Characterization of Abdominal Organs Among Patients with Ascites, Elribat Teaching Hospital, Sudan; Sonographic Study

Background: Ascites is an accumulation of excessive fluid in peritoneal cavity. Aim: To determine sonographic appearances of abdominal organs among patients having ascites, attending at Ultrasound Department, Elribat Teaching Hospital, Sudan; 2016. Methods: The study design was a cross sectional study. Independent variable was ascites. Dependent variables were liver echogenisity, size, volume and width; pancreas echogenisity, size, volume and width; spleen echogenisity, size, volume and width; para-aortic lymph nodes echogenicity, diameter, volume, and width; ascetic fluid volume; and kidney echogenisity, size, volume and width. Twenty nine patients were selected. Investigation was done using abdominal ultrasound. Personal data (age, and sex) was obtained by direct interview. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. Chi square test at 95% CL was considered statistically significant. Results: About 65.5% of them were male; 31% were in age group (66-80) years, followed (24.1%) by age group (51-65) years, and least one (3.4%) was age group (21-35) years; mean age was 56.96 years; minimum age was 8 years; and maximum age was 88 years. Percentage of increased liver echogenicity, volume, width, and diameter; was found to be high. Width and diameter of spleen was increased among most of respondents. There was strong statistical association between echogenicity of liver and that of spleen; between echogenicity, diameter, width, and volume of para-aortic lymph nodes; and ascetic fluid volume. Regarding ascetic fluid volume there was equal distribution of moderate and gross ascites among them. There was statistical association between para-aortic lymph nodes volume and ascetic fluid volume. Echogenicity of spleen together with echogenicity of pancreas were statistically associated with echogenicity of para-aortic lymph nodes. Conclusion and recommendations: Involvement of liver was obvious among patients having ascites. Conduction of a research to correlate sonographic findings with diagnosis of disease is recommended.