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Review
. 2025 Feb 3;17(1):12.
doi: 10.1186/s13089-025-00417-5.

Ultrasound evaluation of gallbladder wall thickness for predicting severe dengue: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Amirhossein Shahsavand Davoudi  1 , Hamid Harandi  1   2 , Reza Samiee  1 , Shayan Forghani  1 , Keyhan Mohammadi  2   3 , Maryam Shafaati  4
Affiliations
Review

Ultrasound evaluation of gallbladder wall thickness for predicting severe dengue: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Amirhossein Shahsavand Davoudi et al. Ultrasound J. .

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of dengue fever (DF), a mosquito-borne viral disease, is rising worldwide. Its severe manifestations like thrombocytopenia and plasma leakage are associated with increased mortality. Ultrasound-detected gallbladder wall thickening (GBWT) has been suggested as a potential indicator of the severity of the disease.

Aims: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the predictive value of GBWT in identifying patients at risk for severe dengue.

Methods: Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we conducted a systematic search of Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. Among the inclusion criteria were original studies that assessed GBWT across various dengue severity categories. Then, we performed a meta-analysis using a random effects model and subgroup analyses based on severity criteria to determine the relationship between GBWT and severe dengue.

Results: For the meta-analysis, 19 studies qualified for the inclusion criteria. There was a significant association between GBWT and severe dengue, according to the odds ratio (OR) of 2.35 (95% CI 1.88-2.82, p < 0.001). The subgroup analysis revealed consistent results for thrombocytopenia (OR: 2.65) and plasma leakage (OR: 2.26), among other severity criteria.

Conclusions: A reliable ultrasound indicator, GBWT can help identify patients at risk for severe dengue early on, improving clinical decision-making and patient outcomes. However, the possibility of differential diagnosis requires cautious interpretation.

Keywords: Dengue fever; Gallbladder wall thickening (GBWT); Risk prediction; Severe dengue; Ultrasound.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis, and therefore, no ethics approval or consent to participate was required. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flow diagram process and the systematic review methodology
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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