Resumen

RABAZA, Jesús; FUNDORA, Hermes; RODRIGUEZ, Alexis  y  HERNANDEZ, María de los Ángeles. Spleen and thymic sonography as estimator of the immune response in children with repeated infections. Vaccimonitor [online]. 2010, vol.19, n.2, pp.5-10. ISSN 1025-028X.

The spleen is a secondary lymphoid organ. The spleen has many functions: IgM class antibody production and phagocytosis of encapsulated bacteria. We propose to measure the dimensions of the spleen in children with repeated infections, in order to describe them as a diagnosis marker and to explore the probable correlation between the thymic characteristics and the dimensions of the spleen. We study 81 patients that attended the consultation of Immunology from Aballí hospital with repeated infections and they were from 8 months to 9 years old. Children with nutritional value up to the third percentile and those taking steroids 45 days before the study were excluded. We measured the thymic and splenic areas by mediastinal and abdominal ecography. The length, the splenic index and the weight are less in patients with repeated infections. These data were significant in 12 to 23 month of age group. The length and the splenic index were less in patients with depletion of thymic area. The sonographic evaluation of the spleen is very important in patients from 1 to 2 years old and in patients with thymic depletion, because they are on the age of vaccine administration according to the Cuban schedule and having affected a main organ for immune response might be a reason for them to show a deficient response and need special schedules.

Palabras clave : Spleen; ultrasound; immunodeficiency; repeated infections; vaccines.

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