[Ascaridiasis: a rare cause of recurrent abdominal pain. Report of a clinical case documented by ultrastructural study of the intestinal mucosa].

The case of a six-year-old girl suffering from recurrent abdominal pain is reported. On the basis of the laboratory tests and a number of other clinical investigations, the diagnosis of ascaridiasis was made. At scanning electron microscopy the ultrastructural study of the bioptic fragments obtained during endoscopy showed peculiar lesions of the gastric and duodenal mucosa. We speculate that this unusual picture may be due to the ascaris. These lesions, described for the first time in the literature to our knowledge, were represented by the loss of the apical portion of some cells. Differential diagnosis of recurrent abdominal pain is discussed.