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. 2021 Jun;46(6):2584-2594.
doi: 10.1007/s00261-021-02952-w. Epub 2021 Jan 23.

'Curved tunnel' sign on MRI: a typical radiological feature in hepatic trichinellosis

Ziman Xiong  1 , Yaqi Shen  2 , Zhen Li  1 , Xuemei Hu  1 , Daoyu Hu  1
Affiliations

'Curved tunnel' sign on MRI: a typical radiological feature in hepatic trichinellosis

Ziman Xiong et al. Abdom Radiol (NY). 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: To summarize the clinical and radiological features of hepatic trichinellosis.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with trichinellosis and liver involvement in our institution since 2011 were included retrospectively. Then, qualified patients were divided into a seropositive group and a clinically diagnosed group. Preoperative liver CT and/or MRI images were evaluated independently by two radiologists. The correlations between the radiological and pathological features were evaluated by a radiologist and a pathologist. Independent t-tests were carried out to assess clinical data between groups and those reported in the previous literature. Values of P less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: Eventually, ten patients were enrolled, five in each group. All patients recovered successfully after surgical (n = 8) or conservative treatment (n = 2). The clinical, radiological, and pathological features were highly consistent between the two groups. All patients were under 60 years of age (48.0 ± 7.9 years in the seropositive group, 48.6 ± 10.1 years in the clinically diagnosed group), and they were older than those previously reported in the literature (30.5 ± 17 years, n = 31; P = 0.032 and 0.028). Eosinophilia was found in four patients, and all were mildly increased (˂ 1.5 × 109/L). Lesions in all patients were in the right lobe of the liver, and nine of them showed a characteristic 'curved tunnel' sign on DCE-MRI images. None of the patients had signs or evidence of extrahepatic infection.

Conclusion: The 'curved tunnel' sign on MRI is a typical radiological feature in hepatic trichinellosis.

Keywords: Computed tomography; Diagnosis; Liver; Magnetic resonance imaging; Parasitic diseases; Trichinellosis.

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