TY - JOUR
T1 - Sonographic findings in visceral leishmaniasis – A narrative review
AU - Bélard, Sabine
AU - Stratta, Erin
AU - Zhao, Amelia
AU - Ritmeijer, Koert
AU - Moretó-Planas, Laura
AU - Fentress, Matthew
AU - Nadimpalli, Adi
AU - Grobusch, Martin P.
AU - Heller, Tom
AU - Heuvelings, Charlotte C.
N1 - Funding Information: There was no specific funding for this work. S.B. is currently a participant in the BIH-Charité Clinician Scientist Program funded by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Berlin Institute of Health . Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Elsevier Ltd Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/1/1
Y1 - 2021/1/1
N2 - Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is predominantly a neglected tropical parasitic disease but may also be acquired by travellers. We aimed at summarizing knowledge on sonographic presentation of VL to better understand sonographic features of VL. Methods: PubMed was searched for studies and case reports presenting original data on sonographic findings of VL, published before August 13th, 2019. Demographic, clinical, and sonographic data were extracted and summarized in a qualitative approach. Results: A total of 36 publications were included in this review; 27 of these were case reports and the remainder were prospective or retrospective studies. No study reported systematic cross-sectional comparative imaging. Overall, publications reported on 512 patients with VL of whom 12 were reported HIV-infected. Spleno- and hepatomegaly were the most frequently reported findings. Further relevant and repeatedly reported findings were splenic and hepatic lesions, abdominal lymphadenopathy, pleural and pericardial effusion and ascites. Reported focal splenic lesions were heterogeneous in size, shape, and echogenicity. Several publications reported gradual diminution and resolution of sonographic findings with VL treatment. Conclusion: Available literature on sonographic findings of VL is limited. Available reports indicate that spleno- and hepatomegaly, free fluid, abdominal lymphadenopathy, and focal splenic lesions may be common sonographic features in patients with VL. Because of the apparent overlap of sonographic features of VL, extrapulmonary tuberculosis and other conditions, interpretation of sonographic findings needs to be made with particular caution.
AB - Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is predominantly a neglected tropical parasitic disease but may also be acquired by travellers. We aimed at summarizing knowledge on sonographic presentation of VL to better understand sonographic features of VL. Methods: PubMed was searched for studies and case reports presenting original data on sonographic findings of VL, published before August 13th, 2019. Demographic, clinical, and sonographic data were extracted and summarized in a qualitative approach. Results: A total of 36 publications were included in this review; 27 of these were case reports and the remainder were prospective or retrospective studies. No study reported systematic cross-sectional comparative imaging. Overall, publications reported on 512 patients with VL of whom 12 were reported HIV-infected. Spleno- and hepatomegaly were the most frequently reported findings. Further relevant and repeatedly reported findings were splenic and hepatic lesions, abdominal lymphadenopathy, pleural and pericardial effusion and ascites. Reported focal splenic lesions were heterogeneous in size, shape, and echogenicity. Several publications reported gradual diminution and resolution of sonographic findings with VL treatment. Conclusion: Available literature on sonographic findings of VL is limited. Available reports indicate that spleno- and hepatomegaly, free fluid, abdominal lymphadenopathy, and focal splenic lesions may be common sonographic features in patients with VL. Because of the apparent overlap of sonographic features of VL, extrapulmonary tuberculosis and other conditions, interpretation of sonographic findings needs to be made with particular caution.
KW - HIV
KW - Tuberculosis
KW - Ultrasound
KW - Visceral leishmaniasis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85097472084&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2020.101924
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2020.101924
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33227498
SN - 1477-8939
VL - 39
JO - Travel medicine and infectious disease
JF - Travel medicine and infectious disease
M1 - 101924
ER -