Abstract

DE LA GUARDIA PENA, Odalis María. Algorithm for diagnosis and treatment of thymus hypoplasia in childhood, associated or not with immune deficiency. Rev Cubana Hematol Inmunol Hemoter [online]. 2022, vol.38, n.1, e1494.  Epub Apr 15, 2022. ISSN 0864-0289.

About 20 years ago, a group of Cuban medical researchers reported to the literature the use of measurements of the thymus by ultrasonography, as a valid weapon in the immunological evaluation of children under 7 years of age with frequent infections, mainly respiratory. The range of normality proposed for the area of the thymic silhouette is between 1010.6 - 1425.4 mm2, that is, 1 218 ± 207.4 mm2. Below and above these values, we would speak of hypoplasia and hyperplasia, respectively. Severe hypoplasia is considered when the thymic area is less than 500 mm2; moderate when it is between 500 and 799 mm2 and mild when it is between 800 and 999 mm2. A diagnosis and treatment algorithm is proposed that encompasses the clinical experience of 12 years of work in pediatric clinical immunology at the Institute of Hematology and Immunology. It can be a useful tool in the hands of pediatric clinical immunologists who would adapt the ideal treatment to bring the organ to its standard size with the consequent decrease in infectious processes and the elevation of immunoglobulin A levels in patients.

Keywords : hypoplasia; thymus; algorithm; diagnostic; immunoglobulin A; immunodeficiencies.

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