Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Background: Enteric fever is caused by Salmonella typhi and paratyphi bacilli and is endemic in many parts of the world. It has remarkable predominance in India. It is the fifth most common infectious disease in India. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Ultrasonography (USG) in detection of enteric fever. Materials & Methods: This study was conducted in in among 55 patients. All patients underwent USG procedures, along with blood samples of patients were used for culture in xylose deoxycholate agar.  Widal test was performed after 7 days of fever. Results: Out of 55 patients, 30 were males and 25 were females. The difference was non- significant (P-0.2). At day 5 on USG, out of 55 patients, 55 patients had splenomegaly, 50 had mesenteric lymph nodes enlargement, 45 had bowel thickening, 23 had acalculus cholecystitis and 18 had hepatomegaly. At day 10, 50 patients had splenomegaly, 45 had MLNs, 10 had bowel thickening, 14 had acalculus cholecystitis and 18 had hepatomegaly. At day 10, 25 patients had splenomegaly, 20 had MLNs, 0 had bowel thickening, 5 had acalculus cholecystitis and 18 had hepatomegaly. Conclusion: Ultrasound is quick, economical, non invasive and effective for diagnosing enteric fever when serolocal results are time consuming and in presence of negative cultures.
Key words: Enteric fever, splenomegaly, ultrasound