Extracción endoscópica de cuerpos extraños digestivos / Endoscopic extraction of digestive foreign bodies

Introducción: La ingestión de cuerpo extraño (CE) es frecuente en la infancia, requiriendo en el 10-20 por ciento de los casos extracción endoscópica. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar las características demográficas, clínicas y endoscópicas de los pacientes con ingesta de CE que requieren manejo endoscópico. Pacientes y Método: Estudio de cohorte prospectivo. Se incluyen los pacientes derivados al servicio de urgencia de Clínica Alemana de Santiago para extracción de cuerpo extraño entre noviembre de 2007-noviembre de 2011. Se registran variables demográficas, clínicas y endoscópicas, clasificando la sintomatología en respiratoria, digestiva y otros. Se evaluaron factores de riesgo y complicaciones. Resultados: 170 pacientes, 52,4 por ciento varones, edad promedio de 4 años y 3 meses. En 78,5 por ciento la ingestión de CE ocurrió en el hogar, el 82,1por ciento consultó en las primeras 2 h. Los síntomas más comunes post ingestión fueron digestivos, respiratorios y dolor local. La localización del CE fue con radiografía simple en 87,6 por ciento. En el 91,8 por ciento se extrajo el CE. Localización: 1,3 por ciento retrofaríngeo, 69,3 por ciento esófago, 23 por ciento estómago, 1,9 por ciento duodeno, 3,8 por ciento distal a duodeno. Los CE más frecuentes fueron los redondos (56,4 por ciento) y dentro de ellos las monedas, punzantes (24,1 por ciento), pilas (14,7 por ciento), imanes (2,9 por ciento) y otros de gran tamaño (1,8 por ciento). Se encontró lesión de mucosa en el 53,5 por ciento, requiriendo hospitalización el 9,8 por ciento de los niños. Conclusiones: La ingestión de CE ocurre en el hogar y es más frecuente en pre escolares. El CE más frecuentes fue la moneda. La localización del CE fue con radiografía simple y no hubo fracaso ni complicaciones en la extracción endoscópica.

Introduction: The ingestion of a foreign body (FB) is very common in childhood, 10 to 20 percent of the cases require endoscopic removal. The aim of this study is to analyze the demographic, clinical and endoscopic characteristic of patients with FB ingestion requiring endoscopic management. Patients and Methods: The design corresponded to a Prospective Cohort Study. It included patients referred to the Clinica Alemana ER in Santiago in order to remove foreign bodies from their digestive systems between November 2007 and November 2011. Demographic, clinical and endoscopic characteristics were recorded, classifying the symptoms as respiratory, digestive and other manifestations. Risk factors and complications were evaluated. Results: 170 patients, 52.4 percent male with average age of four years and three months old. In 78.5 percent of the cases, the FB ingestion occurred at home, 82.1percent sought medical attention within two hours from the ingestion. Digestive, respiratory and local pain were among the most common symptoms. The location of the FB took place using simple x-ray in 87.6 percent of the cases. 91.8 percent of the FBs were extracted. Location: retropharyngeal 1.3 percent, 69.3 percent esophagus, stomach 23 percent duodenum 1.9 percent and 3.8 percent distal duodenum. Round FB were the most frequent (56.4 percent) like coins, sharp objects (24.1 percent), batteries (14.7 percent), magnets (2.9 percent) and other large items (1.8 percent). Mucosal lesion was found in 53.5 percent of the cases and 9.8 percent required hospitalization Conclusions: The ingestion of FB occurred at home, and it is most frequent in preschool children. The most common FB was a coin. The location of the FB was through x-ray and no failure or complications were described during the endoscopic removal.

Falla hepática fulminante en niños / Acute liver failure in children: experience of a liver transplant center

Background: Acute liver failure (ALF) in childhood is defined as biochemical evidence of liver injury, absence of known chronic liver disease and coagulopathy not corrected by vitamin K administration, with INR greater than 1.5 if the patient has encephalopathy or greater than 2.0 if the patient does not have encephalopathy. Objective: Report the experience of a single liver transplant center (LT) in the treatment of 8 children with ALF and review the literature. Method: Retrospective review of clinical charts of patients with ALF. Results: The median age was 8 years-old (range 0-11), three females. Five patients underwent LT. Two patients died, one of them LT. The etiologies were 4 undetermined, 1 autoimmune, 1 Wilson Disease, 1 Parvo virus and 1 chronic graft rejection. All grafts were from cadaver donor, 3 of them reduced. Two out of five patients with encephalopathy grade III-IV died. The one year survival rate was 75 percent. Conclusions: Children with ALF should be treated in experienced centers with facilities for liver transplant. Transplantation should be offered only if the underlying disease is treatable by liver replacement and if transplant prognosis is better than that of the underlying disease.

Falla hepática fulminante (FHF) en la infancia se define como evidencia bioquímica de daño hepático, sin antecedentes conocidos de enfermedad hepática crónica, coagulopatía no corregida por la administración de vitamina K e INR superior a 1,5 si el paciente tiene encefalopatía o superior a 2 si no tiene encefalopatía. Objetivo: Presentar la experiencia de un centro de trasplante hepático (TH) en el tratamiento de 8 niños con FHF y revisar la literatura. Pacientes y Método: Revisión retrospectiva de la historia clínica de pacientes con FHF. Resultados: La edad media fue de 8 años, rango 0-11, tres sexo femenino. Cinco pacientes fueron sometidos a TH. Dos pacientes fallecieron, uno de ellos con TH. La etiología fue indeterminada en 4 pacientes, 1 autoinmune, 1 enfermedad de Wilson, 1 parvovirus y 1 rechazo crónico del injerto. Todos los injertos fueron de donante cadáver, 3 de ellos reducidos. Dos de cinco pacientes con encefalopatía grado III-IV fallecieron. La tasa de sobrevida al año fue de 75 por ciento. Conclusión: El manejo de la FHF debe realizarse en un centro con capacidad de realizar TH, aunque no todos los pacientes requerirán finalmente esta terapia. El TH debiera ser ofrecido sólo si la enfermedad subyacente es tratable con reemplazo hepático y si el pronóstico del TH es mejor que el de la enfermedad misma.

Sirolimus en trasplante de órgano sólido pediátrico: Experiencia en 5 casos / Use of Sirolimus in five pediatric patients undergoing solid organ transplantation

Sirolimus (SRL) is an immunosuppressive drug increasingly used in children undergoing solid organ transplantation. SRL does not cause glucose intolerance, hypertension, nephrotoxicity or neurotoxicity offering significant potential advantages over calceneurin inhibitors (CM). Aim: To report five children treated with SRL. Material and methods: A retrospective review of four children undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) and one undergoing renal transplantation with recurrent acute rejection (RAR), chronic rejection (CR) or toxicity due to CM, treated with SRL between June 2001 and November 2006. Results: As primary immunosuppressive therapy, all patients received 3 drugs: CM (Tacrolimus (FK) or Cyclosporine), mycophenolate mofetil and steroids. Mean age at treatment with SRL was 98 months. Children undergoing OLT had a ¡ate introduction of SRL (mean time after OLT: 37 months), and mean follow-up was 24 months. In this group rescue indications of SRL were RAR in one, CR in one, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) in one, food allergy in one and other CM toxicity in three. Only one did not experience adverse events due to SRL, but no one required discontinuation of SRL. There were remissions of RAR, CR, TTP and food allergy. The patient with RT was switched from FK to SRL at day 18th after RT, but he had severe neutropenia that led to discontinuation of SRL. Conclusions: SRL may be useful in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients suffering from RAR, CR, TTP, food allergy and CM toxicity. Careful attention should be directed to detect side effects and avoid severe complications.

Rescate con Sirolimus por rechazo agudo recurrente y diabetes mellitus en trasplante hepático: caso clínico pediátrico / Sirolimus for rescue of recurrent acute rejection and diabetes mellitus after liver transplantation: report of one case

Sirolimus (SRL) is a new immunosuppressive drug approved for renal transplantation, but is being used increasingly in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Compared with the calcineurin inhibitors, SRL has different mechanisms of action and side effects profile. Thus, this drug offers significant potential advantages over other immunosuppressive agents. SRL does not cause glucose intolerance, hypertension or renal failure, but it may cause dyslipidemia, hepatic artery thrombosis, thrombocytopenia, anemia, leukopenia, oral mucosa ulcers, edema, arthralgias and wound complications. SRL inhibits the signal of interleukin 2 at a post-receptor level, inhibiting lymphocyte proliferation and fibroblast proliferation. It also has antineoplastic and antifungal effects. We report a 10 years old girl who underwent OLT, experiencing a biopsy-proven recurrent acute rejection (AR) in spite of using three immunosuppressive agents (tacrolimus, mofetil micofenolate and steroids). She developed diabetes mellitus as a consequence of the immunosuppressive therapy. She was rescued with SRL, not experiencing AR again. Mofetil micofenolate, steroids and insulin could be discontinued and tacrolimus doses were reduced, without experiencing severe complications. SRL is a new and safe immunosuppressive agent for rescue in patients with OLT and recurrent AR.

Falla hepática fulminante por parvovirus B 19 y trasplante hepático, caso clínico / Acute liver failure by Parvovirus B19 and liver transplant: case report

Introducción: La infección por parvovirus humano B19 (PHB 19) produce un amplio rango de enfermedades que van desde eritema infeccioso en niños hasta artritis aguda en adultos. Algunos estudios sugieren un rol patogénico del PHB 19 en el desarrollo de la hepatitis aguda (HA) y falla hepática fulminante (FHF) en niños y adultos. La Anemia aplástica (AA) es una complicación reconocida de la HA y FHF por PHB 19. Objetivo: Reportar un caso de FHF por infección por PHB 19 y revisar la literatura. Caso clínico: Niña de 7 años de edad con HA que en una semana desarrolló FHF con serología IgM anti-PHB 19 positiva. Otras causas virales, autoinmunes, metabólicas o toxicas fueron descartadas. Fue sometida a trasplante hepático ortotópico (THO) y un año después no ha presentado complicaciones. Conclusiones: El PHB 19 puede causar HA y FHF, su oportuno diagnóstico y tratamiento, que en el caso de la FHF incluye el THO puede resultar en un pronóstico favorable.

Tiempo de exposición al gluten y marcadores de riesgo de diabetes mellitus insulino dependiente en pacientes celíacos / Risk markers for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and duration of exposure to gluten in celiac patients

Background: Celiac patients are at high risk of developing insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, a condition that has a long pre-diabetic period. During this lapse, anti-islet cell antibodies serve as markers for future disease. This may be related with the duration of the exposure to gluten. Aim: To test the hypothesis that long term adherence to a gluten free diet decreases the frequency of risk markers for insulin dependent diabetes mellitus during adolescence and early adulthood. Patients and methods: 158 celiac patients were classified as: G1, (n=30 patients) studied at the time of diagnosis; G2 (n=97 patients) exposed to gluten as a result of non compliance with the gluten free diet and, G3 (n=31 patients) who had maintained a long term, strict gluten free diet. Isotype IgG anti-islet cell antibodies were detected by indirect immunofluorescence using monkey pancreas; results were reported in Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDF) units. Results: Celiac patients exposed to a gluten containing diet had a significantly higher prevalence of anti-islet cell antibodies than those who had been exposed only briefly (p <0.017). In addition, a significantly higher prevalence of anti-islet cell antibodies was observed in those patients whose exposure to gluten was longer than 5 years than in those whose exposure was shorter (p <0.02). Conclusions: Celiac patients long exposed to gluten have a significantly higher prevalence of anti-islet cell antibodies than those exposed for a short period. This fact supports the hypothesis that the development of these antibodies is associated with the length of the exposure to gluten (Rev Méd Chile 2004; 132: 979-84).

Trasplante combinado hepato-renal: a propósito de un caso / Combined liver-kidney transplantation: report of one case

End stage renal disease is not an absolute contraindication for liver transplantation (LT) in patients with end stage liver disease. Actuarial patient and graft survival are comparable for children and adults who undergo LT alone and liver-kidney transplantation (LKT). The most common indications for LKT are the primary hyperoxaluria type I (PH1) and the liver and renal polycystic disease. We report a 12 years old boy with congenital hepatic fibrosis with severe portal hypertension, encephalopathy and polycystic kidney disease with end stage renal disease on dialysis that underwent LKT. During the second postoperative week, he had a biopsy-proven acute liver and renal rejection, that had a good response to corticosteroids. Thirty days after surgery, the liver biopsy was without rejection. No other complications were observed (Rev Méd Chile 2003; 131: 1309-12).

Hiperplasia nodular focal del hígado en niños y transplante hepático / Hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia in children and liver transplantation

La hiperplasia nodular focal (HNF) del hígado es una tumoración benigna probablemente secundaria a una alteración en la vascularización del parénquima hepático, rara en la edad pedíatrica. Objeto: reportar un caso clínico de HNF que requirió transplante hepático ortotópico (THO) y revisar la literatura actual con respecto a la conducta terapéutica a seguir. Caso clínico: niño de 15 años de edad con una masa abdominal palpable. Ecografía y tomografía axial computada de abdomen demostraron un tumor multifocal en ambos lóbulos hepáticos de características irresecables. Biopsia operatoria del hígado confirmo una HNF. El paciente desarrolló hipertensión portal debido a compresión tumoral de la vena porta, con ascitis, encefalopatía hepática e insuficiencia renal, por lo que se decidió su manejo mediante un THO en injerto total, con una excelente evolución a 5 años de seguimiento. Conclusión: la decisión entre un enfoque conservador o quirúrgico depende de las características de cada caso, siendo el THO una alternativa terapéutica en pacientes con tumores hepáticos benignos e irresecables

Anticuerpos anti-transglutaminasa tisular: ¿una mejor prueba para detectar transgresiones menores de la dieta en pacientes celíacos? / Tissue transglutaminase antibodies: a better test to detec minor dietary trasgressions in celiac patients?

Background: Endomysium antibodies (EMA) do not detect minor dietary transgressions in patients with celiac disease. Aim : To compare the sensitivity and specificity of tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGA) and endomysium antibodies (EMA) in biopsy proven celiac patients at the time of diagnosis and during gluten free diet (GFD). Patients and methods : One hundred fifty three subjects were studied: a) 30 healthy controls; b) 9 cases with cow's milk allergy; c) 24 celiac patients at time of diagnosis; d) 25 celiac patients adhering to the GFD; e) 65 celiac patients with poor/no adhesion to GFD. EMA and tTGA IgA were measured by immunofluorescence and ELISA, respectively. Results: Sensitivity and specificity were 100 percent and 97.4 percent for tTGA, respectively. All patients with cow's milk allergy were EMA (-) and 8 of 9 (88.9 percent) were tTGA (-). In celiac patients not adhering to the GFD, EMA and tTGA positivity were similar (80 percent and 81,5 percent, respectively); 95,4 percent of the subjects tested positive for at least one of them. All patients adhering to GFD were EMA (-) but tTGA were (+) in 28 percent of them. Conclusions : EMA and tTGA have similar sensitivity and specificity at the time of diagnosis of celiac disease. Positive tTGA in 28 percent of patients that adhered strictly to the GFD and whose EMA were negative suggest that tTGA may be helpful in detecting minor dietary transgressions and should be further evaluated

Enfermedad celíaca en el adolescente y adulto joven: un desafío para gastroenterólogos de niños y adultos / Celiac disease in adolescents and young adults: a follow up study

Background: Follow-up of celiac patients in Chile is often interrupted when adolescents are referred to adult gastroenterologists. Aim: To study the evolution of patients with celiac disease when they reach adolescence or young adulthood. Patients and methods: Current adherence to gluten-free diet and its relation to symptoms and circulating antiendomysial antibodies were evaluated in the 58 confirmed celiac patients older than 12 years of age controlled at 3 hospitals in Santiago. Results: Mean age at the moment of this assessment was 17.8 ñ 5 years, 65.5 percent were women, 12.5 percent were at nutritional risk (-IDS) while 20 percent were overweight/obese. Although all patients declared themselves asymptomatic, a focused questionnaire revealed that 26 percent suffered some symptoms. Only 24.1 percent followed a strict gluten-free diet. Eight of 20 patients who ate gluten-containing diets had negative antiendomysial antibodies (EMA), three of whom turned positive within 6 to 9 months. In three of four (asymptomatic) cases that accepted a new jejunal biopsy, histology was abnormal. One patient who followed a strict diet had EMA (+) and normal histology. Conclusions: These results confirm that after childhood, symptoms abate significantly in celiac patients. The observed sensitivity and specificity of EMA makes necessary to maintain small intestinal biopsies as the gold standard for diagnosis and confirmation of the disease