Ultrasonographic Study of Splenic Length Among Adult Male Bangladeshi People

Abstract

Background: Scanning of the viscera is carried out to know the normal dimensions, echo patterns and deviations from normal, leading to diagnosis or prediction of pathological conditions. Objective: The purpose of the study was to establish guidelines for normal splenic length at different ages among adult male by using a simple and reproducible ultrasonographic method. Methods: The study was performed on spleen during the period of July 2015 to June 2016 in the Department of Anatomy, Rajshahi Medical College, Rajshahi. Ultrasonographic measurement of the spleen was done on adult males in Radiology and Imaging Department of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and other Medical Colleges in Rajshahi city with legal permissions from the authority. Seventy-five adult males, from 18 years to 60 years old, were selected for ultrasonography because of abdominal and/or pelvic problems unrelated to the spleen. The splenic length was measured by obtaining a coronal view that included the hilum during deep inspiration to minimize masking by lung. The greatest longitudinal distance between the most superomedial and the most inferolateral points through the hilum (splenic length) during deep inspiration was measured. Results: The mean ultrasonographic length of the spleen in 4 age groups 18-30 years, 31-40 years, 41-50 years and 51-60 years were 10.76±0.96 cm, 10.31±0.72 cm, 9.88±0.42 cm and 8.96±0.37 cm respectively. The overall mean ultrasonographic length of the spleen in adult male was 9.98±0.61 cm. Conclusion: The present study findings suggest splenic length in adult males inversely correlates with age, in most of the adult males, it is <11 cm.