Evaluation of hemodynamics in esophageal varices. Value of endoscopic color Doppler ultrasonography with a galactose-based contrast agent.

Endoscopic color Doppler ultrasonography (ECDUS) is a useful modality for obtaining color flow images of esophageal varices. Levovist is a microbubble echo-enhancing agent, which improves Doppler ultrasound examination. In this paper, we compared vessel images detected with pre-contrast with those detected by enhanced ECDUS using Levovist in 62 patients with esophageal varices. Color flow images of esophageal varices and paraesophageal veins by pre-contrast ECDUS were obtained in 62 (100%) of the 62 patients. Vessel images of perforating veins were obtained in 48 (77.4%) of the 62 patients with pre-contrast ECDUS. The perforating veins were classified into three types according to the flow direction. Type 1 showed in-flow from the paraesophageal veins to the esophageal varices, Type 2 showed out-flow from the esophageal varices to the paraesophageal veins, and Type 3 was a mixed type showing both in-flow and out-flow. After Levovist contrast, color flow images detected with pre-contrast ECDUS were improved in all patients. Color flow images of perforating veins were obtained in 60 (96.8%) of the 62 patients by enhanced ECDUS using Levovist. Pre-contrast-diagnosed Type 2 patterns had been re-diagnosed as Type 3 in five patients, and three cases with Type 1 had been relabeled as Type 3 pattern using Levovist. The use of Levovist contrast can improve the diagnostic quality of ECDUS examinations of esophageal variceal patients, yielding a much clearer picture of the hemodynamics.