Clinical characteristics of inflammatory bowel disease in Thailand: a 16 years review.

OBJECTIVE: Inflammatory bowel disease is an uncommon gastrointestinal problem in Asia. Recently, there have been many reports from Japan and India demonstrating a higher incidence of this disease entity in this region. To date, there has been only one report from Thailand regarding clinical manifestation of ulcerative colitis. However, information regarding Crohn 's disease has never been demonstrated. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The authors retrospectively reviewed clinical data on both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) during a 16 year period from the medical records of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, one of the main referral centers in Thailand. RESULTS: There were 55 patients diagnosed as inflammatory bowel disease. Of these, 45 were diagnosed as UC and the rest were CD. Mean age of UC and CD patients was 32 and 40.5 years respectively. The authors did not find any significant relationship between smoking and colonic cancer in these patients. The main presentations of UC patients were mucous bloody diarrhea and watery diarrhea whereas watery diarrhea, fever and weight loss were the main presentations of patients with CD. There were fistulas in 2 CD patients. In addition, oral ulcer and panuveitis were diagnosed in 2 different CD patients. One UC patient had PSC (primary sclerosing cholangitis) and another had pyoderma gangrenosum. The majority of UCpresented as pancolitis (46.7%) while ileocolic involvement was more common in CD (60%). CONCLUSION: In Thailand, UC is more common than CD whereas disease involvement is more localized to ileocolic region in CD than UC. Similar to Western countries, both UC and CD are presented at relatively young age.

Experience on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography at tertiary referral center in Thailand: risks and complications.

BACKGROUND: Several complications from ERCP have been described, including pancreatitis, hemorrhage, perforation, and cholangitis. The actual incidences and risk factors in Thailand have never been analyzed. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The authors retrospectively reviewed the outcome of ERCP at Chulalongkorn University Hospital between September 2000 and December 2002. Potential risk factors were statistically assessed. RESULTS: The incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis, hemorrhage, perforation and cholangitis was 3.6%, 2.1%, 1.2% and 6%, respectively. Risk factors of pancreatitis were the suspected diagnosis of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction and pancreatic interventions, especially through minor papilla. Prophylactic pancreatic duct stent prior to precut sphincterotomy may reduce the incidence of pancreatitis. Hemorrhage was associated with duodenal diverticulum. The incidence of cholangitis was higher in biliary duct dilation and cholangiocarcinoma, especially hilar involvement. CONCLUSION: Incidence of these complications was comparable to international series with similar risk factors. Cholangitis developed more frequently probably due to a higher incidence of cholangiocarcinoma.

Result of wireless capsule endoscopy in patients with suspected small bowel disease: the first series from Thailand.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Capsule endoscopy (CE) is a promising diagnostic tool for patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Only a few papers have reported data from Asian countries. This retrospective study aimed to demonstrate result of capsule endoscopy in patients with suspected small bowel disease as the first series from Thailand. METHOD: Twenty-one patients who underwent wireless capsule endoscopy between July 2003 and June 2004 at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital were retrospectively reviewed in the present study. The indications for capsule endoscopy were overt obscure gastro-intestinal bleeding (n= 12), occult obscure gastro-intestinal bleeding (n=5), chronic recurrent abdominal pain (n=3) and chronic diarrhea (n=1). Diagnoses according to findings of capsule endoscopy were classifield into definite, suspicious and negative finding. RESULTS: The mean age of the 21 patients (10 men and 11 women) was 46 (standard deviation, 18.57) years. Of those 17 obscure gastrointestinal bleeding patients, there were positive findings in 11 from 17 patients (65%). Four patients (24%), 3 with tumor and another with AVM, were classified as definite results. Seven patients (41%), 6 with angioectasia and another with a small ulcer, were classified as suspicious because there was no demonstrated active bleeding lesion and no other clinical supportive evidence. Of these 3 patients with recurrent abdominal pain, one patient (33%) with terminal ileum lymphoid hyperplasia was classified as definite result because of clinical improvement after treatment of the lesion. Another case of chronic diarrhea yielded a negative result. CONCLUSION: Wireless capsule endoscopy is a safe and useful mode of investigation for the diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding in Thailand. There is not so much difference in capsule endoscopy results between Western and Asian series.

Results of emergency gastroscopy for acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding outside official hours at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.

This study was to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics, etiology and therapeutic outcome of active upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients who underwent emergency gastroscopy outside official hours at the Gastroenterology Unit, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. From January to December 2002, 103 emergency gastroscopies were performed in 99 patients. There were 66 men and 33 women (mean age 55.4 years, range 22-98 years). Causes of bleeding were esophageal varices (29/99; 29.3%), gastric ulcer (25/99; 25.3%), duodenal ulcer (9/99; 9.1%), gastric varices (9/99; 9.1%) and miscellaneous (12/99; 12.1%). Etiology of bleeding was uncertain in 10.1 per cent of the cases. Therapeutic modalities for variceal bleeding were banding (78.6%), sclerotherapy (10.7%) and glue injection (10.7%). Endoscopic therapies for patients with non variceal bleeding were: epinephrine injection with bipolar coaptation (48.1%), epinephrine injection only (11.1%), bipolar coaptation alone (7.4%), heater probe (7.4%), epinephrine injection combined with heater probe (11.1%), epinephrine injection with bipolar coaptation and hemoclipping (7.4%), hemoclipping (3.7%), epinephrine injection with hemoclipping (3.7%). Initial hemostasis was achieved in 91.2 per cent of the patients (91/99). Recurrent bleeding within 72 hours developed in 9.1 per cent of patients (9/99). Of these, eight patients (88.9%) underwent re-endoscopy and bleeding was stopped in 62.5 per cent (5/8). And 2.0 per cent of patients (2/99) had to go for emergency surgery after failed therapeutic endoscopy. Overall mortality was 15.2 per cent (15/99). In conclusion, emergency gastroscopy can offer not only diagnostic but also therapeutic modality for patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopic therapy is effective for both initial hemostasis and recurrent bleeding.

Result of orthotopic liver transplantation at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital: the first series from Thailand.

Liver transplantation is one of the best treatments for advanced liver disease since it can prolong the patient's survival. In Thailand, the first liver transplantation was performed in 1987 at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. Up till now the authors have transplanted the most in Thailand, having done more than 30 cases. From 1997 to 2002, there were 20 cases of liver transplantation and this is the result presented. The authors classified the patients into 2 groups, according to primary indications for transplantation. Patients with cirrhosis were included in group I and patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were included in group II. The one year survival in group I and II was 64 per cent and 29 per cent respectively. Mortality rate in the cirrhotic group was high during the first 3 months post transplant. The reason for a high mortality rate in the hepatocellular carcinoma group may be secondary to the advanced stage of cancer and the poor condition of the patients. However, the acute rejection rate in the present series of 25 per cent is relatively low compared to other series and this may need further study. The one year survival rate in patients who received a new liver from 1997 to 1999 compared to 2000-2002 was 33 per cent and 54 per cent respectively. This showed an improvement in the result of liver transplantation in Thailand. In conclusion, this report showed a satisfactory result of liver transplantation. The main problem with liver transplantation in Thailand is that potential donors do not understand the problems which leads to few donors. There is also a shortage of skilled personnel, budget, and the appropriate instruments.