Sonographic findings in Sudanese children with sickle cell anemia

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the type and prevalence of abdominal sonographic abnormalities in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA). Ninety patients were screened by abdominal sonography. The sonographic abnormal findings were 91% in the liver, 62.2% in the spleen, 14.4% in the gallbladder, and 4.4% in the kidneys. Sonographic imaging revealed hepatomegaly in 79 (87.8%) patients. Three patients (3.3%) had hypoechoic liver lesions. One patient had multiple hypoechoic liver lesions that proved to be an abscess. Gallstones were reported in 10 patients, the youngest of whom was 2.5 years old. The overall prevalence of gallstones was 11.1%, and it increased with age. Two patients (2.2%) had thickened gallbladder wall, and only 1 patient (1.1%) had a sludged gallbladder. Autosplenectomy (asplenia) was detected in 43 (47.8%) patients. Seven (7.8%) patients had hypoechoic lesions. Hyperechoic lesions with spleenomegaly were found in 6 (6.6%) patients. Normal renal echogenecity was reported in 86 (95.6%) patients, 3 (3.3%) patients reported focal hyperechoic lesions, and 1 patient (1.1%) reported an anechoic lesion. In conclusion, abdominal sonographic imaging of patients with SCA revealed a high prevalence of abnormalities in the liver, gallbladder, and spleen but a low prevalence in the kidney. © 2010 The Author(s).