Editorial: Abdominal bruits - correlation with arteriographic findings.

Abstract

Modern techniques of angiography have helped us understand and interpret what we hear with the stethoscope. The apical mid or late systolic click and murmur were formerly thought to be functional or extracardiac. Now, ventricular angiography has demonstrated correlation with the insufficiency of a ballooning mitral valve. Carotid arteriography demonstrates the atherosclerotic plaques that account for bruits over these vessels. And in this issue, McLoughlin and co-workers (p 1238) correlate abdominal bruits with arteriographic findings. This is a valuable contribution, especially in the demonstration of the high incidence of asymptomatic external compression of the celiac artery. The authors conclude that most epigastric bruits are due to asymptomatic celiac artery stenosis. An upper abdominal bruit usually cannot be ascribed to any other cause, unless celiac stenosis has been excluded by lateral aortography. The evidence that they present is convincing. However, if the implication is that all patients with epigastric bruits should