ABSTRACT
The introduction of device-assisted enteroscopy (DAE) in the beginning of 21st century has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the small intestine. In contrast to capsule endoscopy, the other main diagnostic modality of the small bowel diseases, DAE has the unique advantages of observing the region of interest in detail and enabling tissue acquisition and therapeutic intervention. As DAE becomes an essential procedure in daily clinical practice, there is an increasing need for correct guidelines on when and how to perform it and what technical factors should be considered. In response to these needs, the Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases developed an expert consensus statement on the performance of DAE by reviewing the current evidence. This expert consensus statement particularly focuses on the indications, choice of insertion route, therapeutic intervention, complications, and relevant technical points.
ABSTRACT
Background/Aims@#Some management strategies for acute colonic diverticulitis remain controversial in Korean real-world practice because their clinical features differ from those in the West. This study aimed to investigate the opinions of Korean physicians regarding the diagnosis and treatment of acute diverticulitis. @*Methods@#A web-based survey was conducted among gastroenterologists specializing on treating lower gastrointestinal disorders. The questionnaires concerned overall management strategies for colonic diverticulitis, including diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. @*Results@#In total, 209 gastroenterologists responded to the survey. Less than one-fourth of the respondents (23.6%) answered that left-sided colonic diverticulitis is more likely to be complicated than right-sided colonic diverticulitis. Most respondents agreed that immunocompromised patients with diverticulitis have worse clinical outcomes than immunocompetent patients (71.3%). Computed tomography was the most preferred tool for diagnosing diverticulitis (93.9%). Approximately 89% of the respondents answered that they believed antibiotic treatment is necessary to treat acute uncomplicated diverticulitis. Most respondents (92.6%) agreed that emergency surgery is not required for diverticulitis with an abscess or microperforation without panperitonitis. Further, 94.7% of the respondents agreed that colon cancer screening is necessary in patients aged ≥ 50 years with diverticulitis after they have recovered from acute illness. Many respondents (71.4%) agreed that surgery for recurrent diverticulitis should be individualized. @*Conclusions@#Opinions regarding management strategies for colonic diverticulitis among Korean gastroenterologists were well agreed upon in some areas but did not agree well in other areas. Evidence-based guidelines that meet the practical needs of the Korean population should be developed.
ABSTRACT
Background/Aims@#Immunocompromised patients with acute colonic diverticulitis are at high risk for complications and failure of non-surgical treatment. However, evidence on the comparative outcomes of immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis is lacking. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the outcomes of medical treatment in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis. @*Methods@#A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Studies comparing the clinical outcomes of immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis were included. @*Results@#A total of 10 studies with 1,946,461 subjects were included in the quantitative synthesis. The risk of emergency surgery and postoperative mortality after emergency surgery was significantly higher in immunocompromised patients than in immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis (risk ratio [RR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31–2.38 and RR, 3.05; 95% CI, 1.70–5.45, respectively). Overall risk of complications associated with diverticulitis was non-significantly higher in immunocompromised than in immunocompetent patients (RR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.95–1.63). Overall mortality irrespective of surgery was significantly higher in immunocompromised than in immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis (RR, 3.65; 95% CI, 1.73–7.69). By contrast, postoperative mortality after elective surgery was not significantly different between immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis. In subgroup analysis, the risk of emergency surgery and recurrence was significantly higher in immunocompromised patients with complicated diverticulitis, whereas no significant difference was shown in mild disease. @*Conclusions@#Immunocompromised patients with diverticulitis should be given the best medical treatment with multidisciplinary approach because they had increased risks of surgery, postoperative morbidity, and mortality than immunocompetent patients.
ABSTRACT
In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), chronic inflammation leads to unfavorable clinical outcomes and increases the risk of developing colorectal neoplasm (CRN); thereby highlighting the importance of endoscopically evaluating disease activity as well as detecting and characterizing CRN in patients with IBD. With recent advances in image-enhanced endoscopic (IEE) technologies, especially virtual chromoendoscopy (VCE) platforms, this review discusses state-of-the-art IEE techniques and their applicability in assessing disease activity and surveillance colonoscopy in patients with IBD. Among various IEE, VCE demonstrated the capacity to identify quiescent disease activity. And endoscopic remission defined by the new scoring system using VCE platform better predicted clinical outcomes, which may benefit the tailoring of therapeutic strategies in patients with IBD. High-definition dye-chromoendoscopy (HD-DCE) is numerically superior to high-definition white light endoscopy (HD-WLE) in detecting CRN in IBD; however, discrepancy is observed in the statistical significance. VCE showed comparable performance in detecting dysplasia to HD-WLE or DCE and potential for optical diagnosis to differentiate neoplastic from nonneoplastic lesions during surveillance colonoscopy. Applying these novel advanced IEE technologies would provide opportunities for personalized medicine in IBD and optimal treatment of CRN in patients with IBD.
ABSTRACT
The introduction of device-assisted enteroscopy (DAE) in the beginning of the 21st century has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the small intestine. In contrast to capsule endoscopy, the other main diagnostic modality of small bowel diseases, DAE has the unique advantages of allowing the observation of the region of interest in detail and enabling tissue acquisition and therapeutic intervention. As DAE becomes an essential procedure in daily clinical practice, there is an increasing need for correct guidelines on when and how it is to be performed and what technical factors should be taken into consideration. In response to these needs, the Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases has developed an expert consensus statement on the performance of DAE by reviewing current evidence. This expert consensus statement particularly focuses on the indications, choice of insertion route, therapeutic intervention, complications, and relevant technical points.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus, is threatening global health worldwide with unprecedented contagiousness and severity. The best strategy to overcome COVID-19 is a vaccine. Various vaccines are currently being developed, and mass vaccination is in progress. Despite the very encouraging clinical trial results of these vaccines, there is insufficient information on the safety and efficacy of vaccines for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients facing various issues. After reviewing current evidence and international guidelines, the Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases developed an expert consensus statement on COVID-19 vaccination issues for Korean IBD patients. This expert consensus statement emphasizes that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccination be strongly recommended for IBD patients, and it is safe for IBD patients receiving immunomodulatory therapy.
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no abstract available
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has reduced the ability to prevent or control chronic disease due to the concerns about safety in accessing health care. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition requiring long- term sustained treatment, which is difficult in the current panedemic situation. The Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases (KASID) has developed an expert consensus statement on the clinical practice management of adult inflammatory bowel disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. This expert consensus statement is based on guidelines and clinical reports from several countries around the world. It provides recommendations to deal with the risk of COVID-19 and medication use in IBD patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and emphasizes the importance of right treatment approach to avoid worsening of the disease condition in IBD patients.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus, is threatening global health worldwide with unprecedented contagiousness and severity. The best strategy to overcome COVID-19 is a vaccine. Various vaccines are currently being developed, and mass vaccination is in progress. Despite the very encouraging clinical trial results of these vaccines, there is insufficient information on the safety and efficacy of vaccines for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients facing various issues. After reviewing current evidence and international guidelines, the Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases (KASID) developed an expert consensus statement on COVID-19 vaccination issues for Korean IBD patients. This expert consensus statement emphasizes that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination be strongly recommended for IBD patients, and it is safe for IBD patients receiving immunomodulatory therapy.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has reduced the ability to prevent or control chronic disease due to the concerns about safety in accessing health care. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition requiring long- term sustained treatment, which is difficult in the current panedemic situation. The Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases (KASID) has developed an expert consensus statement on the clinical practice management of adult inflammatory bowel disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. This expert consensus statement is based on guidelines and clinical reports from several countries around the world. It provides recommendations to deal with the risk of COVID-19 and medication use in IBD patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and emphasizes the importance of right treatment approach to avoid worsening of the disease condition in IBD patients.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus, is threatening global health worldwide with unprecedented contagiousness and severity. The best strategy to overcome COVID-19 is a vaccine. Various vaccines are currently being developed, and mass vaccination is in progress. Despite the very encouraging clinical trial results of these vaccines, there is insufficient information on the safety and efficacy of vaccines for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients facing various issues. After reviewing current evidence and international guidelines, the Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases (KASID) developed an expert consensus statement on COVID-19 vaccination issues for Korean IBD patients. This expert consensus statement emphasizes that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination be strongly recommended for IBD patients, and it is safe for IBD patients receiving immunomodulatory therapy.
ABSTRACT
Capsule endoscopy has revolutionized the management of small-bowel diseases owing to its convenience and noninvasiveness. Capsule endoscopy is a common method for the evaluation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, Crohn’s disease, small-bowel tumors, and polyposis syndrome. However, the laborious reading process, oversight of small-bowel lesions, and lack of locomotion are major obstacles to expanding its application. Along with recent advances in artificial intelligence, several studies have reported the promising performance of convolutional neural network systems for the diagnosis of various small-bowel lesions including erosion/ulcers, angioectasias, polyps, and bleeding lesions, which have reduced the time needed for capsule endoscopy interpretation. Furthermore, colon capsule endoscopy and capsule endoscopy locomotion driven by magnetic force have been investigated for clinical application, and various capsule endoscopy prototypes for active locomotion, biopsy, or therapeutic approaches have been introduced. In this review, we will discuss the recent advancements in artificial intelligence in the field of capsule endoscopy, as well as studies on other technological improvements in capsule endoscopy.
ABSTRACT
Background/Aims@#Enzymatic analysis of aspartate/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) does not exactly represent the progression of liver fibrosis or inflammation. Immunoassay for AST (cytoplasmic [c] AST/mitochondrial [m] AST) and ALT (ALT1/ALT2) has been suggested as one alternatives for enzymatic analysis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of immunoassay in predicting liver fibrosis and inflammation. @*Methods@#A total of 219 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who underwent hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) and liver biopsy before antiviral therapy were recruited. Serum samples were prepared from blood during HVPG. Results of biochemical parameters including enzymatic AST/ALT and immunological assays of cAST, mAST, ALT1, and ALT2 through sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) immunoassay with fluorescence labeled monoclonal antibodies were compared with the results of METAVIR stage of live fibrosis and the Knodell grade of inflammation. @*Results@#METAVIR fibrosis stages were as follows: F0, six (3%); F1, 52 (24%); F2, 88 (40%); F3, 45 (20%); and F4, 28 patients (13%). Mean levels of AST and ALT were 121 ± 157 and 210 ± 279 IU/L, respectively. Mean HVPG score of all patients was 4.7 ± 2.5 mmHg. According to the stage of liver fibrosis, HVPG score (p < 0.001, r = 0.439) and ALT1 level (p < 0.001, r = 0.283) were significantly increased in all samples from patients with CHB. ALT (p < 0.001, r = 0.310), ALT1 (p < 0.001, r = 0.369), and AST (p < 0.001, r = 0.374) levels were positively correlated with Knodell grade of inflammation. @*Conclusions@#ALT1 measurement by utilizing sandwich ELISA immunoassay can be useful method for predicting inf lammation grade and fibrosis stage in patients with CHB.
ABSTRACT
Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) in kidney transplant recipients is mediated by donor-specific antibodies. It is the major cause of graft failure in noncompliant patients and is associated with reduced long-term graft survival. We present a case of delayed recovery of renal function despite aggressive therapy after acute ABMR. A 49-year-old male on triple-drug maintenance immunosuppression (prednisolone, cyclosporine, and azathioprine), who underwent cadaveric donor renal transplantation 14 years earlier, visited our clinic with a serum creatinine level (SCr) of 1.9 mg/dL. The kidney biopsy revealed acute ABMR with diffuse C4d immunopositivity. We started steroid pulse therapy and bortezomib with plasmapheresis. Nevertheless, the SCr increased. Consequently, antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and intravenous immunoglobulin were administered. The SCr increased further to 4.1 mg/dL. Therefore, we performed a second kidney biopsy, which showed no change. Finally, we used rituximab. Fortunately, the SCr decreased gradually and returned to baseline.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Antibodies , Antilymphocyte Serum , Biopsy , Cadaver , Creatinine , Cyclosporine , Graft Rejection , Graft Survival , Immunoglobulins , Immunosuppression Therapy , Kidney , Kidney Transplantation , Medication Adherence , Plasmapheresis , Tissue Donors , Transplantation , Transplants , Bortezomib , RituximabABSTRACT
No abstract available.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Eosinophilia/diagnosis , Liver Abscess/diagnosisABSTRACT
The skin is the third most common site of cryptococcosis after infections of the central nervous system and lungs. However, cryptococcosis rarely involves deep soft tissue. Here, we report a case of cryptococcal cellulitis and myofascitis in a 72-year-old woman with iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome. Despite the administration of antibiotics, the patient continued to suffer from aggravated wounds and pain. Cultures of pus and an excisional biopsy of the skin revealed Cryptococcus neoformans. She was treated successfully with intravenous fluconazole (400 mg/day) for 14 days followed by oral fluconazole (400 mg/day) for 12 months.
Subject(s)
Aged , Female , Humans , Anti-Bacterial Agents , Biopsy , Cellulitis , Central Nervous System , Cryptococcosis , Cryptococcus neoformans , Cushing Syndrome , Fluconazole , Lung , Myositis , Skin , Suppuration , Wounds and InjuriesABSTRACT
Orbital metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma is very rare, with only 14 biopsy-proven cases from hepa tocellular carcinoma cases reported in English literature and three cases reported in Korea. Common symptoms of orbital metastasis are proptosis, visual loss, ocular pain and oculomotor dysfunction. For its precise diagnosis, we can perform fine needle aspiration biopsy, orbit CT or MRI, and ultrasonography. Radiotherapy is the mainstay in the treatment of orbital metastasis. In addition, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and surgical intervention can play a role in the treatment of orbital metastasis according to the primary cancer and symptoms. However, the prognosis of orbital metastasis is poor. We report herein a rare case of a patient with orbital metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma, which was treated with various modalities that included resection, and who had good clinical and radiological responses to radiation therapy and sorafenib (Nexavar, Bayer HealthCare).
Subject(s)
Humans , Biopsy , Biopsy, Fine-Needle , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular , Diagnosis , Drug Therapy , Exophthalmos , Eye Neoplasms , Korea , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Neoplasm Metastasis , Orbit , Prognosis , Radiotherapy , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is a life-threatening adverse drug reaction with systemic manifestations. Dapsone is known to be useful for treatment of leprosy and various dermatologic conditions. We report a patient with prurigo pigmentosa who developed DRESS syndrome after dapsone treatment. She presented with lymphadenopathy, fever, eosinophilia, skin rash, and elevated liver enzymes. Initial lymph node and skin biopsy was suggestive of peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Initially, she was treated with chemotherapy. A week later after complete remission of skin symptoms, new skin lesions recurred. TCR-gene rearrangement was examined to show negative results and she was diagnosed as dapsone induced DRESS syndrome. This case emphasizes the importance of differential diagnosis of lymphoma and DRESS syndrome.