Sickle cell anemia with perforated duodenal ulcer as a complication: when to suspect this rare entity?

• Main Authors: Raquel Nascimento Lopes, MD, Marina Cristina Akuri, MD, Marília Ferreira Gomes da Silva, MD, Andrea Puchnick, PhD, Rodrigo Regacini, MD, PhD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-10-01
• Series: Radiology Case Reports
• Subjects: Sickle cell disease; Sickle cell anemia; Peptic ulcer; Duodenal ulcer
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1930043321005100
• ISSN: 1930-0433

ABSTRACT: Perforated duodenal peptic ulcers are often not considered when making a differential diagnosis of abdominal pain, especially in the context of sickle cell disease, and cases have not been frequently described in the literature. This study reports the case of a 14 year-old girl with sickle cell anemia complicated with duodenal ulcer perforation, focusing mainly on the imaging aspects. Abdominal CT should be considered as a method for this diagnosis and it requires the knowledge of this entity and its characteristic imaging findings.