title: Mesenteric Doppler ultrasonography findings of Echinococcus multilocularis infection: an experimental study.
abstract: The diagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis, caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus multilocularis, is often difficult and almost always possible only in the later stages of the disease. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the findings of Doppler ultrasonography images for the diagnosis of intraabdominal non-visceral alveolar echinococcosis in Meriones unguiculatus. Six infected animals were studied. Abdominal Doppler ultrasonography examinations were performed 20-25 days after the implantation. Then, animals were sacrificed and infected specimens were histopathologically examined. The sonographic examinations of the infected animals revealed lobulated, heterogeneous cystic intraabdominal masses. There were echogenic solid areas with hypoechoic and anechoic cystic areas within the lesions. Doppler ultrasound examination revealed vascular islands within those heterogeneous cystic lesions. Color mode showed multiple vascular coding areas within the solid part of the lesions, most of them were venous structures but there were also arterial vessels showing dominant flow with low resistive indices. Vascular structures were supposed to be the invaded native mesenteric vessels within the infiltrating inflammatory mass lesions. We consider that the Doppler ultrasound finding of irregular mesenteric vascular structures within intraabdominal heterogenous mass lesions may be an important sign for the diagnosis of experimental non-visceral alveolar echinococcosis in Meriones unguiculatus.
authors: Dokuz Eylul University Medical School, Department of Parasitology, Izmir, Türkiye, Turkey. tonay.inceboz@deu.edu.tr
authors: Tonay
authors: T
authors: Inceboz
authors: Yigit
authors: Y
authors: Goktay
authors: Ozgul
authors: O
authors: Sagol
authors: Metin
authors: M
authors: Korkmaz
authors: Ahmet
authors: A
authors: Uner
mesh_terms: D034841:Abdominal Cavity / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D048210:Echinococcus multilocularis / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler