An unusual complication of a biliary stent-small bowel perforation of an incarcerated hernia sac.

We present a case of small bowel perforation after migration of an endoscopically inserted biliary stent inside an incarcerated hernia sac. A review of the literature revealed no other report of stent morbidity associated with hernias. The management and implications are discussed.

Achalasia and hiatal hernia.

Several reports have emphasized the rarity of hiatal hernia in achalasia, despite the lack of inherent incompatibility of the two conditions and despite the relatively high frequency of hiatal hernia in the general population. We reviewed the radiographs of 71 of 94 consecutive patients with manometrically proven achalasia referred to Yale-New Haven Hospital. Unequivocal hiatal hernia was seen in 10 (14.1%) patients and was seen in nine of 35 (25.7%) patients 51 years old or more. Review of the radiographic reports from these 10 patients indicated that only two were properly recognized as showing both achalasia and hiatal hernia. All five patients who underwent pneumatic dilatation had excellent results. We conclude that hiatal hernia in achalasia is frequently unrecognized and underreported but is not rare, with a frequency probably similar to that of the general population.

Classic and vigorous achalasia: a comparison of manometric, radiographic, and clinical findings.

Compared with classic achalasia, vigorous achalasia has been defined as achalasia with relatively high esophageal contraction amplitudes, often with minimal esophageal dilation and prominent tertiary contractions on radiographs, and with the presence of chest pain. However, no study using current manometric techniques has compared manometric, radiographic, and clinical findings in vigorous and classic achalasia or questioned the usefulness of making this distinction. Fifty-four cases involving patients with achalasia whose radiographic and manometric studies were performed within 6 months of each other were available for review. Patients with vigorous achalasia (n = 17), defined by amplitude greater than or equal to 37 mm Hg, and patients with classic achalasia (n = 37), defined as amplitude less than 37 mm Hg, had substantial overlap in radiographic parameters of esophageal dilation, tortuosity, and tertiary contractions. Manometric properties of repetitive waves and lower esophageal sphincter pressure and clinical aspects of chest pain, dysphagia, heartburn, and satisfactory responses to pneumatic dilation were similar in both forms of achalasia. A separate analysis of patients with mean contraction amplitude greater than 60 mm Hg revealed similar findings. It is concluded that use of amplitude as a criterion for classifying achalasia is arbitrary and of dubious value.

Endoscopic treatment of Dieulafoy's lesion of the duodenum.

Dieulafoy's lesion is an often unrecognized cause of catastrophic upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, typically seen in otherwise asymptomatic patients. Although the lesion is most often found in the stomach, it has rarely been reported to occur in the jejunum and duodenum. Endoscopic treatment has recently been attempted to arrest the bleeding from these lesions, when found in the stomach, with satisfactory results. We report a patient with a bleeding duodenal Dieulafoy lesion who was successfully treated with endoscopic injection of epinephrine (1:10,000) and electrocoagulation. Endoscopic treatment of Dieulafoy's lesion should be attempted before surgery and, as in other causes of acute nonvariceal hemorrhage, be considered the treatment of choice.

Acute necrotizing esophagitis.

Esophagitis of varying degrees and significance is caused by reflux, infections, radiation, and ingestion of chemical agents. A case of necrotizing esophagitis, seen as a black esophagus on endoscopy in a postoperative patient and resulting in long tubular stricture which ultimately required esophagectomy, is reported. Although the course of necrotizing esophagitis may parallel that associated with ischemia, severe caustic injury, or overwhelming infection, its etiology is uncertain. Diminished mucosal defenses, microbial implantation by a nasogastric tube placed perioperatively or sepsis, and transient ischemia with oxyradical formation and resultant reperfusion injury are hypothesized as important causative factors in the pathogenesis of acute necrotizing esophagitis.

Fatal acute congestive heart failure in a patient with idiopathic hemochromatosis and cocaine use.

Cardiovascular complications from cocaine use have been recognized in increasing frequency in recent years. We report the case of a young man with a history of intranasal cocaine use presenting with acute congestive heart failure who, on postmortem examination, was found to have idiopathic hemochromatosis. It is speculated that cocaine played a synergistic role in depressing myocardial function in a heart which had already been compromised by the diffuse iron deposition associated with hemochromatosis.