Ultrasound assessment of splanchnic circulation in Systemic Sclerosis: a non-invasive approach for the study of bowel vasculopathy?

Our study offers some preliminary data about the US evaluation of mesenteric circulation [10], but in the next studies the number of patients should be optimized to confirm our preliminary. Likely, the use of Contrast Enhanced Ultrasonography (CEUS) technique should be further expanded for the study of the GI involvement in SSc. As Almeida et al. observed, US technique and CEUS are continuously evolving. The CEUS extra-hepatic applications are increasingly numerous and this technique can offer interesting data about structural alteration of wall vessels and arterial flow, including inferior mesenteric artery. Finally, US surveillance could be very useful for a tight follow up of the GI system in SSc patients.