Ultrasonographic evidence of abnormal lymphatic vessels in young men with adult Wuchereria bancrofti infection in the scrotal area.

Abstract

We determined the prevalence and magnitude of dilatation of the lymphatic vessels of the spermatic cord in men infected with Wuchereria bancrofti, which is known major cause of hydrocele in the tropics. Scrotal ultrasound was performed with a 7.5 MHz, transducer in 78 men from Recife, Brazil (endemic for filariasis) and in 15 from a nonendemic area. Among men from Recife the lymphatic vessels were dilated (1.3 to 15.0 mm., mean 3.8) at the location of the adult worm. Vessel diameter was not associated with hydrocele. Lymphatic dilation was observed in all men with ultrasonographically detectable W. bancrofti infection, even those who were asymptomatic.