Sonographic Findings in the Liver, Spleen and Kidney of Sickle Cell Disease patients seen at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital Benin City, Nigeria

Abstract

Background:  Sonographic evaluation of the abdomen in sickle cell disease (SCD) plays a vital role in the management of this condition. The objective of this study was to sonographically evaluate the liver, spleen and kidneys in patients with SCD and correlate the findings with age and gender

Methods: This is a prospective and descriptive study of the ultrasound findings in the liver, spleen and kidney of SCD patients, seen at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City.  150 SCD patients were examined for abnormalities by abdominal ultrasound scan. 140 patients were homozygous for SCD (HbSS), while 10 patients were heterozygous (HbSC). Their age ranges from 10 months to 51 years and consist of 71 and 79 males and females respectively.

Results: One hundred and eighteen (78.7%), patients had abnormal abdominal ultrasound scan. The pattern of the common ultrasound abnormalities was hepatomegaly (62.0%), autosplenectomy (38.7%), enlarged kidney (22.0%), splenomegaly (20.7%), increased renal echogenicity (11.3%), increased liver echotexture (8.0%), shrunken spleen (5.3%) and multiple punctate splenic echogenic foci (4.0%).

Splenomegaly was seen to be common in the HbSC group and was statistically significant with p value of 0.01. Autosplenectomy was seen to be common in the HbSS group and was statistically significant with p value of 0.01.

Hepatomegaly, enlarged kidney, increased renal echogenicity, increased liver echotexture, shrunken spleen was commoner in the HbSS group, but were not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Abdominal ultrasound imaging of SCD patients showed a high prevalence of abnormalities in the liver, spleen, kidneys.