Fasciola hepatica infection: clinical and radiological findings in pediatric patients

Turk J Pediatr. 2012 Jul-Aug;54(4):362-7.

Abstract

Fascioliasis, an uncommon liver disease in children, is caused by the trematode Fasciola hepatica. Its clinical and laboratory findings may mimic several disorders of the liver, including malignancies. Diagnosis is usually made by demonstrating the presence of the parasite in liver tissue or the stool, or by serology, but many children are diagnosed incidentally. Described here are the clinical, laboratory and radiological features of five pediatric fascioliasis cases with different clinical pictures presenting over a period of five years, all of whom were successfully cured with oral triclabendazole.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Animals
  • Anthelmintics / therapeutic use
  • Benzimidazoles / therapeutic use
  • Child
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Fasciola hepatica / isolation & purification*
  • Fascioliasis / diagnosis*
  • Fascioliasis / drug therapy
  • Fascioliasis / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Liver Function Tests
  • Male
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Triclabendazole
  • Turkey / epidemiology

Substances

  • Anthelmintics
  • Benzimidazoles
  • Triclabendazole