Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Gastroduodenal Wall Thickness for Prediction of Gastritis and Helicobacter Pylori Infection in Children

Background/Objective: There is no report about the relationship between the thickness of gastric wall layers measured with transabdominal ultrasonography and the presence of gastritis or Helicobacter pylori infection. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of sonography in diagnosis of gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection. Patients and Methods: One-hundred children aged 1 to 15 years who needed upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy because of suspected gastritis underwent transabdominal ultrasonography to measure thickness of different layers of the stomach antrum and duodenal bulb wall. The wall layer thickness was compared with the results of endoscopy for gastritis and the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection. Results: The mean thickness of muscularis mucosa and the sum of muscularis mucosa and submucosa in both gastric antrum and duodenal bulb were significantly higher in patients with Helicobacter pylori infection than those without infection (mean thickness in gastric antrum: 0.65±0.25mm vs. 0.53±0.19mm [p-value=0.03] and 1.21±0.35mm vs. 1.07±0.26mm [p-value=0.03], respectively; mean thickness in duodenal bulb: 0.69±0.32mm vs. 0.48±0.20mm [p-value=0.001] and 1.25±0.35mm vs. 0.99±0.28mm [p-value=0.002], respectively). The mean thickness of muscularis mucosa plus submucosa in the duodenal bulb was also more in patients with gastritis (1.09±0.35mm vs. 0.95±0.20mm [p-value=0.02]). Several cut points were determined to predict the results of endoscopy. Conclusion: Transabdominal ultrasonography is a noninvasive and easily available method in evaluating children with suspected gastritis and predicting some findings of endoscopic evaluations.