Abdominal ultrasonographic findings in patients with sickle-cell anaemia and thalassaemia intermedia.

Background: The high prevalence and heterogeneity of clinical and haematological phenotypes of sickle-cell anaemia and thalassaemia intermedia (TI) syndromes in the Greek population constitute a major challenge in routine medical practice.

Purpose: To investigate the spectrum and prevalence of abdominal US findings in these patients.

Materials And Methods: The study included 105 patients, 13 homozygous for sickle-cell anaemia (S/S) and 92 with TI syndromes (Th/S, beta(thal)/beta(thal )or beta(thal)/deltabeta(thal)).