[Anaphylactoid purpura: intestinal ultrasonographic findings]

We evaluated six children with anaphylactoid purpura for ultrasonographic changes in the small intestine. Of 16 ultrasonographic scans, eight showed abnormal findings, consisting of circumscribed hypo-echoic enlargement, reduced peristalsis, equivocal structure of the small intestinal wall and ascites in patients with abdominal pain. Follow-up ultrasonography after steroid therapy demonstrated the small intestine to be normal in four of six patients. We believe that ultrasonography is an useful diagnostic modality to detect changes in the small intestinal wall in anaphylactoid purpura and plays an important role in its differentiation from other causes of abdominal pain.