THERAPEUTIC SPLENIC ULTRASOUND FOR IMMUNE THROMBOCYTOPENIA IN CHILDREN

The spleen acts as a major site of clearance of antibody-coated platel ets from circulation in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Splenectomy car ries a high cure rate. The biological effect of a single therapeutic d ose of ultrasound directed transthoracically to the spleen at 1 MHz an d 1 W/cm(2) with a mean treatment time of 5 min as generated by Sonopu ls 463 (Enraf Nonius) was studied in 30 children with ITP (20 chronic, 10 acute) aged 8-14 years (median 10) and 10 control children. The ch ronic ITP cases had platelet counts (PC) of 20-50 x 10(9)/l (mean 36 x 10(9)/l), showed peak responses at 4 h after exposure 5-18 x 10(9)/l (mean 10 x 10(9)/l) in 70% of cases, while the remaining 6 patients sh owed either no change in PC (n = 3) or a decline in PC (n = 3) 5-7 x 1 0(9)/l. Children with acute ITP had pretreatment PC of 30-50 x 10(9)/l (mean 40 x 10(9)/l). All had increments of PC after ultrasonic exposu re (10-30 x 10(9)/l; mean 18 x 10(9)/l) peaking at 4 h. Six patients w ith acute ITP maintained the rise in PC while in an other 4, PC return ed to baseline in 24 h. The control group showed no change in PC. This therapy was well tolerated and was not associated with significant ch ange in serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels except in 2 cases wit h chronic ITP, in whom the LDH levels doubled. All above results were reproduced when therapy was repeated 2 weeks later. In conclusion, thi s therapy would seem to be safe and well tolerated at such a dose. The effectiveness, rapidity and low cost of this therapy compared with co nventional approaches may suggest its use as an alternative therapy in ITP.