[The difference in diagnosis rate of different diagnostic criteria of autoimmune pancreatitis and its major influential factors].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the difference in diagnostic criteria of autoimmune pancreatitis(AIP) and its major influential factors, so as to provide guidance for AIP diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: The clinical data of 561 cases of chronic pancreatitis admitted to PLA General Hospital from June, 2008 to January, 2013 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Data were extracted and analyzed to summarize the reasons of the differences in AIP diagnosis rate diagnosed by different diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: A total of 34 cases were eligible for the 2006 American HISORt criteria of AIP of whom, 5, 10 and 26 met the criteria of histology, pancreatic imaging findings and increasing serum IgG4 levels, and response to steroids and increasing serum IgG4 levels, respectively. Seven AIP patients met the latter two criteria. Fifteen patients were eligible for the 2008 Asian diagnostic criteria for AIP, of which, 10 met the two necessary imaging findings and 5 met the criteria of pathology of lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis (LPSP) after surgical resection. CONCLUSIONS: AIP is characterized by autoimmune inflammatory process, and is easy to be misdiagnosed as pancreatic cancer or cholangiocarcinoma etc. As a few sets of criteria issued from different countries, the 2008 Asian diagnostic criterion is more suitable with Chinese population. We should pay full attention to the importance of imaging examination of the diagnosis of AIP on the base of the detection of immune parameters, pathological examination and response to steroids.

[A retrospective analysis of ectopic varices in gastrointestinal tract diagnosed by endoscopy].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the incidence, causes, clinical manifestations and treatment of ectopic varices (EV) in gastrointestinal (GI) tract. METHODS: GI endoscopic examinations were carried out in 99 783 patients from January 2004 to October 2012 in General Hospital of PLA. Sixty-four cases of ectopic varices in GI tract were discovered. The clinical manifestations of EV patients and treatment were analyzed retrospectively. The literatures of EV were reviewed. RESULTS: The prevalence of EV in GI was 0.06% (64/99 783) in all patients undergoing endoscopic examinations, including 5 in the gastric antrum, 37 in the duodenum, 2 in the colon, 17 in the rectum, 1 in terminal ileum as well as whole colorectum, and 2 in the anastomotic stomas. The causes of EV included portal hypertension with cirrhosis in 52 cases (42 of hepatitis as dominant, 5 of alcoholic, 3 of biliary). Twenty-five cases had past history of endoscopic sclerotherapy, tissue adhesive injection or band ligation.Extrahepatic portal vein obstruction was seen in 4 cases (1 with pancreatic cancer, gastric cardia after surgery, pancreatic cancer after surgery, small intestine after partial hepatectomy respectively) and 8 cases uncertain. Nine cases accepted endoscopic tissue adhesive injection (no post-operative hemorrhage occurred in 9 cases and EV disappeared in 3 cases). Endoscopic band ligation was performed only for one patient. CONCLUSIONS: EV in GI tract is a rare condition, which occurs commonly in duodenum, colon, and rectum. Portal hypertension is the most common cause. Gastrointestinal hemorrhage is the main clinical manifestation. EV should be considered in GI bleeding, with gastroesophageal varices hemorrhage excluded. Endoscopic adhesive injection is an effective way to treat EV.

Treatment of gastric varices by endoscopic sclerotherapy using butyl cyanoacrylate: 10 years' experience of 635 cases.

BACKGROUND: Gastric varices (GV) are life-threatening for patients with portal hypertension. Endoscopic injection with butyl cyanoacrylate (BC), the mainstay of the therapy for GV, has been reported to be effective for hemostasis of bleeding varices, but its efficacy in the obliteration of GV and impact on the survival of patients still needs clarification. Here we summarized our experience of 10 years' practice to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic therapy using BC for GV patients. METHODS: From January 1997 to April 2006, GV cases treated with endoscopic injection using BC were collected. The "sandwich method" and the "modified sandwich method" were used to inject BC intravascularly. Retrograde analysis was made on the data of treatment and follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 635 GV cases treated with endoscopic injection using BC were collected, most of them (90.2%) suffered from post-hepatitis cirrhosis. Emergency hemostasis was achieved in 139 out of 146 sessions (95.2%). Complications occurred in 32 cases (5.2%), including hemorrhage due to early expulsion of tissue glue (3.1%), septicemia (1%) and ectopic thrombosis (0.5%), such as spleen infarction. Endoscopic follow-up in 503 patients showed complete disappearance (76.9%), collapse (17.3%) or remnants (5.8%) of gastric varices. A total of 550 patients were followed up clinically for 3 to 115 months. Of these patients, 44 had recurrent bleeding (8.0%) and 44 died from hepatic failure, recurrent bleeding, hepatic carcinoma or other causes. The longest survival was 115 months, with a median survival of 25 months. Survival rates at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 year were 95%, 92%, 90%, 83% and 81%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic sclerotherapy with BC is effective for the hemostasis of bleeding GV, as well as obliteration of GV which contributes to less rebleeding and better survival. The modified sandwich method may be useful to minimize ectopic embolism, which we speculated to result from excess iodized oil.