OBJECTIVE: To review the abdominal ultrasound findings in patients with serologically proven dengue fever and to compare the results with data from the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with serologically proven dengue fever, 25 female and 13 male, mean age of 35 years, were submitted to abdominal ultrasound. The ultrasound findings were compared with data from the literature. RESULTS: The most relevant ultrasound findings were diffuse gallbladder wall thickening in 18 cases (47.4%), abdominal and/or pelvic free fluid in 12 (31.6%), splenomegaly in 11 (28.9%), hepatomegaly in 10 (26.3%) and perivesicular fluid in 10 (26.3%). Twenty-six percent of the patients had normal abdominal ultrasound. CONCLUSION: Abdominal sonography is a useful additional diagnostic tool for the confirmation of suspected cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever and for the evaluation of severity and progression of the disease. The knowledge of the ultrasound possible findings in patients with dengue fever is of extreme importance for the radiologist.

Keywords: Dengue, Ultrasound, Abdominal findings

Objective: To describe high-resolution computed tomography findings in several diseases that run their course with the “crazy-paving” pattern. Materials and Methods: The present study has evaluated seven patients with diagnoses of alveolar proteinosis, bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, lipoid pneumonia and pneumocystosis, correlating tomographic and pathological findings. Results: In the cases of pneumocystosis, the alveolar spaces were filled with foamy material where parasitic organisms intermingled with surfactants, fibrin and cell debris were observed. In the cases of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, the septa were thickened by associated fibrosis or lymphangitis, with the alveolar walls internally lined with tumor cells, and production of mucus. In the patient with alveolar proteinosis, the septa were thickened by edema, with alveolar filling determined by lipoprotein. In the patient with mineral oil aspiration, the histopathological findings included alveolar septa thickening caused by cell proliferation, with presence of fat vacuoles in alveolar septa. Conclusion: The crazy-paving pattern offers a wide range of differential diagnoses and must be evaluated in conjunction with clinical findings.

Keywords: Computed tomography; Crazy-paving pattern; Pathology; Lung diseases.