Diagnostic significance of ultrasonography in focal splenic lesions

Abstract

The spleen is situated in the upper left abdominal cavity and spleen parenchyma has a homogenous appearance. For that reason changes in parenchymal echogenicity should be understood as pathological, since many splenic focal lesions appear as different changes in echostructure of spleen parenchyma. Focal lesions are not rare and are found in every day work. Great advantages of ultrasound diagnostics in relation to other complementary methods put this method into the leading position in diagnostics, not only in spleen disorders, but the whole abdomen. Advantages include: diagnostic accuracy, possibility of repetition, low price of the examination, and no irradiation. Splenic ultrasonography is efficient and provides findings which represent a significant contribution in reaching the final diagnosis and selecting the appropriate therapeutic approach. Due to various ultrasonographic images of numerous splenic focal lesions (metastasis, hemangioma, cysts, infarction, hematoma etc) great knowledge and experience is required in order to come to accurate diagnosis. This will bring application of other diagnostic procedures, such as CT and MR, mostly available in large radiological institutes, to a minimum.