Ces radiol. 2013, 67(1):46-51

Ultrasound in patients with celiac diseaseOriginal article

Markéta Smělá¹, Daniel Bartušek², Vlastimil Válek², Jakub Hustý², Zbyněk Bortlíček²

¹ Radiologická klinika LF MU a FN, Brno

² Institut biostatistiky a analýz LF a PF MU, Brno

Aim: The main objective of this study is to determine the severity of clinical signs depending on ultrasonographic findings in patients with suspected celiac disease (CD), thus determining the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography. Furthermore, assessment of the size of the spleen in patients with CD.

Method: The group included a total of 134 patients, they were prospectively monitored. Of those, 68 patients were confirmed diagnosis of CD, both based on the results of serological antibodies and enterobiopsy. A further 41 patients had only the positivity of specific antibodies. In the remaining 25 patients eventually showed isolated primary lactase deficiency. In 66 patients with biopsy-verified CD was measured spleen size using ultrasonography. This file was created by a comparative group of 66 healthy patients who have been equally measured the spleen size.

Results: Noticeable was a clear trend showing that patients with more severe clinical symptoms have also more severe ultrasound findings. This trend is significant mainly at the higher level of symptoms. It was also shown that there is a statistically significant difference (Fisher exact test p < 0.001) in spleen size in patients with confirmed celiac disease and a control group of healthy patients. Patients with verified CD have statistically significantly reduced spleen (75.8%) than the control group of patients (25.8%).

Conclusion: Ultrasound appears to be promising method in the detection of the disease and also in monitoring these patients. Arguably, there is some relationship between the CD and the size of the spleen.

Keywords: ultrasonography, celiac disease, hyposplenism

Accepted: January 15, 2013; Published: March 1, 2013  Show citation