Brief Reports
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2003. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 15, 2003; 9(10): 2348-2349
Published online Oct 15, 2003. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v9.i10.2348
Ultrasonography in predicting and screening liver cirrhosis in children: A preliminary study
Jia-An Zhu, Bing Hu
Jia-An Zhu, Bing Hu, Department of Ultrasound in Medicine, Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200233, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Zhu Jia-An, Department of Ultrasound in Medicine, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital, 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China. zhujiaan@tom.com
Telephone: +86-21-64369181-8751
Received: May 13, 2003
Revised: May 25, 2003
Accepted: June 2, 2003
Published online: October 15, 2003
Abstract

AIM: To evaluate the value of ultrasonography in predicting and screening liver cirrhosis in children.

METHODS: Twenty-eight children with liver cirrhosis of various etiologies were examined by routine ultrasonography. A percutaneous liver biopsy guided by ultrasound was also performed on each patient, and the results of liver biopsy and ultrasonography were compared.

RESULTS: When compared with the biopsy results, ultrasonography in combination of clinical and laboratory findings gave accurate diagnoses of children liver cirrhosis. Although ultrasound imaging of children with liver cirrhosis revealed abnormal characteristics, these images were not specific to this disease, thus reinforcing the necessity of ultrasound-guided liver biopsy in the diagnosis of children liver cirrhosis.

CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is reliable in the diagnosis of children liver cirrhosis, and its usefulness should be stressed in the screening and follow-up of high-risk pediatric patients.

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