Ultrasonic characteristic of the liver in early congenital syphilis in children

Abstract

Introduction. Liver lesion in congenital syphilis in infants in the first months of life is clinically observed in 74–86% of children in the form of enlargement and thickening during palpation. Pathological and anatomical studies reveal in 100% of cases typical changes in the liver, which are mainly due to diffuse round-cell infiltration, expansion of connective tissue and formation of gummas. Purpose of research. To analyze the indicators of ultrasound examination of the liver and spleen with the assessment of organ blood flow in children born to women with syphilitic infection and to identify the most significant signs associated with early congenital syphilis in the neonatal period.Materials and methods. The paper analyzes the data of a comprehensive survey of 397 newborns who were under observation from birth to 1 month of life, included in the study with the indication of the fact, born to women with a history of documented confirmed syphilitic infection.On the basis of the total sample, three groups of children from birth to 28 days of life were formed, taking into account the Federal clinical guidelines for the management of patients with syphilis (Moscow, 2015).The results of the study and their discussion. In 1 and 2 study groups found a significant increase in the oblique vertical size of the right lobe was 74.3 ± 0.7 mm (p < 0.05) and 73.9 ± 0.4 mm (p < 0.05), vs. 68.8 ± 0.3 mm in the control, as well as the thickness of the left lobe of the liver is 35.3 ± 0.4 mm (p < 0.05) and 34.8 ± 0.6 mm (p < 0.05), compared to 31.4 ± 0.7 mm in the control group. Along with this, in these groups, a higher index of the maximum blood flow velocity in the portal vein was noted, which in these 1 and 2 groups was 0.26 ± 0.02 m/s (p < 0.05) and 0.25 ± 0.02 m/s (p < 0.05), respectively, against 0.20 ± 0.02 m/s in the control. Along with sonographic signs, there was a significant prevalence of hyperbilirubinemia in groups 1 and 2 of newborns – 24.1% (p < 0.001) and 19.9%, respectively, against 9.0% in the control group (neonatal hepatitis was diagnosed in 11.4% of newborns with early congenital syphilis).Conclusion. The ultrasound features of the liver and early congenital syphilis include an increase in size, structural changes in the liver (only in PBC with symptoms) and hemodynamic features, characterized by increased blood flow by increasing the absolute value of linear velocities (maximum systolic and minimum diastolic) with a reduced resistance index.