Nodular duodenitis in chronic maintenance hemodialysis patients.

A retrospective study of 138 cases of chronic hemodialysis between 1977 and 1982 were reviewed for endoscopic, radiographic, and histologic characteristics of duodenitis. Forty patients underwent upper gastrointestinal barium x-rays; 13 were found to have multiple duodenal bulb nodules and three of these patients had very prominent duodenal bulb folds. There were 42 patients on whom upper panendoscopy was performed, and multiple duodenal nodules were seen in 15 patients and thickened folds in three patients. There were five patients in whom nodules were seen only on endoscopy. The size of the nodules varied between 3 and 8 mm in diameter and mucosal folds between 4 and 8 mm. Duodenal mucosal hyperplasia with chronic inflammatory cell infiltrate was found on biopsy of the nodules in 12 cases, while three cases with nodules revealed blunted villous structure with chronic inflammatory cells.