Carsten Bock (Halle)  

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6 Years  

Male  

Abdomen-Liver  

inflammatory or infectious  

6 year-old boy with acute stomach discomfort and fever (39,5°C). General feeling of illness. Leucocytosis. Admittance for sonography in the first day with suspicion of appendicitis.

Since no signs sonographically were seen and clinical symptoms decreased, the patient was underwent an ultrasound again the next day.  

The "star sky like" echogenic increase in viral infections shows the generalized expansion of the infection, without saying that this sonographic characteristic has its own prognostic worth.  

<- view Ultrasound 1

Ultrasound 1: Liver, under the arch of the ribs: in an acute stage, unremarkable echogenicity of the parenchyma.



<- view Ultrasound 2

Ultrasound 2: : Liver, under the arch of the ribs: Follow-up on the next day (20 hours later): Obvious, newly formed periportal increase in echogenicity.

 

Expert's opinion  

Hepatitis, periportal fibrosis (permanent existance), particularly in portal hypertension.  

The periportal increase in echogenicity is an unspecific occurrance in general infections; usually in feverish viral infections.

The periportal increase in echogenicity diminish within a few days.  

N/A  

N/A  

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Periportal, hyperechogenity, hyperechogenicity, febrile, virus, infection, periportal hyperechogenicity, abdominal pain, fever, malaise, leukocytosis, child, childhood, pediatric radiology  

Carsten Bock. Periportal hyperechogenicity in febrile (virus) infection. PedRad [serial online] vol 2, no. 8.
URL: www.PedRad.info/?search=20020823094939