One hundred Egyptian beta-thalassaemic patients on a long-term transfusion/chelation programme were evaluated for the prevalence of all bladder sludge and stones and the associated risk factors. Fifty healthy individuals served as controls. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed that 14% of the thalassaemic patients had gall bladder sludge or stones [‎6% stones and 8% sludge]‎. The thalassaemic patients with this complication were older, had a higher prevalence of gall bladder symptoms, higher levels of pretransfusion haemoglobin, larger amounts of ...

Six patients [‎5 women and 1 man, with a median age of 71 years]‎ were operated on for gallstone ileus in the 10-year period 1988-98. The diagnosis was made before operation in 2 patients. The obstructing stones were located in the terminal ileum in 3 patients and in the proximal ileum or jejunum in 3 patients. Choledochoduodenal fistula was present in all patients. A single-stage procedure [‎removal of the impacted stone, fistula repair and cholecystectomy]‎ was performed in 1 patient, enterolithotomy alone in 4 patients and resection of part of the ...