thresholds for individual assessment. The small exploratory cohort and single-operator examinations mean the finding should be treated as preliminary; it does not support changing current assessment or management.
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Clinical Rheumatology: Exploring esophageal vasculopathy in systemic sclerosis through left gastric artery Doppler ultrasound: a pilot study ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.