Sonographic evaluation of portal hypertension in children

Portal hypertension, an expected conse-quence of cirrhosis, often has an insidious course in chil-dren. A noninvasive technique using abdominal sonography has been previously employed by several investigators as a means of diagnosing this condition. Their technique involves sonographically measuring the diameter of the lesser omentum, which increases as a result of engorged collaterals. In this communication, the method is successfully employed in two children, an infant in whom cirrhosis developed who eventually died from ac quired immunodeficiency syndrome, and one whose portal hypertension was relieved after orthotopic liver transplantation. Although successful in these two instances, the theoretical basis on which this technique is based is critically evaluated. Anatomical relationships are reviewed that would caution sonographers who attempt to duplicate these studies. Modifications of the technique that will minimize potential false positive results are also discussed.