E3373. Imaging of Parasitic Infections in the Abdomen and Pelvis
Authors
Spencer Beck;
Yale School of Medicine
Nadia Solomon;
Yale School of Medicine
Francisco Calle;
Hospital Militar Central
Mine Sorkun;
Koc University Hospital
Maria Cristina Chammas;
Instituto de Radiologia do Hospital das Clínicas FMUSP
Yashant Aswani;
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
Margarita Revzin;
Yale School of Medicine
Background
Once considered limited to specific regions, parasitic infections have become more common all over the world in large part due to the increase in frequency and ease of international tourism and emigration. As these infections emerge in unexpected locations, and especially if patients fail to disclose or clinicians fail to make the connection with a history of travel, they can present as medical mysteries resulting in delays in diagnosis and treatment. With many of these infections demonstrating findings on imaging studies, a keen and informed radiologist has the potential to identify the findings and suggest the diagnosis.
Educational Goals / Teaching Points
This exhibit aims to familiarize the radiologist with the variety of parasites that infect humans and the diseases they cause, focusing on disease manifestations within the abdomen and pelvis. This will include a brief introduction to the epidemiology of these conditions, and a broader look at the clinical presentations, both acute and chronic, and medical sequelae/complications of these infections as they pertain to body imaging. The exhibit will provide an array of case examples which demonstrate the imaging features associated with both common and uncommon sequelae of parasitic infections across multiple imaging modalities. It will also provide a brief overview of management and treatment of parasitic infections.
Key Anatomic/Physiologic Issues and Imaging Findings/Techniques
This exhibit will review protozoan and helminthic infections resulting in disease manifestations within the abdomen and pelvis. It will provide a multimodality review of imaging findings, including fluoroscopy (i.e., intestinal ascariasis), sonography (i.e., intestinal and biliary ascariasis, malaria, schistosomiasis), CT (i.e., amoebiasis, babesiosis, hepatic fascioliasis and toxocariasis, cryptosporidiosis, cryptosporiasis and cyclosporiasis, schistosomiasis, trichomoniasis), and MRI (i.e., fascioliasis, echinococcosis). It will review specific (direct visualization of intestinal Ascaris or Fasciola, cystic echinococcosis) and nonspecific imaging findings of parasitic infections (findings of gastroenteritis in amoebiasis or cryptosporidiosis), as well as unexpected parasitic causes of infections typically caused by other organisms (i.e., Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome caused by Trichomonas vaginalis).
Conclusion
Parasitic infections are cropping up all over the world, and increasingly often in unexpected situations and locations. A radiologist who is familiar with these infections and their sequelae has the potential to be the first to suggest the diagnosis.
