Ultrasonographic diagnosis of antral gastritis: The hypoechoic halo sign

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the hypoechoic halo sign, a finding that can be used in the ultrasonographic diagnosis of antral gastritis, and relationship with clinical symptoms.<br /> Design: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data<br /> Setting: Erzincan Binali Yildirim University Mengucek Gazi Training and Research Hospital, Erzincan, Turkey<br /> Subjects: The study included 39 patients with endoscopically proven antral gastritis and 39 age- and sex matched controls with an endoscopically normal antrum. Intervention: The hypoechoic halo sign was defined as hypoechoic band surrounding the echogenic middle part of the antrum in axial ultrasonographic images. <br /> Main outcome measures: The presence of heartburn, dyspepsia, reflux and nausea and the visual pain scale (VAS) scores of the patients were recorded.<br /> Results: The hypoechoic halo sign was observed at a rate of 84.6% in the antral gastritis group, while this rate was 15.4% in the control group (P<0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the thickness of the hypoechoic halo being larger than 6.7 mm was associated with antral gastritis at a sensitivity of 87.9 and specificity of 100. The univariate analysis showed that age, steatosis, heartburn, dyspepsia, VAS score, reflux and nausea were associated with the thickness of the halo sign. Conclusion: The hypoechoic halo sign can be used with high specificity and sensitivity in the diagnosis of antral gastritis.