Endoscopic dilation with bougies versus balloons in caustic esophageal strictures: 17-year experience from a tertiary care center.

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic dilation is the preferred management strategy for caustic esophageal strictures (CES). However, the differences in outcome for different dilators are not clear. We compared the outcome of CES using bougie and balloon dilators. METHODS: Between January 2000 and December 2016, the following data of all the patients with CES were collected: demographic parameters, substance ingestion, number of strictures, number of dilations required to achieve ≥ 14 mm dilation, post-dilation recurrence, and total dilations. Patients were divided into two groups for the type of dilator, i.e., bougie or balloon. The two groups were compared for baseline parameter, technical success, short- and long-term clinical success, refractory strictures, recurrence rates, and major complications. RESULTS: Of the 189 patients (mean age 32.17 ± 12.12 years) studied, 119 (62.9%) were males. 122 (64.5%) patients underwent bougie dilation and 67 (35.5%) received balloon dilation. Technical success (90.1% vs. 68.7%, p < 0.001), short-term clinical success (65.6% vs. 46.3%, p value 0.01), and long-term clinical success (86.9% vs. 64.2%, p < 0.01) were higher for bougie dilators compared to balloon dilators. Twenty-four (12.7%) patients developed adverse events which were similar for two groups. On multivariate analysis, use of bougie dilators (aOR 4.868, 95% CI 1.027-23.079), short-term clinical success (aOR 5.785, 95% CI 1.203-27.825), and refractory strictures (aOR 0.151, 95% CI 0.033-0.690) were independent predictors of long-term clinical success. CONCLUSION: Use of bougie dilators is associated with better clinical success in patients with CES compared to balloon dilators with similar rates of adverse events.

Bee Sting to Boerhaave's Syndrome.

Boerhaave's syndrome is a rare condition defined as the spontaneous rupture of the esophagus that generally occurs due to retching, forceful vomiting and sometimes even spontaneously. Atypical presentation often misleads the diagnosis leading to a delay in early intervention, and a strong clinical suspicion is indeed required to diagnose the condition. Definitive treatment being surgical repair, endoscopic intervention can be attempted in nonseptic patients. How to cite this article: Kaladhar S, Nikilesh Kumar G, Misra KC, Hemanth C, Appasani S. Bee Sting to Boerhaave's Syndrome. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(3):346-348.

Utility of narrow band imaging in predicting histology in celiac disease.

BACKGROUND: Narrow band imaging (NBI) with magnification better visualizes the duodenal microsurface and mucosal vascularity. NBI delineates villous atrophy better than conventional white light endoscopy. AIMS: This study was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of narrow band imaging with magnification (NBI-ME) in celiac disease (CD). METHODS: In this prospective study, consecutive patients of suspected CD and controls were subjected to tissue transglutaminase antibody test and endoscopic evaluation initially with white light followed by NBI-ME, and biopsies were taken from duodenum. Duodenal villous patterns on NBI were interpreted as normal, blunted distorted, and absent. Severity of villous atrophy was reported according to the modified Marsh criteria. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-two patients (mean age of 27.53 ± 13.37 years and a male to female ratio of 1:1.26) and 40 controls were studied. The sensitivity and specificity of NBI-ME in predicting villous atrophy were found to be 95.54% and 90%, respectively. The specificity and negative predictive value of NBI-ME in predicting villous atrophy amongst controls was 100% and 97.5%, respectively. Abnormal findings (blunted and absent villous patterns) combined with elevated transglutaminase antibody (> 5-fold) were found to have high accuracy in predicting villous atrophy. CONCLUSION: NBI with magnification has high sensitivity and specificity in predicting villous atrophy in patients with celiac disease.

Pancreatic fluid collections: What is the ideal imaging technique?

Pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) are seen in up to 50% of cases of acute pancreatitis. The Revised Atlanta classification categorized these collections on the basis of duration of disease and contents, whether liquid alone or a mixture of fluid and necrotic debris. Management of these different types of collections differs because of the variable quantity of debris; while patients with pseudocysts can be drained by straight-forward stent placement, walled-off necrosis requires multi-disciplinary approach. Differentiating these collections on the basis of clinical severity alone is not reliable, so imaging is primarily performed. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography is the commonly used modality for the diagnosis and assessment of proportion of solid contents in PFCs; however with certain limitations such as use of iodinated contrast material especially in renal failure patients and radiation exposure. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performs better than computed tomography (CT) in characterization of pancreatic/peripancreatic fluid collections especially for quantification of solid debris and fat necrosis (seen as fat density globules), and is an alternative in those situations where CT is contraindicated. Also magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography is highly sensitive for detecting pancreatic duct disruption and choledocholithiasis. Endoscopic ultrasound is an evolving technique with higher reproducibility for fluid-to-debris component estimation with the added advantage of being a single stage procedure for both diagnosis (solid debris delineation) and management (drainage of collection) in the same sitting. Recently role of diffusion weighted MRI and positron emission tomography/CT with (18)F-FDG labeled autologous leukocytes is also emerging for detection of infection noninvasively. Comparative studies between these imaging modalities are still limited. However we look forward to a time when this gap in literature will be fulfilled.

Hypotension in the first week of acute pancreatitis and APACHE II score predict development of infected pancreatic necrosis.

BACKGROUND: Hypotension and intestinal mucosal ischemia lead to bacterial translocation from the gut lumen into systemic circulation. AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine the strength of association between different types of organ failure (OF): hypotension (cardiovascular system failure), renal failure, respiratory failure, CNS failure and coagulopathy in the first week of acute pancreatitis (AP) and the subsequent development of infected pancreatic necrosis (IN). METHODS: Consecutive patients with AP were evaluated for OF and its severity in the first week of hospital admission. Modified multiple organ failure score (MOFS) was used to identify and grade severity of OF. MOFS of ≥2, lasting for more than 48 h was defined as OF. Occurrence of IN (isolation of bacteria in necrosectomy specimen or image guided fine needle aspiration of pancreatic necrosis) was compared between groups with and without OF. RESULTS: Of the 81 patients, mean age was 40.1 ± 14.4 years and 55 were males; 60 (74 %) patients had OF and 13 (16 %) patients had IN. Occurrence of IN was not significantly different between patients with OF (18.3 %) and without OF (14.3 %), p = 0.48. However IN occurred in 10 % of patients without and 33.7 % patients with hypotension, p = 0.01. The rest of the organ systems analyzed did not show any significant difference in occurrence of infected necrosis. On multivariate analysis independent predictors of occurrence of IN were hypotension (odds ratio, OR 2.5, p < 0.001) and APACHE II score at 24 h of hospital admission (OR 4.77, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Hypotension in the first week of AP and APACHE II score predict development of IN.

Role of N-13 ammonia PET/CT in diagnosing pancreatic necrosis in patients with acute pancreatitis as compared to contrast enhanced CT--results of a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Contrast enhanced computerized tomography (CECT) is used to determine severity of acute pancreatitis based upon the presence and extent of necrosis. However limitations do exist precluding its applicability in renal failure. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for cardiac perfusion shows good uptake of N-13 ammonia ((13)NH3) metabolites in pancreas owing to high perfusion. AIM: To evaluate the role of (13)NH3 PET/CT in acute pancreatitis and compare it with CECT in diagnosing and quantifying pancreatic necrosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients presenting within 1 week of acute pancreatitis were studied. Static PET images were acquired after intravenous injection of 370-740 MBq of (13)NH3. (13)NH3 PET/CT was followed by CECT in the absence of renal impairment. Maximum standard-uptake-value (SUVmax) of pancreas (P) and liver (L) were taken and their ratio (P/L) was estimated to determine perfusion. Areas within pancreas with no tracer uptake were considered necrotic. These patients were managed as per institutional protocol. Patients undergoing (13)NH3 PET/CT for coronary artery disease were used as controls. RESULTS: 29 patients (72% males) were studied of whom 6 had elevated serum creatinine. (13)NH3 PET/CT was done in all patients along with 9 controls while CECT was carried out after PET/CT in 23 patients. Median levels of SUVmax (P/L) in the controls, uninvolved pancreas and necrotic areas were 1.0 (0.86-1.03), 0.66 (0.50-0.92) and 0.12 (0.07-0.21) respectively (p < 0.001). Necrosis estimation was similar in 22/23 patients without renal failure while in one patient only (13)NH3 PET/CT picked up necrosis (<30%). 5/6 patients with renal failure had necrosis on (13)NH(3) PET/CT which was confirmed on surgery or subsequent CECT after improvement of renal failure. CONCLUSION: This pilot study is the first in literature to diagnose necrosis in patients with acute pancreatitis using (13)NH3 PET/CT. With minimal additional radiation burden, it is possible to estimate the absolute tissue perfusion as well. With no adverse renal side effects, this can be an alternative to CECT in patients with renal failure giving similar information. It has good agreement with CECT with a good interobserver acceptability.

Implementation of the Asia-Pacific guidelines of obesity classification on the APACHE-O scoring system and its role in the prediction of outcomes of acute pancreatitis: a study from India.

AIMS: We studied the role of obesity and the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) O score in predicting the outcome in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) using the Asia-Pacific obesity classification. METHODS: Two hundred eighty AP patients were classified into three different groups, normal weight [body mass index (BMI) = 18.5-22.9 kg/m(2)], overweight (BMI = 23-24.9 kg/m(2)) and obese (BMI > 25 kg/m(2)), according to the Asia-Pacific obesity classification. For all patients APACHE II scores and modified APACHE O (i.e., APACHE Oap) scores that included a factor for obesity were calculated. The patients were managed using a standard protocol, and the outcome measures were compared for different obesity groups. RESULTS: Of the 280 patients (mean age 40.7 years), 46.8% were normal weight, 29.6% overweight and 23.6% obese. Forty-six (16.4%) patients underwent surgery, and 61 (21.8%) patients died. Patients with higher BMI had worse radiological indices of severity, more infected necrosis (p < 0.001), more persistent organ failure (p < 0.001) and higher requirement for percutaneous drain insertion (p = 0.04), surgery (p = 0.008) and mortality (p < 0.001). The area under the curve for predicting mortality was 0.879 for APACHE II and 0.886 for APACHE Oap; at a cutoff of 8.5, the APACHE II score had a sensitivity of 88.2% and specificity of 68.7%, and APACHE Oap 90.2 and 64.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: BMI ≥ 23 kg/m(2) was an important predictor of a severe disease course and fatal outcome in patients with AP. However, the predictive accuracy of APACHE Oap for mortality was similar to APACHE II.

Stents for benign and malignant esophageal strictures.

This paper presents commentaries on endotherapy for esophageal perforation/leaks; treatment of esophageal perforation; whether esophageal stents should be used for treating benign esophageal strictures; what determines the optimal stenting period in benign esophageal strictures/leaks; how to choose an esophageal stent; how a new fistula secondary to an esophageal stent should be treated; which strategy should be adopted when a fistula of a cervical anastomosis occurs; intralesional steroids for refractory esophageal strictures; balloon and bougie dilators for esophageal strictures and predictors of response to dilation; whether refractory strictures from different etiologies respond differently to endotherapy; surgical therapy of benign esophageal strictures; and whether stenoses following severe esophageal burns should be treated by esophageal resection or esophageal bypass.

Dynamic nature of organ failure in severe acute pancreatitis: the impact of persistent and deteriorating organ failure.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In acute pancreatitis (AP), patients with persistent organ failure [POF, duration of organ failure (OF) ≥48 h] and transient organ failure (TOF, duration of OF <48 h) have different outcomes. We have compared the clinical course and outcome of patients with severe AP (SAP) with TOF and POF in the first week of hospitalization as well as the impact of change in the OF score in the first week on patient outcome. METHODS: Consecutive patients with SAP were evaluated for OF and its dynamics during the first week of hospitalization. The modified multiple organ failure score (MOFS) was used to identify OF, grade its severity and monitor its progression. The clinical course and outcome of patients were studied. RESULTS: Of 114 patients, mean age 39.2 ± 13.7 years, 37 (32.5%) patients had no OF, 34 (29.8%) had TOF and 43(37.7%) had POF. Patients with POF had the higher infected necrosis, increased requirement for percutaneous drain placement, surgery and higher mortality as compared with those with TOF. The odds ratio for mortality with persistent and deteriorating OF was 26.2 [confidence interval (CI) 5.1-134.9] compared with only persistent OF. CONCLUSION: The dynamics of OF in the first week of SAP predicts the clinical course and outcome. Persistent and deteriorating OF indicates a poor outcome.

Prospective validation of 4-category classification of acute pancreatitis severity.

OBJECTIVE: Atlanta classification divides patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) into mild and severe disease. A 4-category severity classification has been proposed based on the presence or absence of local and systemic determinants, giving rise to mild, moderate, severe, or critical AP. The aim of this study was to validate this new 4-category system of severity classification by examining markers of severity and outcome. METHODS: Data from 151 consecutive patients with AP from January 2009 to December 2010 [mean age (SD), 41.1 (3.5) years; 101 men] were collected. Management was standardized. Patients were classified as mild [no necrosis or organ failure (OF)], moderate (sterile necrosis or transient OF), severe [infected necrosis (IN) or persistent OF], or critical (IN and persistent OF) AP. Data were compared between groups for severity and outcome. RESULTS: There were 21 (13.9%) patients with mild, 63 (41.7%) moderate, 59 (39.1%) severe, and 8 (5.3%) critical AP. There was a significant difference between these categories for length of hospital stay, computed tomographic severity index scores, occurrence of bloodstream infections, incidence of IN, requirements for percutaneous catheter drain, numbers of operations, and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective case series clinically validated the 4-category classification of AP severity.

Endoscopic ultrasound assisted etiological localization in acute pancreatitis.

Hyperparathyroidism is an uncommon cause of pancreatitis and one should look for its telltale evidence on history (renal stone disease) and investigations (hypercalcemia). Endosonography has an upcoming role in the management of acute pancreatitis, especially in the presence of fluid collection. We report a case of parathyroid adenoma related acute pancreatitis complicated with pseudocyst, which was managed with percutaneous drainage and endosonographic localization of the adenoma to the left parathyroid gland. This patient underwent sestamibi scanning, which confirmed its presence and underwent surgical excision of the adenoma. Endosonography should be included in the work up of patients with unclear etiology and thyroids should be routinely scanned for parathyroid adenomas. One should always look outside the box to get clues for diseases inside the box.

Celiac disease presenting as recurrent pancreatitis and pseudocyst.

CONTEXT: The association between celiac disease and pancreatitis is sparsely reported. Celiac disease may remain asymptomatic or may have atypical features, and its diagnosis in pancreatitis may not be obvious. It is more than mere chance association that explains the occurrence of pancreatitis in celiac disease. Malnutrition, papillary stenosis and immunopathogenetic mechanisms contribute to the development of pancreatitis in a patient of celiac disease. CASE REPORT: We here report one such case that had recurrent acute pancreatitis with pseudocyst formation and negative routine etiological work up. It was on noticing abnormal duodenal mucosa at the time of doing endoscopic cystogastrostomy that the diagnosis of celiac disease was suspected and later proved. CONCLUSION: This report highlights that celiac disease should be considered in the etiological work up of patients with unexplained pancreatitis.