J Korean Soc Med Ultrasound.
2000 Sep;19(3):177-183.
Increased Mucosal Thickness of the Stomach in Transabdominal Ultrasonogram: Correlation with Gastric Hemorrhage
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Medicine, Chosun University.
Abstract
- PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of transabdominal ultrasonography in predicting the he-morrhagic
gastritis by the evaluation of gastric wall.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Transabdominal ultrasonographic assessment of gastric wall was performed 42 patients.
Layers of gastric wall were preserved in all patients. Twenty-one patients whose gastric mucosa had diffuse
thickening more than 5mm were classified as hypertrophic group. The other twenty-one patients whose gastric
mucosa had thickness less than 5mm were classified as control group. In all 42 patients, endoscopic examina-tion
was performed and the prevalence of gastric hemorrhage was recorded. The sensitivity, specificity, positive
predictive value, and accuracy for predicting the hemorrhagic gastritis were calculated based on mucosal thick-ness.
Sixteen patients who had been diagnosed as a hemorrhagic gastritis in the hypetrophic group on endoscop-ic
examination were classified as a hemorrhagic group. The thickness of each layers in hemorrhagic and the
control group were compared using t-test and Fisher's exact test.
RESULTS
Using 5mm of mucosal thickness as a predictor, the sensitivity was 100%, the specificity was 80.8%, the
positive predictive value was 76.2%, and the accuracy was 88.1%. Mean thickness of mucosa in hemorrhagic
group and the control group were 9.6 +/- 1.6mm, and 1.4 +/- 0.4mm, respectively(p<0.01). Mean thickness of sub-mucosa
was 1.1 +/- 0.3mm in hemorrhagic group and 0.6 +/- 0.3mm in control group(p<0.01). The submucosal
layer was hyperechoic and well-defined in most control groups(18/21) while it was ill-defined and less
echogenic in hemorrhagic group(p<0.01).
CONCLUSION
The diagnosis of hemorrhagic gastritis can be suggested when there is diffuse thickening in the gas-tric
mueosa shile submucosa layer shows decreased echogenicits and indistinct border. This may improve the
value of sonographic evaluation.