Abstract
Regional variations in splenic size and spleen parenchymal echo-texture among sickle cell
disease (SCD) patients have been documented in various publications. The objectives of this
study were to: determine and compare the spleen size of SCD patients with those of the control;
characterize the spleen parenchymal echo-texture of SCD patients; and ascertain the relationships
of age, height and weight with the spleen sizes of SCD patients and the controls.
This was a cross sectional prospective study conducted at the SCD clinics and radiation medicine
department of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu,
between September, 2012 and November, 2013. Ethical approval was obtained from the
hospital's Health Ethics Committee, and informed consent was obtained from each subject prior
to the commencement of the study. Convenience sampling technique was used to enlist 103
stable SCD subjects and 103 healthy age matched control subjects that were aged 2 - 58 years.
Aloka ST-550 - 3500 real time ultrasound machine with 3.5 MHz and 5 MHz probes was used to
scan the enlisted subjects. Trans-abdominal longitudinal scan of the spleen was carried out on the
selected subjects. The largest inter-polar distance of the spleen was measured as the length, while
the longest distance between diaphragmatic surface of the spleen and the splenic hilum was
measured as the width. The parenchyma echo texture of each spleen was scrutinized, and
characterized based on the following criteria: normal; fine hyper echoic; coarse hyper echoic;
fibrotic scar littered; infarction/abscess littered; and calcification littered parenchyma.
Relationship between the mean spleen sizes and age, height, and weight of the subjects were
determined using Pearson's correlation coefficient.
The mean spleen sizes of SCD patients (97.67 ± 39.61 mm for spleen length and 47.28 ± 20.68
mm for spleen width) were generally larger than those of the controls (80.84 ± 16.89 mm for
spleen length and 39.38 ± 9.39 mm for spleen width) (p < 0.05). Parenchymal echo-textures of
the spleens in SCD patients revealed normal spleen parenchyma (8.74%); fibrotic scar littered
parenchyma (21.36%); infarction/abscess littered parenchyma (2.91%); calcification littered
parenchyma (4.85%); fine hyper echoic parenchyma (19.42%); and coarse hyper echoic
parenchyma (19.42%), while normal spleen parenchyma was visualized in all the control
subjects. There were negative correlations between mean spleen sizes and age (r = -0.13), height
(r = -0.17), and weight (r = -0.06) among SCD subjects, whereas there were positive correlations
between mean spleen sizes and age (r = 0.63), height (r = 0.85), and weight (r = 0.83) in the
control subjects.
The results of this study suggest that inclusion of routine sonographic evaluation of the spleen in
the management of patients with SCD will be very useful.
Chukwudi, O (2021). Sonographic Assessment of the Size and Parenchymal Echo Texture of the Spleen among Sickle Cell Disease Patients at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Nigeria. Afribary. Retrieved from https://track.afribary.com/works/sonographic-assessment-of-the-size-and-parenchymal-echo-texture-of-the-spleen-among-sickle-cell-disease-patients-at-university-of-nigeria-teaching-hospital-ituku-ozalla-nigeria
Chukwudi, Offordile "Sonographic Assessment of the Size and Parenchymal Echo Texture of the Spleen among Sickle Cell Disease Patients at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Nigeria" Afribary. Afribary, 14 May. 2021, https://track.afribary.com/works/sonographic-assessment-of-the-size-and-parenchymal-echo-texture-of-the-spleen-among-sickle-cell-disease-patients-at-university-of-nigeria-teaching-hospital-ituku-ozalla-nigeria. Accessed 05 Nov. 2024.
Chukwudi, Offordile . "Sonographic Assessment of the Size and Parenchymal Echo Texture of the Spleen among Sickle Cell Disease Patients at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Nigeria". Afribary, Afribary, 14 May. 2021. Web. 05 Nov. 2024. < https://track.afribary.com/works/sonographic-assessment-of-the-size-and-parenchymal-echo-texture-of-the-spleen-among-sickle-cell-disease-patients-at-university-of-nigeria-teaching-hospital-ituku-ozalla-nigeria >.
Chukwudi, Offordile . "Sonographic Assessment of the Size and Parenchymal Echo Texture of the Spleen among Sickle Cell Disease Patients at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Nigeria" Afribary (2021). Accessed November 05, 2024. https://track.afribary.com/works/sonographic-assessment-of-the-size-and-parenchymal-echo-texture-of-the-spleen-among-sickle-cell-disease-patients-at-university-of-nigeria-teaching-hospital-ituku-ozalla-nigeria