Gallbladder pathology in pediatric beta-thalassemic patients. A prospective ultrasonographic study.
Eighty-three beta-thalassemic patients, aged 1.5-19 years, were prospectively studied for evidence of gallbladder pathology by real-time, high-resolution ultrasound. Cholelithiasis was present in 7 patients (8.4%). Sludge, a clinical entity that, when it persists, can be a predisposing factor for cholelithiasis and cholecystitis, was detected in 29 patients (34.9%). Prevalence of sludge to this extent has not been reported in the literature and we believe this is due to better technology offered by modern ultrasound equipment. Pseudo-sludge, a condition that is created by a beam averaging effect (partial-volume phenomenon), at the diverging portion of the ultrasound beam, has always been confusing and a source of difficulties in the ultrasound examination of the gallbladder. For the first time, a method is described, to easily differentiate between true sludge and pseudo-sludge.
Senaati
S
S
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Gumruk
F U
FU
Delbakhsh
P
P
Balkanci
F
F
Altay
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002764:Cholecystitis / Q000209:etiology; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology