Colonoscopy quality in community hospitals and nonhospital facilities in Korea

Background/Aims@#High-quality colonoscopy is essential to reduce colorectal cancer-related deaths. Little is known about colonoscopy quality in non-academic practice settings. We aimed to evaluate the quality of colonoscopies performed in community hospitals and nonhospital facilities. @*Methods@#Colonoscopy data were collected from patients referred to six tertiary care centers after receiving colonoscopies at community hospitals and nonhospital facilities. Based on their photographs, we measured quality indicators including cecal intubation rate, withdrawal time, adequacy of bowel preparation, and number of polyps. @*Results@#Data from a total of 1,064 colonoscopies were analyzed. The overall cecal intubation rate was 93.1%. The median withdrawal time was 8.3 minutes, but 31.3% of colonoscopies were withdrawn within 6 minutes. Community hospitals had longer withdrawal time and more polyps than nonhospital facilities (median withdrawal time: 9.9 minutes vs. 7.5 minutes, p < 0.001; mean number of polyps: 3.1 vs. 2.3, p = 0.001). Board-certified endoscopists had a higher rate of cecal intubation than non-board-certified endoscopists (93.2% vs. 85.2%, p = 0.006). A total of 819 follow-up colonoscopies were performed at referral centers with a median interval of 28 days. In total, 2,546 polyps were detected at baseline, and 1,088 were newly identified (polyp miss rate, 29.9%). Multivariable analysis revealed that older age (odds ratio [OR], 1.032; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.020 to 1.044) and male sex (OR, 1.719; 95% CI, 1.281 to 2.308) were associated with increased risk of missed polyps. @*Conclusions@#The quality of colonoscopies performed in community hospitals and nonhospital facilities was suboptimal. Systematic reporting, auditing, and feedback are needed for quality improvement.

Biliary Cast Syndrome in Non-Liver Surgery Patients / 대한소화기학회지

Biliary cast describes the presence of casts within the biliary tree. It is resultant sequel of cholangitis and hepatocyte damage secondary to bile stasis and bile duct injury. Biliary cast syndrome was first reported in patient undergone liver transplantation. The pathogenesis of biliary cast is not clearly identified, but proposed etiologic factors include post-transplant bile duct damage, ischemia, biliary infection, or post-operative biliary drainage tube. Although biliary casts are uncommon, most of biliary cast syndrome are reported in the liver transplant or hepatic surgery patients. A few reports have been published about non-transplant or non-liver surgery biliary cast. We report two cases of biliary cast syndrome in non-liver surgery patients.

A case of intraluminal gallbladder hematoma and subsequent cholecystitis after percutaneous liver biopsy / 대한내과학회지

The liver biopsy has been well established for the diagnosis and prognosis of many liver diseases. The percutaneous liver biopsy is generally considered a safe procedure, especially under ultrasonography guidance. Known complications of percutaneous liver biopsy include hemoperitoneum, subcapsular hematoma, hypotension, pneumothorax, and sepsis. We report the case of a 45?year?old woman who developed an intraluminal gallbladder hematoma and subsequent cholecystitis after a percutaneous liver biopsy. The patient underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy and her postoperative course was uneventful.

Benign Schwannoma of the Liver: A Case Report

A primary benign schwannoma of the liver is extremely rare. Only nine cases have been reported in the medical literature worldwide and no case has been reported in Korea previously. A 36-yr-old woman was admitted to our hospital with vague epigastric pain. The ultrasound and computed tomography scan revealed a multiseptated cystic mass in the right lobe of the liver. The mass was resected; it was found to be a 5x4x2 cm mass filled with reddish yellow fluid. The histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a benign schwannoma, proven by positive immunoreaction with the neurogenic marker S-100 protein and a negative response to CD34, CD117 and smooth muscle actin. This is the first report of a benign schwannoma of the liver parenchyma in a Korean patient.

A clinical study on pyogenic liver abscesses: the changes in the clinical features during the recent 12 years / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The clinical features of pyogenic liver abscess have changed after the introduction of antimicrobial agents and intervention. This study was conducted to clarify the changes in the clinical features of pyogenic liver abscess during the recent 12 years. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 157 cases with pyogenic liver abscesses that were treated at our hospital between January 1995 and July 2006. The period was divided to 1 (1995-2000; 72 cases) and 2 (2001-July 2006; 85 cases). RESULTS: Prevalence of patients with an age over 70 increased significantly in period 2 compared to period 1 (p=0.019). The biliary tract was the most common portal of entry during the 12 years, and biliary procedures were the important causative factors. Compared to the non-biliary group, the biliary group was older and it had a higher frequency of recurrent abscess, Escherichia coli infection, and air-biliary gram (p<0.05). Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most common pathogen, and the frequency of E. coli was increased in period 2 compared to period 1 (p=0.045). Only 6.9% and 1.2% of the patients during period 1 and 2, respectively, were treated surgically. The overall mortality was 0.6% (0% vs. 1.2%, respectively). The interval from onset to admission, the size of the abscess cavity, the time to defervescence and the hospital stay were shorter in period 2 than in period 1 (p=0.044, p=0.013, p=0.02 and p=0.0002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Recently, pyogenic liver abscess affects the elderly, and biliary procedures are its important causative factor. E. coli is still a common pathogen in relation to the biliary portal of entry. The elderly patients with biliary problems need better medical attention to avoid the development of pyogenic liver abscess, and for making an early diagnosis and achieving a better outcome.

Endoscopic and Clinical Characteristics of Gastrointestinal Parasite Infections / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although the overall infection rate of infection with parasites has decreased, the rate of food-mediated infection with parasites has not declined. This study was conducted to define the various endoscopic and clinical characteristics of gastrointestinal (GI) parasite infections diagnosed endoscopically. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the medical records including the endoscopic reports of 27 patients with GI parasite infections diagnosed endoscopically at University Hospital from January 1993 through September 2006. RESULTS: Among 27 patients with a GI parasite infection, 66.7% were female and food-mediated parasite infections including anisakiasis accounted for 77.8% of all of the infections. Soil-mediated parasites were still detected. Extremely rare cases of echinostomiasis and diphyllobothriasis were also identified. Abdominal pain was most frequent symptom (48.1%) and even intestinal or biliary obstructions were seen. The most common endoscopic finding was a visible worm, and various findings including the presence of a pseudotumor were observed. The median period from symptom onset to endoscopy was 15 days for anisakiasis with a pseudotumor compared to 1 day for anisakiasis without a pseudotumor. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopy revealed the presence of various GI parasite infections as well as the presence of anisakiasis, a food-mediated parasitic disease. Various clinical and endoscopic features were seen, including GI bleeding, obstruction, and a pseudotumor. Therefore, a thorough endoscopic examination is required promptly together with detailed history taking concerning the consumption of raw fish.

A Case of Tuberculosis of the Esophagus and Duodenum Associated with Pulmonary Tuberculosis / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Esophageal and duodenal tuberculosis are rare form of gastrointestinal tuberculosis. The common complications due to esophageal and duodenal tuberculosis are fistulous communications with the adjacent structures, perforation, obstruction, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Massive bleeding in esophageal and duodenal tuberculosis is quite rare. We encountered a case of a 55-year-old male who presented with hematemesis and melena. Esophageal and Duodenal tuberculosis with a duodenal fistula was diagnosed by an endoscopic and radiology examination. He improved after treatment with anti-tuberculosis medication over a 9 month period. We report this case of esophageal and duodenal tuberculosis associated with pulmonary tuberculosis with a review of the relevant literature.

The Prevalence of Esophageal Disorders in the Subjects Examined for Health Screening / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Various disorders can be developed in the esophagus. However, esophagus has been less well focused than other gastrointestinal (GI) tracts since the esophageal disorders are relatively uncommon. There has been no report on the prevalence of overall esophageal disorders in Korea. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of esophageal disorders in health examinee. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the endoscopic reports of 6,683 subjects who underwent upper GI endoscopy for screening purpose at Gyeongsang National University Hospital from March, 2005 to May, 2006. RESULTS: Among 6,683 health examinee, 1,154 (17.26%) had esophageal diseases. Gastro-esophageal reflux diseases (GERD) were the most common diseases (14.66%). The prevalence of erosive reflux esophagitis, minor change esophagitis, and Barrett's esophagus was 8.45%, 5.01% and 1.12%, respectively. Hiatal hernia and esophageal submucosal tumor were 2nd and 3rd common diseases (2.0% and 0.6%, respectively). A variety of other esophageal disorders were seen as well. The esophageal disorders with over 0.1% of prevalence were esophageal varices (0.37%), esophageal squamous papilloma (0.31%), esophageal candidiasis (0.25%), nonspecific esophagitis (0.16%), heterotopic gastric mucosa (0.16%), and esophageal vascular ectasia (0.12%) in order. CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of esophageal disorders among health examinee was 17.3%. The GERD was the main esophageal disease and a variety of esophageal diseases were identified. The endoscopists need to take an interest in the esophageal disorders and a community-oriented well organized study should be warranted.