[Ultrasonic tomography of the abdominal vessels]

For a long time echotomography just was interested in big vessels as precious anatomic guide, to delimit pancreas, to cut up liver or to situate ganglion or tumour. The improvement of technics, and particularly real time sonography coupled with continuous wave or pulsed doppler, have permitted to step over the next stage which is to recognize the proper lesions of the vessels. The probes available to perform abdominal vessels investigations have a frequency between 3 and 7.5 MHZ, and are chosen according to the morphology of the patient; in our experience in most cases sectorial probes are preferred. Except emergency situations simple preparation as diet is desirable. Aorto-iliac and visceral arteries, vena cava, renal veins, subhepatic and portal veins are generally seen. The diagnosis of stenosis, obliteration or aneurysm of big abdominal arteries, thrombosis or compression of veins are permitted by association of the morphological information given by real time and hemodynamic findings of doppler.