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Intestinal imaging of children with acute rotavirus gastroenteritis
Dorsey Bass1, Eileen Cordoba, Cornelia Dekker
1Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA. dorseybass@hotmail.com
Insights
Abdominal ultrasound detected increased ileal wall thickness in infants with rotavirus gastroenteritis. This finding may indicate inflammation and could aid in evaluating rotavirus vaccines.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Medical Imaging
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Rotavirus gastroenteritis is a common pediatric illness.
- Assessing gastrointestinal inflammation in infants non-invasively is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate distal small bowel morphology and motility in infants with rotavirus gastroenteritis.
- To utilize non-invasive, non-ionizing imaging techniques for assessment.
Main Methods:
- Prospective observational study of five infants with symptomatic rotavirus infection.
- Real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound were performed during acute illness and convalescence (5-9 weeks later).
Main Results:
- Three of five infants showed increased ileal wall thickness on ultrasound during acute infection compared to convalescence.
- Mesenteric lymph node size and peristaltic activity (assessed by MRI) remained similar between phases.
Conclusions:
- Abdominal ultrasound can identify ileal wall thickening in infants with rotavirus infection, suggesting potential ileal inflammation.
- These imaging findings may be valuable for assessing morphologic responses to rotavirus vaccines.
Objective:
To examine the morphology and motility of the distal small bowel of infants with rotavirus gastroenteritis using non-invasive/non-ionizing imaging technology.
Methods:
Prospective, non-randomized observational study of five infants with symptomatic rotavirus infection. Infants were imaged by real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound within 5 days of onset of gastroenteritis symptoms. Imaging studies were repeated in the convalescent period 5 to 9 weeks later.
Results:
Three of five infants had a significant increase in the ileal wall thickness visualized by ultrasound during acute rotavirus infection compared with convalescence. The number and size of mesenteric lymph nodes visualized by ultrasound appeared similar in the acute and convalescent phases, as did peristaltic activity assessed by MRI.
Conclusion:
Abdominal ultrasound can detect changes in ileal wall thickness in infants with rotavirus infection. These changes may reflect ileal inflammation elicited by viral infection. Such studies may prove useful in evaluating morphologic response to attenuated rotavirus vaccines.
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