Abdominal ultrasound in acute schistosomiasis mansoni

Reports on abdominal ultrasound studies in patients with acute schistosomia sis are still scarce and limited data are available on structural changes o f the liver parenchyma in this stage of the disease. 26 patients with acute schistosomiasis mansoni were submitted to clinical and ultrasound examinat ion. For ultrasound comparison, each acute patient was paired by age, gende r, weight and height to a non-infected individual. Ultrasound showed a non- specific homogeneous size increase of the liver and spleen in all acute pat ients, and easily identified intraabdominal lymph nodes in the periportal r egion in most cases. Three out of the five patients with periportal thicken ing underwent percutaneous liver biopsy. Periportal thickening disappeared 6 months after treatment for schistosomiasis. 24 months after successful tr eatment there was involution of the liver and spleen; lymph nodes, although reduced in size, were still easily recognized. Liver biopsy showed dense i nflammatory infiltration of neutrophils, macrophages and eosinophils in the portal tracts associated with discrete fibrous tissue formation.