INDICATORS OF AXIAL SECTION AREA AND SPLEEN VOLUME IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS ACCORDING TO INTRAVITAL IMAGING

Abstract

The aim of the study was to establish age and gender patterns of axial section areas and spleen volume in children and adolescents according to intravital imaging data. The computed tomograms of the abdominal cavity of 75 children and adolescents without visible pathology of the abdominal organs were analyzed. The subjects were divided into 4 age groups: early childhood, first childhood, second childhood, and adolescence. The areas at the level of the middle of the vertebral bodies from Thxi to Liii, the vertical dimensions and volumes (the product of the vertical size and the mean sectional area) of the spleen were calculated. The obtained data were subjected to variational statistical processing with the determination of the mean value (M), standard error (m) and the significance of differences according to the Student's t-test. A significant increase in the areas of axial sections was established among children of the period of the first childhood - (18,4 ± 1,7) cm2, compared with children of early childhood - (11,5 ± 1,2) cm2, and adolescents - (35,1 ± 2,7) cm2, in comparison with children of the second childhood - (23,1 ± 1,7) cm2. This trend is mainly due to differences in indicators among boys. Gender differences in the areas of axial sections were noted only between the indicators of boys and girls in early childhood at the ThXii level. Significant differences in the indicator of the volume of the spleen were established in the surveyed first childhood compared with children of early childhood and adolescents compared with children of the second childhood. Among girls, the volume of the spleen was significantly higher among those surveyed in the second childhood compared to those surveyed in the first childhood and among adolescents compared to those surveyed in the second childhood. Among boys, the studied indicator was significantly higher among children of the period of the first childhood compared with children of the period of early childhood and in the adolescent group compared with the group of the period of the second childhood. The spleen volume indicator was significantly higher among boys, in comparison with girls only among children of the first childhood.