Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 19, 2026
Hemodynamic Precision in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit using Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography
Published on: January 27, 2023
Sonographic hemodynamic evaluation of spleno-renal shunt using the Valsalva maneuver
Yukio Miyamoto1, Kaoru Onoue2, Makiko Nishioka2
1Department of Radiology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishishimbashi, Minato, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan. miyamoto@jikei.ac.jp.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to assess the characteristic features of hemodynamic changes in portal venous hypertension with spleno-renal shunt on conventional B-mode and color Doppler imaging before and after the Valsalva maneuver.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 11 patients with portal venous hypertension underwent conventional B-mode and color Doppler ultrasound during follow-up examinations. Sonographic imaging of the splenic vein and the left renal vein was performed before and after the Valsalva maneuver.
Results:
In the six patients with spleno-renal shunt formation, dilated left renal veins were depicted after the Valsalva maneuver. In the five patients without spleno-renal shunt, there was no apparent dilatation of the left renal vein either before or after the Valsalva maneuver. In all six patients with spleno-renal shunt, color flow mapping of the left renal veins was emphasized during the Valsalva maneuver. In the five patients without spleno-renal shunt formation, there were no apparent changes on color flow mapping of the left renal vein before or after the Valsalva maneuver.
Conclusion:
The sonographic findings of the splenic vein and the left renal vein on conventional B-mode and color Doppler imaging before and after the Valsalva maneuver are useful for diagnosis of spleno-renal shunt and for grading the hemodynamic changes caused by spleno-renal shunt.
