Usefulness of Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Sparganosis: A Case Report.
- Author:
Hyunju JIN
1
;
Je Ho MUN
;
Seung Wook JWA
;
Margaret SONG
;
Hyun Chang KO
;
Byung Soo KIM
;
Moon Bum KIM
;
Hoon Soo KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea. suekimm@hanmail.net
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords:
Sparganosis;
Ultrasonography
- MeSH:
Aged;
Diagnosis*;
Female;
Humans;
Incidence;
Lipoma;
Parasites;
Skin;
Skin Diseases, Parasitic;
Sparganosis*;
Sparganum;
Spirometra;
Ultrasonography*
- From:Korean Journal of Dermatology
2014;52(12):907-910
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Sparganosis is a kind of parasitic skin disease caused by sparganum, the plerocercoid larvae of the taper worm of the genus Spirometra. Sparganosis usually manifests as migrating or fixed subcutaneous nodules; therefore, it should be differentiated from lipoma, cysts, and cutaneous malignancies. Although the final diagnosis of sparganosis in humans depends on the identification of the worm in an infected tissue, suspicion for the presence of the parasite and careful history taking are important before making the diagnosis. However, it might be difficult for a clinician to suspect the existence of sparganosis because the incidence of this disease is extremely low. Therefore, an effective method for differentiating sparganosis from other skin disorders is needed. We suggest that ultrasonography could be an answer to this problem, on the basis of our experience of a case of cutaneous sparganosis in a 65-year-old woman showing very characteristic ultrasonographic findings.
