Dengue: Imaging evaluation

Dengue is an acute viral disease caused by a flavivirus. Clinically it is classified into dengue without alarm signs, with alarm signs and severe. Patients with clinically suspected dengue without or with alarm signs may present with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, rash, myalgia, arthralgia, fever, headache, retro ocular pain and petechiae. Laboratory alterations in this case include leukopenia, thrombocytopenia. Platelet count has been used as a potential predictor. The most frequently used imaging methods in dengue are chest radiography and abdominal ultrasound. Abdominal ultrasound is widely used to study abdominal pain and acute febrile processes. Abdominal findings related to dengue fever are gallbladder wall thickening, ascites, pleural effusion, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, and pericardial effusion. At the thoracic level the most frequent finding is pleural effusion. (provided by Infomedic International)