Upper Abdominal Calcification in a Young Man

Abstract

History A 17-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital for further evaluation of probable chronic pancreatitis. The patient had been undergoing basic training as a Marine Corps recruit when abdominal pain and malaise developed, lasting three days. Figure 1 is a plain film of the abdomen taken at that time. There was no past history of alcohol abuse or symptoms suggestive of gallbladder disease. The patient had had uncomplicated mumps at the age of 5 years and appendectomy at the age of 9 years. There was no history of abdominal trauma. The only other noteworthy history was prolonged cyanosis at birth requiring observation in an incubator for about one week. There were no apparent neurological sequelae. Findings from the physical examination were entirely within normal limits. Routine blood analysis, including determinations of levels of electrolytes, calcium, amylase, and cholesterol, as well as liver function tests, were normal, as was the