Pediatric Giardiasis

  • Etiology: Infection of the duodenum and jejunum with the water-borne protozoan Giardia lamblia
  • Imaging Small bowel follow through:
    — Thickening of mucosal folds in duodenum and jejunum with luminal narrowing and hypermotility and hypersecretion which can lead to segmentation of barium column
    — Ileum is normal appearing
  • DDX:
  • Complications: Malabsorption
  • Treatment: Metronidazole
  • Clinical: Present with diarrhea and malabsorption

Radiology Cases of Giardiasis

Small bowel follow through of giardiasis
AP image from late in a vintage small bowel follow through exam shows thickening of the mucosal folds in the duodenum and jejunum. There is also luminal narrowing and dilution of the barium and segmentation of the barium column in the jejunum. The ileum appears normal.