Findings on routine abdominal ultrasonography in cystic fibrosis patients

Background: Right lower quadrant abdominal pain may pose a diagnostic probl em in patients with cystic fibrosis. Abdominal ultrasound examination, used commonly in the diagnostic work-up, may reveal abnormalities of the append ix. However, interpretation of such findings is problematic, because the ap pearance of the gastrointestinal system during routine examination has not been documented in patients with cystic fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the findings during routine abdominal ultrasound scans in our cohort of patients with cystic fibrosis and in control subjects. Methods: Abdominal ultrasound scans were performed prospectively during rou tine clinic visits in a cohort of patients with cystic fibrosis. Results: Fifty patients aged 10 +/- 6 years, (range, 0.5-28 years) were exa mined; 45 had pancreatic insufficiency. Four patients (3 with pancreatic in sufficiency) reported right lower quadrant pain at the time of the scan. Ac cording to standard ultrasound criteria, the appearance of the appendix was abnormal in 8 patients (16%), 6 had a mucoid appendix, and 2 had a patholo gically thickened appendiceal wall. Only 1 of these 8 patients mentioned ab dominal pain at the time of the study. Other incidental findings included g allstones (3 patients), intussusception (2 patients), and pancreatic cyst ( 1 patient). Conclusions: Abnormalities can be observed during routine abdominal ultraso nographic studies in cystic fibrosis. These findings may not be associated with abdominal pain; their clinical relevance needs further investigation.