title: Do scattered white spots in the duodenum mark a specific gastrointestinal pathology?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To discover whether scattered white spots (SWS) in the duodenum are related to a specific kind of disease. We also scrutinized other upper endoscopic findings which might be associated with SWS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among the patients who were admitted for upper gastrointestinal system endoscopy, those having the endoscopic appearance of SWS in duodenum were enrolled in this study. In total 107 patients [70 women, 37 men, mean age: 51.6 +/- 16.88 years (range: 17-82 years)] were included. At least three duodenal biopsies were taken from each patient and histopathological examinations were done by experienced pathologists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The histopathological examination revealed that 39 (36.4%) patients had intestinal lymphangiectasia (IL), 15 (14%) patients had giardiasis (G) and 30 (28.1%) patients had chronic non-specific duodenitis (CD). Two patients with IL were also found to have G. Twenty patients had both IL and CD. One had both G and CD. G was the least common etiology for SWS in the duodenum. The most common reasons for SWS in the duodenum in this study group were IL and CD, in order of decreasing frequency. There was no significant relationship with the other upper endoscopic findings in all these patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Histopathological examinations should be provided for each patient with SWS in the duodenum to assess the etiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Ankara Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. ibiyikoglu@yahoo.com.tr
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Biyikoğlu
authors.forename: Ayşegül
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Babali
authors.forename: Başak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cakal
authors.forename: Seyfettin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Köklü
authors.forename: Levent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Filik
authors.forename: Müzeyyen H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Astarci
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ustün
authors.forename: Yücel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ustündağ
authors.forename: Erdem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Akbal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004382:Duodenitis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*; D004386:Duodenum / Q000473:pathology*; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D008201:Lymphangiectasis, Intestinal / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult