Diagnostic accuracy of abdominal ultrasonography compared to magnetic resonance imaging in siderosis of the spleen

A prospective study to compare the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography with magnetic resonance imaging using gradient-recalled echo technique in cases of siderosis of spleen was conducted in 53 cirrhotic patients with endoscopic proof of gastroesophageal varices. Of the 34 patients with splenic siderosis on MR imaging, punctate hyperechoic foci were detected in the spleen on ultrasonography in 24 patients. Using MR imaging as the reference standard for the diagnosis of splenic siderosis, the sensitivity of ultrasonography is 70.6%; specificity is 78.9%; positive predictive value is 85.7% and negative predictive value is 40%. We conclude that ultrasonography is a fairly accurate technique in the diagnosis of splenic siderosis.