Results of a prospective randomised multicentre controlled trial comparing a new 2-L ascorbic acid plus polyethylene glycol and electrolyte solution vs. sodium phosphate solution in patients undergoing elective colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Elective colonoscopy is used increasingly to screen at risk patients for colonic malignancy. Bowel preparation quality is a critical factor for successful screening. Preparations used include high doses of potent laxatives, e.g. sodium phosphate solution or high volume polyethylene glycol. Because of constraints and limited patient acceptability, there remains a need for a more acceptable bowel preparation with at least equivalent cleansing to existing preparations. AIM: To determine if a 2-L polyethylene glycol solution with electrolytes and ascorbic acid (polyethylene glycol + ascorbic acid) produces equivalent bowel cleansing to sodium phosphate solution, and is acceptable to patients and well tolerated. METHODS: This was a single blind, parallel group, equivalence study comparing polyethylene glycol + ascorbic acid with sodium phosphate solution in 352 patients undergoing elective colonoscopy. A blinded, independent expert scored a video recording of each colonoscopy. Patients completed a questionnaire reporting acceptability of the bowel preparation process. RESULTS: Clinically successful bowel preparation was reported in 72.5% of cases prepared using polyethylene glycol + ascorbic acid and in 63.9% of cases prepared using sodium phosphate solution (treatment difference +8.6%, 95% confidence interval -2.3%, +19.4%). The new solution was well accepted and better tolerated than sodium phosphate solution. CONCLUSIONS: The new 2-L solution of polyethylene glycol + ascorbic acid was at least as efficacious as sodium phosphate solution with comparable efficacy and a better tolerability profile.

Diagnostic value of endoscopic capsule in patients with obscure digestive bleeding: blinded comparison with video push-enteroscopy.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: This study was designed to prospectively compare the diagnostic yield of the M2A endoscopic capsule with that of video push-enteroscopy in exploring the small intestine in patients with obscure digestive bleeding. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with either occult or overt obscure digestive bleeding and a negative endoscopic work-up underwent a double intestinal investigation, with video push-enteroscopy and a wireless capsule, performed blindly by separate examiners. The diagnostic yield for each technique was defined as the frequency of detection of clinically relevant intestinal lesions, i. e. those having the potential for bleeding. RESULTS: 60 patients (27 men, 33 women; age 58 +/- 18 years; hemoglobin 9.4 +/- 2.5 g/dl) were included, 32 with occult and 28 with overt bleeding. Results were analyzed for 58 patients, who completed both examinations. Lesions were detected in 43 patients: with both techniques in 19, only by capsule in 21, and, conversely, only by push-enteroscopy in 3 ( P = 0.04). Final diagnoses were as follows: a P2 lesion with high bleeding potential in 28 patients (19 angiomata, 6 ulcerations, 2 tumors, 1 case of intestinal varices); a P1 lesion with intermediate bleeding potential in 15 patients (2 patients with mucosal erosions, 13 patients with mucosal red spots); and there were normal findings from 15 procedures. No procedure induced any complication. CONCLUSION: The use of the wireless endoscopy capsule detects significantly more clinically relevant intestinal lesions than video push-enteroscopy in patients with obscure digestive bleeding, raising the diagnostic yield to 67.2 %. Its influence on the clinical outcome for patients needs further investigation.

[Isolated jejunal tuberculosis mimicking Crohn disease. Diagnosis by push video-enteroscopy]. / Tuberculose jéjunale isolée simulant une maladie de Crohn. Diagnostic par vidéo-entéroscopie poussée.

Intestinal tuberculosis is relatively unfrequent in Western countries, but immigrants and AIDS patients remain groups at particular risk for this disease. The diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis is often difficult to establish because of close similarities with other conditions, in particular Crohn's disease. We report a case of jejunal tuberculosis in a 33-year-old man with severe weight loss and unexplained fever. The diagnosis was obtained on histological examination of the distal jejunum biopsies performed during pushed video-enteroscopy. Interestingly, culture of the biopsies and specific PCR remained negative. Dramatic improvement was observed during the first days of antituberculous treatment. The main clinical and paraclinical manifestations of intestinal tuberculosis are also reviewed, as well as recent epidemiologic observations and new developments in diagnosis and treatment.

[Paraneoplastic intestinal pseudo-obstruction revealing small cell lung carcinoma: "the anti-Hu syndrome"]. / Pseudo-obstruction intestinale paranéoplasique révélatrice d'un carcinome pulmonaire à petites cellules: le syndrome anti-Hu.

A 67-year-old woman was admitted for intestinal pseudoobstruction associated with peripheral sensitive neuropathy. Jejunal biopsies performed during laparotomy, showed axonal degeneration and lympho-plasmocytic infiltration in myenteric plexus. High titer of seric anti-Hu antibodies suggested a paraneoplastic syndrome. Thoracic CT scan showed mediastinal lymph nodes. Their histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic small-cell lung carcinoma. Her condition gradually deteriorated despite supportive parenteral nutrition, chemotherapy, steroids and intravenous immunoglobulins. She died 12 months after the onset of symptoms.

Two way push videoenteroscopy in investigation of small bowel disease.

AIMS: To evaluate the diagnostic yield and safety of a new push type videoenteroscope (PVE) for diagnosis of small bowel disease. METHODS: Three hundred and thirteen patients were referred for one or two way PVE from December 1993 to June 1996. Indications for PVE were: an unexplained iron deficiency anaemia with or without clinically evident gastrointestinal bleeding; or a complementary investigation for suspected small bowel disease, after a small bowel barium follow through (SBBFT) considered as normal or abnormal, but without a definite diagnosis. RESULTS: A jejunoscopy and a retrograde ileoscopy were carried out in 306 and 234 patients, respectively. In patients with isolated anaemia (n = 131) and those with clinically evident gastrointestinal bleeding associated anaemia (n = 72), PVE provided a diagnosis in 26 (19.8%) and 22 (30.5%) cases, respectively. Lesions found were located in the jejunoileum in 30 (14.7%) patients and in the gastroduodenum or the colon in 18 (8.8%) patients--that is, within the reach of the conventional gastroscope/colonoscope. In patients with normal (n = 54) or abnormal (n = 56) SBBFT, PVE provided a diagnosis in 17 (31%) and 27 (48%) cases, respectively. In 25% of cases, the abnormal appearance of SBBFT was not confirmed. The site of the radiological abnormality was not reached in 27% of cases. Lesions were located at the jejunum and the ileum in 59 (64%) and 33 (36%) cases, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PVE is useful in around 30% of cases of unexplained anaemia or after an SBBFT which failed to provide an accurate aetiological diagnosis. Use of retrograde videoenteroscopy increases diagnostic yield by one third.

Identifying patients with a high risk of relapse in quiescent Crohn's disease. The GETAID Group. The Groupe d'Etudes Thérapeutiques des Affections Inflammatoires Digestives.

No reliable identification of quiescent Crohn's disease (CD) patients with a high risk of relapse is available. The aim of this study was to develop a prognostic index to identify those patients. Untreated adult patients with quiescent disease (not induced by surgery) included in three phase III clinical trials were analysed retrospectively with respect to time to relapse. Nineteen factors related to biology, disease history, and topography were investigated. A relapse was defined as either a CD Activity Index (CDAI) > or = 200, a CDAI > or = 150 but over the baseline value by more than 100, or acute complications requiring surgery. The inclusion criteria were fulfilled by 178 patients. The median follow up was 23 months. The Cox model retained the following bad prognostic factors: age < or = 25 years, interval since first symptoms > 5 years, interval since previous relapse < or = 6 months, and colonic involvement (p < 0.001). Bootstrapping confirmed the variable selection. Patients were classified into three groups with an increasing risk of relapse (p < 0.001). The worst risk group was composed of patients presenting at least three of the four bad prognostic factors. These results make possible the design of clinical trials in quiescent CD patients with a high risk of relapse.

[Pseudotumoral aspects of the ileocecal valve in post-antibiotic colitis]. / Aspect pseudo-tumoral de la valvule iléo-caecale au cours d'une colite post-antibiotique.

The authors report a case of acute hemorrhagic colitis following amoxicillin therapy, characterized by a tumor-like lesion of the ileo-cecal valve. Clinical symptomatology and endoscopic lesions disappeared within a few days after withdrawal of the antibiotic.

Colonoscopy of acute colitis. A safe and reliable tool for assessment of severity.

Complications that might lead to surgery in severe attacks of ulcerative colitis have been found to be correlated with the depth of colonic ulcerations as measured by pathological examination of colectomy specimens. In order to evaluate the value of colonoscopy for the assessment of colonic ulcerations, we have reviewed the clinical, biological, colonoscopic, and anatomical findings in 85 consecutive patients with attacks of ulcerative colitis involving at least the rectosigmoid and part of the descending colon, seen in our center between 1981 and 1989. All had colonoscopy performed by a senior endoscopist at entry. Extensive deep colonic ulcerations were diagnosed in 46 of them, and moderate endoscopic colitis in 39. No complication related to colonoscopy occurred except for one colonic dilatation. Forty-three of the 46 patients with severe endoscopic colitis were operated upon; 38 of them failed to improve with high-dose corticosteroids and five had a toxic megacolon. Extensive ulcerations reaching at least the circular muscle layer were found at pathological examination of colectomy specimen in 42 of the 43 patients. Conversely, 30 of 39 patients with moderate endoscopic colitis went into clinical remission with medical treatment, and only nine patients needed further surgery because of medical treatment failure. Six of these nine patients underwent another colonoscopy prior to colectomy, and all six showed features of severe endoscopic colitis. Deep ulcerations reaching the circular muscle layer were found at pathological examination in five of these six patients and in one additional patient whose colonoscopy had been performed 21 days before colectomy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Treatment of Crohn's disease with azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine. Retrospective study of 126 cases]. / Traitement de la maladie de Crohn par l'azathioprine ou la 6-mercaptopurine. Etude rétrospective chez 126 malades.

Over the past 15 years (1974-1989), 126 patients with Crohn's disease received azathioprine (n = 123) or 6-mercaptopurine (n = 3). Seven patients were lost of follow-up during the first month and were not analyzed. Among the 119 patients analyzed (52 men, 67 women, mean age 31.6 years), the median duration of treatment was 9.1 months (range: 8 days to 15 years). Most of the 109 patients with active disease at the beginning of the immunosuppressive therapy were either steroid-dependent (n = 63) or steroid-resistant (n = 23); 19 had frequent relapses and/or extensive involvement of the gastrointestinal tract; 4 had severe perianal disease. Among these 109 patients, 25.4, 51, 60.4 and 64.4 percent were in clinical remission at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months (life-table analysis) respectively. There was no difference in outcome of patients with colonic, ileocolonic or small intestinal involvement. Steroid-resistant patients fared better than steroid-dependent patients (81 percent vs 59 percent of remission within the first year; p less than 0.001). In the 62 patients with quiescent disease treated with azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine, previous remission had been achieved with immunosuppressive therapy in 52, 8 were treated after a bowel resection which was assumed to be curative; 2 had achieved remission after total parenteral nutrition. In these patients, the percentages of relapse were 15.3 at the end of the first year and 20.3 at the end of the second year. Among the 8 patients treated with azathioprine after bowel resection, only one relapse occurred 1.5 months after surgery. Nineteen percent of the patients had adverse reactions that required discontinuation of treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[A case of diffuse inflammatory colonic pseudopolyposis caused by Crohn's disease]. / Un cas de pseudopolypose inflammatoire diffuse colique due à une maladie de Crohn.

Inflammatory pseudopolyposis of the colon is an uncommon anatomoclinical entity. It is generally associated with ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease or schistosomiasis. We report a case of a pseudopolyposis in Crohn's disease involving the entire colon. This case was characterized by three particular facts: a) the pseudopolyps were composed of granulation tissues only, b) severe exudative enteropathy was the most important symptom, c) the endoscopic ablation of the polyps, performed for the first time in Crohn's disease pseudopolyposis, resulted in clinical and biological improvement.

Treatment of duodenal ulcer with rioprostil: a randomized multicentre double-blind study.

The effectiveness of rioprostil, 300 micrograms b.d. is evaluated in evolutive duodenal ulcer in a double-blind study in five French and North African centres. A total of 115 patients are included in the study (57 in the rioprostil group and 58 in the placebo group). After a 4-week treatment period, a significantly higher endoscopic healing rate is observed in the rioprostil group (57%) compared with the placebo group (33%) (p less than 0.01). The mean time with abdominal pain is significantly lower in the rioprostil group (5.6 +/- 4.4 days) compared to the placebo group (12.7 +/- 5 days) (p less than 0.001). Clinical and biological tolerance is excellent. The only side effect is diarrhoea (3.5% in the rioprostil group). In only one case does diarrhoea necessitate cessation of treatment. Rioprostil, 300 micrograms b.d., is thus effective in the treatment of developing duodenal ulcer.

[Inverse polypoid hamartoma of the rectum with colonic extension of the lesions and deep cystic colitis with rectal involvement. Apropos of an anatomo-clinical case report]. / L'hamartome polypoïde inversé du rectum avec extension colique des lésions et la colite kystique profonde avec atteinte rectale. A propos d'une observation anatomo-clinique.

The authors report the case of a 38 year old man, presenting with an inverted polypoid hamartoma (IPH) of the rectum, associated with similar colonic localizations and they show the resemblance of these lesions to the colitis cystica profunda (CCP) with involvement of the entire large bowel and eventually the rectum. In fact, moreover, the symptoms, the digital rectal examination and the endoscopic, radiological and pathological data are similar but, in the reported cases, the IPH always included at least one rectal localization whereas the CCP might not show rectal lesion. Advanced lesions of rectal IPH may be confused, by endoscopy and pathology with adenomas or adenocarcinomas. Consequently it is essential to perform large and deep biopsies for histological diagnosis. The IPH and the CCP are benign diseases but "recurrence" may be observed in case of incomplete removal. The removal has to be adequate but not mutilating, either by surgery or by laser endoscopic photoablation. The choice of the procedure will depend upon the size of the lesion.

[Multiple primary intraductal tumors of Wirsung's duct: demonstration of a relation between benign and malignant tumors]. / Tumeurs intra-canalaires primitives multiples du canal de Wirsung: démonstration d'une filiation entre tumeurs bénignes et malignes.

A case of multiple villous and, more rarely, tubulovillous adenomas of the main pancreatic duct, associated with a diffuse infiltrating adenocarcinoma of the pancreas in which evidence for a link between these lesions is supported by histopathologic features, is reported in a 53 year old patient. Clinical presentation included abdominal pain, weight loss and chronic diarrhea with steatorrhea related to pancreatic insufficiency. Retrograde endoscopic pancreatography showed a complete stenosis of the main pancreatic duct located 3 mm beyond the ampulla of Vater. CT scan showed an heterogeneous cephalic pancreatic tumor with extensive enlargement of the main pancreatic duct. After total pancreatectomy, recovery was maintained (follow-up 18 months). By analogy to colorectal tumors, a new pathologic classification of these rare neoplasms may be proposed.