[Hyposplenism, an underrecognised immune diffeciency: Is sonography helpful?]

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Immunology
• Radiology

Background:

• Functional hyposplenia/asplenia is an underdiagnosed immunodeficiency syndrome.
• Diagnosis typically relies on technetium-99m scintigraphy, identifying pitted erythrocytes or Howell-Jolly bodies.
• A small spleen size is often associated with this condition.

Approach:

• This review evaluates the utility of B-mode ultrasound.
• It also assesses the role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).
• The focus is on identifying immunodeficiency linked to functional hyposplenism.

Key Points:

• Ultrasound offers a valuable, non-invasive method for spleen assessment.
• B-mode ultrasound can detect spleen size abnormalities.
• CEUS may provide further functional information about the spleen.

Conclusions:

• B-mode and contrast-enhanced ultrasound show promise in diagnosing functional hyposplenism.
• These imaging techniques can aid in identifying patients with this immunodeficiency.
• Ultrasound could become a key tool in the diagnostic workup for hyposplenism.