[Quantification of mesenteric flow with magnetic resonance imaging before and after a meal: results in healthy volunteers]

Several literature studies showed that total intestinal blood flow approximates superior mesenteric vein flow. Today, new accurate techniques can be used to measure blood flow. We investigated MR capabilities in measuring mesenteric vein flow, to assess total intestinal blood flow. Nine healthy volunteers were examined before and after a meal with a phase-contrast technique to measure blood flow. Flow speed and quantity can be measured positioning a ROI inside the vessel for speed evaluation and around the vessel for flow quantitation. Superior mesenteric blood flow exhibited a three-fold increase after a meal relative to pre-meal values. Cine phase-contrast MRI was a useful tool to measure mesenteric flow in healthy volunteers both before and after a meal and can therefore be suggested for the noninvasive examination of patients with a suspected chronic mesenteric blood supply deficiency.