Abstract
The three major complications of diabetes, namely, diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy, are caused by small vessel disease. Damage to small vessels increases the resistivity index (RI) of the renal interlobar artery. To assess and determine the presence of vascular damage in the jejunal artery in diabetic patients, we measured the maximum blood flow rate in the systolic phase; peak systolic velocity (PSV), the minimum blood flow rate in the diastolic phase; end diastolic velocity (EDV) and RI, and compared them with those of the renal interlobular arterioles. RI was elevated in both the jejunal artery and renal interlobular arterioles, showing a strong positive correlation between blood flow rate and RI. These results indicate the presence of vascular damage in the jejunal artery in diabetic patients.
