Sonographic assessment of portal vein haemodynamics in patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate portal vein Doppler indices in patients with type 2 diabetes without non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and determine their relationship with demographic, anthropometric, and biochemical parameters.
Methods: This prospective case-control study included 85 patients with T2D without sonographic evidence of NAFLD and 138 healthy controls. Demographic, anthropometric, and biochemical data were obtained. Doppler ultrasonography was performed following 8–12 hours of fasting. Portal vein maximum velocity (Vmax), minimum velocity (Vmin), mean flow velocity (MFV), and pulsatility index (PI) were measured. Group comparisons were performed using independent t-test, while Pearson’s correlation assessed relationships between Doppler indices and clinical variables. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: The mean age of participants with T2D and controls was 53.76 ± 12.61 years and 43.46 ± 13.78 years, respectively. Among males, PVVmax and PVPI were significantly reduced in T2D compared with controls (p = 0.022 and p = 0.025, respectively). PVPI demonstrated weak negative correlations with BMI (r = −0.379, p = 0.017) and body weight (r = −0.363, p = 0.023), while MFV (r = 0.343, p = 0.033) and PVVmin (r = 0.403, p = 0.011) showed positive correlations with BMI.
Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes was associated with reduced PVVmax and PVPI, particularly among males, and significant associations between portal vein Doppler indices and BMI, and weight suggesting early hepatic vascular dysfunction.