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Our aim was to investigate the influence of age and gender on intrarenal resistance index (RI) measurements in 78 healthy subjects (46 males, 32 females; group 1) and 35 subjects (group 2) with fatty liver disease (28 males and 7 females).First, each subject underwent a conventional abdominal ultrasound examination. Then, intrarenal RI values were determined from three distinct interlobar and cortical arteries respectively on both kidneys. The correlation of intrarenal RI with age and gender as a variable was statistically evaluated by linear regression.In group 1, the variables gender, kidney region and comparison of right versus left kidney had no significant effect on intrarenal RI (p0.05). The variable age, on the other hand, showed a significant positive correlation on all four defined measuring points (p0.01) with linear correlation coefficients of r = 0.26 (left kidney, central) to r = 0.37 (right kidney, cortical). Therefore normal RI values at ages 25, 45, 65 years could be defined as 0.59, 0.61 and 0.63, respectively. Age dependency can thus be expressed as a function with the formula y = 0.565 + 0.001.x. Patients with fatty liver disease showed age dependency on renal RI (p0.01) as well.In accordance with other studies, the influence of age on intrarenal RI measurement is significant in healthy subjects. Intrarenal RI values from subjects with a fatty liver disease showed age dependency as well. Therefore it is necessary to consider the age of the examined person to interpret RI values correctly.

Ultrasound examination is one of the main investigative procedures in emergency patients who are hospitalized due to abdominal pain. Detectable free fluid collections are important hints to the definite, sometimes life-threatening diagnosis, but their detection in cases of only small amounts is difficult to perform by conventional sonography.We report about 25 cases of patients who suffered from acute abdominal pain and who were presented as emergency patients to our department of ultrasound. First, the examination was performed by conventional sonography (3.4 MHz). Only with the additional tissue harmonic imaging (THI, 2.3 MHz, pulse inversion) thin borders of free fluids around the liver or other abdominal organs (gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, bowel) could be detected leading to other important diagnostic or therapeutic steps. In this way, the diagnosis of pancreatitis, cholezystitis, peritonitis, peritoneal carcinosis, ascites (liver cirrhosis, serositis, postoperative status after laparotomy), bleeding or paralytic ileus could be elucidated.THI sonography improves the detection of small amounts of free abdominal fluid collections. Therefore, this technique is helpful in the diagnostic procedure of emergency patients.

Renovascular vasoconstriction in patients with hepatorenal syndrome can be quantified by the renal arterial resistance index (RI). We investigated the value of RI measurement in detection of renal function impairment in patients with different stages of chronic liver disease.Subjects were divided into 4 groups containing 21 patients with liver cirrhosis and ascites, 25 patients with liver cirrhosis without ascites, 35 patients with fatty liver disease and 78 control subjects. All patients underwent abdominal ultrasound examination with renal RI measurement and correlation with laboratory results for renal function.RI was significantly higher in ascitic patients compared to non-ascitic patients (0.74 vs. 0.67, p0.01) and in non-ascitic patients with liver cirrhosis than in control subjects (0.67 vs. 0.62, p0.01). 48% (19/40) of patients with liver cirrhosis and normal serum creatinine concentration showed elevated RI levels. There were no significant differences in RI levels between patients with fatty liver disease and controls (0.63 vs. 0.62).Intrarenal RI measurement is a predictor of renal vasoconstriction and serves to detect early renal function impairment in cirrhotic patients. The diagnosis of elevated RI may be taken into account in the clinical management of these patients.