[The value of a standardized ultrasound in patients with fever]

Transcutaneous ultrasound is not a common imaging procedure in patients with fever. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the diagnostic value of a complete standardized ultrasound examination of patients with fever.

From March 2003 to October 2003, we examined 200 patients with fever using ultrasound. We performed a standardized ultrasound examination including the collar, thoracal, cardial, abdominal regions, and small parts/soft tissue regions depending on clinical symptoms. We retrospective analyzed the patient history regarding fever (origin known vs. unknown) and the diagnostic value of ultrasound (no ultrasound diagnosis vs. ultrasound diagnosis).

At the time of inclusion in the study, the origin of fever was known in 124 of 200 patients (62 %) and unknown in 76 of 200 patients (38 %). Ultrasound did not result in a diagnosis in 86 of 200 patients (43 %). A pathological finding was detected in 114 of 200 cases (57 %) as the origin of the fever. New causes for fever were found in 24 of 200 patients (12 %) by means of ultrasound. The most common diagnoses (67 %) in this subgroup were abscesses and splenic infarcts.

In the clinical course of patients with fever, ultrasound is a diagnostic tool for the documentation and exclusion of medical findings. With this study we were able to show that ultrasound results in the correct diagnosis in one third of patients with fever of an unknown origin and may provide important additional information in patients with fever.