Endoscopic Variceal Ligation plus Octreotide versus Variceal Ligation Alone for the Prevention of Early Rebleeding from Esophageal Varices / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) has been effective modality for esophageal variceal bleeding, but recurrent bleeding occurs 20 to 40% of patients. So there has been an increased interest in the use of vasoactive drugs to lower portal hypertension and help control variceal bleeding before and after endoscopy. We investigated the efficacy of octreotide (OCT) infusion as an adjunct to EVL for preventing early rebleeding from varices. METHODS: From Jan. 1997 to Feb. 1999, fifty four patients with endoscopically documented esophageal variceal bleeding were included. The patients were randomly treated by EVL alone (EVL group, n=30) or EVL plus octreotide (EVL+OCT group, n=24). We evaluated the 5-ay and 6-eek rebleeding rate and 6-eek mortality. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar in two group but hospital stay (p=0.028) and units of transfused blood (p=0.043) were significantly less in EVL+OCT group. There were no significant differences on 5-ay rebleeding rate (EVL group; 7%, EVL+OCT group; 0%) and 6-eek rebleeding rate (EVL group; 20%, EVL+OCT group; 4%). CONCLUSIONS: The combined therapy did not decrease early rebleeding and mortality, but it was superior to EVL alone in hospital course such as requirement of transfusion and duration of hospitalization.

N-utyl--yanoacrylate (Histoacryl) in the Treatment of Esophageal Variceal Bleeding: Comparison with Band Ligation / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic sclerotherapy and band ligation have been well documented beneficial therapeutic options of esophageal variceal bleeding. But acute variceal bleeding is refractory to sclerotherapy in upto one-hird of patients, and rebleeding occurs in 30% to 50%. Recently alternative endoscopic modality, N-utyl--yanoacrylate (Histoacryl) injection is performed in intravariceal sclerotherapy but its efficacy and safty are not clearly established. We evaluated the efficacy of Histoacryl on esophageal variceal bleeding and compared with that of endoscopic band ligation in the present study. MATERIALS/METHODS: From March 1994 to March 1998, ninety seven patients with endoscopically documented esophageal variceal bleeding were enrolled. Histoacryl injection (Histoacryl group, n=33) or endoscopic band ligation (EVL group, n=64) was done for esophageal variceal bleeding. We evaluated the rebleeding rate and in-ospital mortality in both groups. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar but active bleeding on first endoscopic session was significantly higher in Histoacryl group (Histoacryl group; 90.7%, EVL group; 26.6%, p=0.002). Successful hemostasis was done at 87.9% in Histoacryl group, 95.3% in EVL group (not significant). There were no significant differences on early rebleeding rate (18.2% vs 23.4%), late rebleeding rate (39.4% vs 37.5%) and in-ospital mortality (24.2% vs 15.6%) between Histoacryl group and EVL group. There were no technique-elated fatal complications at Histoacryl injection group. CONCLUSION: Therapeutic efficacy of Histoacryl injection was similar to the endoscopic band ligation in patients with esophageal varix bleeding in terms of hemostasis and rebleeding. Histoacryl is effective therapeutic option for esophageal variceal bleeding as well as gastric variceal bleeding.

The Role of Helicobacter pylori and NSAID in Patients with Benign Gastric Ulcer / 대한내과학회지

OBJECTIVES: H. pylori infection and NSAID are very important risk factors for peptic ulcer. This study was conducted to investigate the H. pylori positivity rate and the rate of NSAID ingestion in the patients with benign gastric ulcer(BGU), to investigate which test and which site are the most adequate to reduce the false positivity rate of H. pylori, and finally to investigate the role of H. pylori and NSAID in BGU bleeding. METHODS: This study was conducted for the 180 patients with BGU, and H. pylori was diagnosed by any of CLO test, Gram stain of touch print and H&E stain in the antrum and body. In addition, age, sex, ingestion history of NSAID within 4 weeks before gastroscopy, past BGU history, smoking, alcohol and BGU bleeding were investigated. RESULTS: 1) The H. pylori infection rate of patients with BGU in Korea was 82.8%, and the rate of NSAID history was 26.1%. The patients with BGU who have only NSAID history were 8.3%, and the 91.1% of the patients had either H. pylori infection or NSAID history. 2) The most sensitive test for H. pylori infection among CLO test, Gram stain of touch print and H&E stain in the antrum or body was CLO test in the body. 3) Depending on H. pylori positivity, the rate of NSAID history in the H. pylori negative group was 48.4%, which was higher than that of H. pylori positive, 21.5%(p=0.002). In addition, the rate of past BGU history in the H. pylori positive group was 47.0%, which was higher than that of H. pylori negative, 12.9%(p<0.001). 4) Depending on the history of NSAID, the H. pylori positivity rate in NSAID positive group was 68.1%, which was lower than that of NSAID negative, 88.0%(p=0.002). The female percentage of NSAID positive was 40.4%, which was higher than that of NSAID negative, 16.5% (p<0.001). The rate of BGU bleeding in the NSAID positive was 27.7%, which was higher than that of NSAID negative, 14.3%(p=0.039). 5) The rate of NSAID history of bleeding group was 40.6%, which was higher than that of non-bleeding group, 23.0%(p=0.039). However, there was no signifi cance in the correlation of H. pylori positivity rate to the bleeding. 6) The H. pylori positivity and NSAID history showed no correlation with bleeding in the group below age sixty. While in the age over or equal to sixty the H. pylori positivity had no correlation with bleeding, but the rate of NSAID history was 72.7% for the patients with bleeding, which is in contrast with the 25.5% for the patients without bleeding(p=0.003). CONCLUSION: From these results, the H. pylori infection rate of the patients with BGU in Korea was 82.8%, and the best method for H. pylori detection was CLO test in the body. H. pylori infection had no corre lation with the bleeding, but NSAID ingestion increased bleeding tendency, particularly in the group of the age over or equal to sixty.

A Case of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Concomittantly Presented with GI Bleeding and Its Gastrofiberscopic Findings / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (T~EN) is a severe mucocutaneous disease characterized by epidermal necrosis possibly extended to the entire body surface and involving multiple internal organs. Digestive tract may be involved too, but there is few report about gastrointestinal lesion in patient with TEN. Recently we experienced a case of TEN with gastrointestinal bleeding in previously healthy 32-year-old woman. The condition developed three days after the initiation of treatment with NSAID and progressed caudally, involving 60 percent of the skin surfaces. During a period of admission gastrointestinal bleeding was noticed. The gastrofiberscopy showed diffuse superficial mucosal lesion with oozing from swollen friable and erythematous mucosa. The skin lesion was progressed inspite of withdrawal of causative agents. The patient was expired due to combined septic shock 10 days later. We report this case with gastrofiberscopic findings and a brief review of literature.