Radiological features of systemic mast-cell disease.

Radiological studies were done on 23 patients with systemic mast-cell disease (SMCD). Significant changes occur most often in bones and less commonly in the gastrointestinal tract and other visceral organs. These changes may be related either to tissue infiltration by mast cells, or to the effect exerted on tissues by chemical mediators of the mast cells, although in some instances findings may be coincidental. Because the radiological changes are not unique to SMCD, their main value, in association with the clinical information, is in directing further studies for diagnostic confirmation and in estimating the extent of systemic involvement.