Journal article
Alveolar Echinococcosis: Spectrum of Findings at Cross-sectional Imaging
Radiographics, Vol.32(7), pp.2053-2070
11/01/2012
DOI: 10.1148/rg.327125708
PMID: 23150858
Abstract
Alveolar echinococcosis is a rare parasitic disease caused by the fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, which is endemic in many parts of the world. Without timely diagnosis and therapy, the prognosis is dismal, with death the eventual outcome in most cases. Diagnosis is usually based on findings at radiologic imaging and in serologic analyses. Because echinococcal lesions can occur almost anywhere in the body, familiarity with the spectrum of cross-sectional imaging appearances is advantageous. Echinococcal lesions may produce widely varied imaging appearances depending on the parasite's growth stage, the tissues or organs affected, and the presence of associated complications. Although the liver is the initial site of mass infestation by E multilocularis, the parasite may disseminate from there to other organs and tissues, such as the lung, heart, brain, bones, and ligaments. In severe infestations, the walls of the bile ducts and blood vessels may be invaded. Disseminated parasitic lesions in unusual locations with atypical imaging appearances may make it difficult to narrow the differential diagnosis. Ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with standard and diffusion-weighted sequences, and MR cholangiopancreatography all provide useful information and play complementary roles in detecting and characterizing echinococcal lesions. Cross-sectional imaging is crucial for differentiating echinococcosis from malignant processes: CT is most useful for depicting the peripheral calcifications surrounding established echinococcal cysts, and MR imaging is most helpful for identifying echinococcosis of the central nervous system. (C) RSNA, 2012 . radiographics.rsna.org
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Alveolar Echinococcosis: Spectrum of Findings at Cross-sectional Imaging
- Creators
- Mecit Kantarci - Atatürk UniversityUmmugulsum Bayraktutan - Atatürk UniversityNevzat Karabulut - Pamukkale UniversityBulent Aydinli - Atatürk UniversityHayri Ogul - Atatürk UniversityIhsan Yuce - Atatürk UniversityMuhammet Calik - Atatürk UniversitySuat Eren - Atatürk UniversitySabri Selcuk Atamanalp - Atatürk UniversityAytekin Oto - University of Chicago
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Radiographics, Vol.32(7), pp.2053-2070
- Publisher
- Radiological Soc North America
- DOI
- 10.1148/rg.327125708
- PMID
- 23150858
- ISSN
- 0271-5333
- eISSN
- 1527-1323
- Number of pages
- 18
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/01/2012
- Academic Unit
- Radiology
- Record Identifier
- 9984697629602771
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