Prevalence of pancreas parancyhmal changes by echoendoscopy in patients with celiac disease

Abstract

Introduction: It was reported that involvement of the pancreas, liver and biliary tract, including the gallbladder is rare in patients with celiac disease (CD). Aims: Our aim to find the prevalance of these involvements by using transabdominal ultrasound (US). Additionally, we further characterized pancreas parancyhmal changes by echoendoscopy (EUS). Patients & methods: We evaluated our CD clinic’s records which includes 198 patients. Patients with pancreas abnormalities were further examined by EUS. Results: 102 had documented US results. All of the patients, 25% in CD were male. The prevalence of abnormalities as follows: gallbladder polip, 3.9% in CD; gallbladder sludges hepatomegaly, 2.9% in CD; gallbladder operation, 5.9% in CD; gastric antrumwall tickness, 4.9% in CD; hepatic simple cyst, 3.9% in CD; hemangioma, 3.9% in CD; chronic liver disease findings, 5.9% in CD; hepatoportal sclerosis 1.0% in CD; pancreas parancyhmal changes, 5.9% in CD. EUS investigation was performed in all of the patients with paranchymal changes that were found by US. EUS showed major B or minor findings according to the Rosemont classification. None was autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). Echoendoscopy findings as follows: main duct and side branch dilation, small cysts, pancreas atrophy, hyperechogen stria and foci. Further analysis of the 6 patients with chronic liver disease showed that none had autoimmune or viral serology. One of them showed grade 1 eosephageal varices with portal hypertensive gastropathy findings. Conclusion: Our results showed that chronic type involvement of the pancreas significantly frequent in patients with CD.