Single-centre experience on use of videocapsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding in 120 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Capsule endoscopy (CE) has become first choice for evaluation of the small bowel in case of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). The influence of clinical factors on CE diagnostic yield remains controversial and little is known about the exact impact of CE on management and outcome. We aimed to identify the ideal candidates for CE examination in daily practice by reviewing our own data and the available literature. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data of 120 consecutive patients with OGIB (33 overt - 87 occult) that underwent CE in a single centre. RESULTS: Complete evaluation of the small bowel was achieved in 82.5%, with only one case of capsule retention. The overall diagnostic yield was 47.5% and no difference was noted in the overt versus the occult group. Only the presence of cardiovascular comorbidity was associated with a statistically significant increase in diagnostic yield (p = 0,041). Arterio-venous malformation (AVM) was diagnosed most frequently in 68.4% of positive studies. Specific management alterations were made in 22 patients (18.3%) following CE, mostly guided by a positive result (91%) (p = 0,0001). CONCLUSION: In daily practice it remains very difficult to predict pathology detection rate on CE as well as to estimate the impact on further management and outcome in the individual patient. Diagnostic yield is significantly higher in patients with cardiovascular comorbidity than in those without.

Montelukast as a treatment modality for eosinophilic gastroenteritis.

Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis (EG) is a rare condition, caused by eosinophilic inflammatory infiltrates in the gastrointestinal tract. It is usually treated successfully with systemic glucocorticoids. Because of frequent relapses, however, there is need for alternatives. We describe a 38-year old man with steroid-dependent EG, who was successfully treated with montelukast, a leukotriene receptor antagonist. It inhibits leukotriene D4, an important cytokine in the inflammatory cascade. Although montelukast could not replace steroid therapy, it acted as a steroid sparing agent in our patient. Review of the literature shows that montelukast is efficient in the treatment of EG in a part of the patients. The low cost, the low number of side effects and its efficiency make it an interesting alternative in relapsing or steroid dependent EG. There is need for multicentric studies regarding the treatment of EG.

Living related intestinal transplantation for Churg-Strauss syndrome: a case report.

Exceptionally, gastrointestinal involvement of Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) may require extensive bowel resection resulting in a short bowel syndrome. Living related intestinal transplantation (IT) has emerged as an alternative to deceased-donor IT in the management of patients with irreversible short bowel syndrome. Herein, we have presented a 35-year-old patient with isolated intestinal involvement of CSS lesions refractory to steroids and azathioprine requiring multiple abdominal resections resulting in an ultrashort bowel syndrome. A living related IT (from the mother) was performed. She underwent several acute rejection episodes treated with additional immunosuppressive therapy. Despite higher doses of immunosuppression, these repeated acute rejection episodes eventually evolved into a syndrome of chronic allograft rejection. Eventually, owing to her poor general condition and to avoid life-threatening infections, transplantectomy was inevitable. Recent immunologic studies indicate that peripheral mononuclear cells from patients with CSS secrete large amounts of T-helper type 1 and 2 cytokines. It is likely that patients with CSS are at higher risk for acute and chronic rejection after transplantation.

Quality assurance and recommendations for quality assessment of screening colonoscopy in Belgium.

As population-wide screening for colorectal cancer is adopted by many western countries for all individuals aged 50-75. The success of screening colonoscopy programs is highly dependent on the quality of the procedures. High-quality complete endoscopy with excellent patient preparation and adequate withdrawal time is necessary for effectively reducing colon cancer risk. In Belgium formal quality assurance programs and principles of credentialing do not exist. The current reimbursement system for colonoscopy does not reward a careful performed examination but rapidly performed examinations at unnecessarily short intervals. There is a clear need for evidence-based quality measures to ensure the quality of screening colonoscopy. In this guideline review we present an overview of the literature concerning criteria for best practice and important quality indicators for colonoscopy. A summary of the latest guidelines is given. Our goal of this update is to provide practical guidelines for endoscopists performing screening colonoscopy. We hope to provide a broad consensus and an increasing adherence to these recommendations.

Acute abdomen due to intestinal angioedema induced by ACE inhibitors: not so rare?

During the last 5 years we identified 7 patients with a history of episodic acute abdominal pain and subobstruction due to intestinal angioedema secondary to the use of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. These cases were all diagnosed in one gastroenterology department. This is thereby the largest single centre case series of ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema that has been published until now. Our findings suggest that this syndrome is far more frequent than international literature would let us believe. We also describe one of the first male cases diagnosed with this entity for which there is a significant female predominance. In the presence of an appropriate history and suggestive findings on CT scan, this diagnosis can relatively easily be made if one is sufficiently intent on it. An appropriate diagnosis can save these patients a lot of unnecessary diagnostic procedures and discomfort.

A unique combination of celiac disease, mesenteric lymph node cavitation, splenic atrophy and necrotizing hepatitis.

We report on a patient who was diagnosed six years before with celiac disease, with a current combined problem of asplenism, mesenteric cysts and elevated liver function tests. The implications of splenic atrophy mimic those of post-splenectomy patients. Mesenteric lymph node cavitation is a rare complication of celiac disease that is most often associated with splenic atrophy. The pathogenesis is unknown. The clinical implications of the cavitated mesenteric lymph nodes are unclear. The association of celiac disease with liver disease was reported many years ago, but only recently these associations have been more clearly defined. Liver involvement shows a clinical spectrum varying from nonspecific reactive hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis, steatohepatitis to frank cirrhosis. Associations with autoimmune hepatitis, autoimmune cholangitis, primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis have been described. In our patient, we found no obvious cause for the necrotizing hepatitis and the negative auto-antibodies made it impossible to firmly establish the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis. The causal relationship with celiac disease, if any, remains unproven.

Selection criteria and outcome of patients referred to intestinal transplantation: an European center experience.

Until 1998, intestinal transplantation (SBT) had not been performed in our region of Flanders, Belgium. Potential SBT activity was not known and selection criteria had not been validated. A multidisciplinary SBT program was launched in 1998. We analyzed requests for SBT and outcomes in these patients whether with or without SBT. Listing for SBT was only considered for patients with irreversible short bowel syndrome who had developed life-threatening complications of total parenteral nutrition, but whose general condition was still thought compatible with surgery and immunosuppression. During the study period 1998 to 2004, one third of the requests for SBT (10/31) were deemed suitable. SBT in this group was lifesaving (100% survival) when performed in time. Mortality in this group without SBT was high (67%). Two thirds of the patients (21/31) did not fulfill the SBT inclusion criteria, either because they were "too moribund" to tolerate transplantation or because they were "too well". This preliminary study emphasized the importance of (1) early referral of potential SBT candidates, (2) adherence to strict criteria for listing patients for SBT, and (3) referral of intestinal donors to procurement organizations.

[Acute infectious (not Clostridium difficile-associated) diarrhea in the elderly]. / Acute infectieuze (niet Clostridium difficile geassocieerde) diarree bij ouderen.

Acute diarrhoea, non-antibiotic associated, is a common problem and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in old age. In most cases diarrhoea has an infectious etiology. A number of different micro organisms can cause infectious diarrhoea. Most frequent are viral infections with a benign evolution. Rehydration is the only important therapeutic measure. Infections with bacteria are less common, antibiotics should be prescribed only in severe cases, and when there is suspicion of invasive infections by enteropathogenic bacteria.

Acute infectieuze (niet Clostridium difficile geassocieerde) diarree bij ouderen : Klinische les.

Acute diarrhoea, non-antibiotic associated, is a common problem and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in old age. In most cases diarrhoea has an infectious etiology. A number of different micro organisms can cause infectious diarrhoea. Most frequent are viral infections with a benign evolution. Rehydration is the only important therapeutic measure. Infections with bacteria are less common, antibiotics should be prescribed only in severe cases, and when there is suspicion of invasive infections by enteropathogenic bacteria.

[Antibiotic associated diarrhea and Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea in the elderly]. / Antibiotica geassocieerde en Clostridium difficile geassocieerde diarree bij ouderen.

Antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD) is a common complication when antibiotics are used and is frequent in the elderly. It has an impact on the length of hospital stay and increases the comorbidity. Together with the type of antibiotic that is given, the length of antibiotical treatment and the combination of antibiotics is more predictive for the evolution of diarrhea when compared to the total given dose. Mostly AAD is benign, but an infection with C. difficile should always be excluded. C. difficile-enterocolitis is frequent among residents in nursing homes and in hospitalised patients. The clinical presentation varies from asymptomatic colonisation tot severe debilitating disease. A rapid diagnosis can be performed by detection of C. difficile toxin by an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Oral metronidazole and oral vancomycine are equally effective in the therapy. In relapsing infection an extended tapering regimen is sometimes necessary.

The risk of post-operative complications associated with infliximab therapy for Crohn's disease: a controlled cohort study.

BACKGROUND: By temporarily suppressing the immune response, the anti-tumour necrosis factor agent, infliximab, may increase the risk of peri-operative complications. AIM: To test this hypothesis for intestinal resection in a cohort of 313 Crohn's disease patients treated with infliximab. Forty received one or more infusions prior to intestinal resection (31/40 within 12 weeks). METHODS: The post-operative events of these patients were compared with those of a control group (infliximab naive) of 39 patients adjusted for age, gender and surgical procedure. Early (10 days) and late (3 months) major or minor complications were identified. RESULTS: The incidence of early minor (15.0% vs. 12.8%) and major (12.5% vs. 7.7%) and late minor (2.5% vs. 5.1%) and major (17.5% vs. 12.8%) complications and the mean hospital stay after surgery (10.3 +/- 4.0 days vs. 9.9 +/- 5.5 days) were similar in both groups. A trend towards an increased early infection rate was found in infliximab pre-treated patients (6 vs. 1; P = 0.10), but more patients in this group received corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressives (29 vs. 16 patients; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of infliximab before intestinal resection does not prolong the hospital stay and does not increase the rate of post-operative complications.

Treatment of acute diarrhoea: update of guidelines based on a critical interuniversity assessment of medications and current practices.

Further to a thorough analysis of the problem of acute diarrhoea and the therapeutic options, recommendations were defined following a multidisciplinary approach. These guidelines take into account the reality of frequent self-medication. They further differ as a function of age (children, primarily treated by ORS and for whom self-medication is not advised versus adults who can self-medicate), symptoms (uncomplicated diarrhoea versus dysentery) and location where the diarrhoea is contracted (at home or when travelling).

Ileal perforation caused by cytomegalovirus infection in an immunocompetent adult.

A 71-year-old woman developed a small bowel perforation due to cytomegalovirus infection. She did not taken any immunosuppressive medication and her cellular immunity was normal. Surgical resection and antiviral therapy with ganciclovir led to complete recovery. As far as we know, this paper reports the first case of small bowel perforation due to cytomegalovirus infection in a non-immunocompromised patient. Nevertheless the patient was known with diabetes mellitus. It should be emphasised that elderly patients have impaired immune defences and may be unsuspected hosts of opportunistic infections.

Patient acceptance for CT colonography: what is the real issue?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the discomfort associated with CT colonography compared with colonoscopy and bowel purgation cleansing, and to evaluate patient preference between CT colonography and colonoscopy. In a total of 124 patients, scheduled for multidetector virtual CT colonography and diagnostic colonoscopy, patient acceptance and future preference were assessed during the different steps of the procedure (colon preparation, CT examination, and conventional colonoscopy). Patients who described contradictory findings between the degree of discomfort and their preference regarding follow-up examinations were retrospectively reinterviewed regarding the reason for this discrepancy. Colonoscopy was graded slightly more uncomfortable than virtual CT colonography, but the preparation was clearly the most uncomfortable part of the procedure. Concerning their preference regarding follow-up examinations, 71% of the patients preferred virtual CT colonography, 24% preferred colonoscopy, and 5% had no preference. Twenty-eight percent of the patients preferred virtual CT colonography despite that they thought it was equally or even more uncomfortable than colonoscopy. This was mainly due to the faster procedure (17 patients), the lower physical challenge (14 patients), and the lack of sedation (12 patients) of virtual CT colonography. Factors other than the discomfort related to the examinations play an important role in the patient's preference for virtual CT colonography, namely the faster procedure, the lower physical challenge, and the lack of sedation. Since the preparation plays a major decisive factor in the patient acceptance of virtual CT colonography, more attention should be given to fecal tagging.

Intravenous cyclosporine versus intravenous corticosteroids as single therapy for severe attacks of ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cyclosporine has been effective in patients with steroid-refractory attacks of ulcerative colitis (UC). We investigated the effects of intravenous (IV) cyclosporine as single IV therapy (without glucocorticosteroids) for severe UC and compared these with the response to glucocorticosteroids. METHODS: Patients with a severe attack of UC were randomized to treatment with IV cyclosporine, 4 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1), or with methylprednisolone, 40 mg/day, in a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. After 8 days, patients who had a response received the same medication orally in combination with azathioprine. Patients were followed up clinically, endoscopically, and by scintigraphy. Renal function was assessed using urinary inulin clearances. Endpoints were clinical improvement, discharge from the hospital, and remission up to 12 months after intravenous therapy. RESULTS: Thirty patients were included. After 8 days, 8 of 15 patients (53%) who received methylprednisolone had a response to therapy vs. 9 of 14 (64%) receiving cyclosporine. In nonresponders, 3 of 7 methylprednisolone patients and 1 of 3 cyclosporine patients improved when both treatments were combined. No serious drug-related toxicity was observed with either treatment. At 12 months, 7 of 9 patients (78%) initially controlled with cyclosporine maintained their remission vs. 3 of 8 (37%) initially treated with methylprednisolone. No clinically significant decrease of renal function was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Cyclosporine monotherapy is an effective and safe alternative to glucocorticosteroids in patients with severe attacks of UC.

Histopathologic validation of lymph node staging with FDG-PET scan in cancer of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction: A prospective study based on primary surgery with extensive lymphadenectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of positron emission tomography with 18fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) for preoperative lymph node staging of patients with primary cancer of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: FDG-PET appears to be a promising tool in the preoperative staging of cancer of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction. Recent reports indicate a higher sensitivity and specificity for detection of stage IV disease and a higher specificity for diagnosis of lymph node involvement compared with the standard use of computed tomography and endoscopic ultrasound. METHODS: Forty-two patients entered the prospective study. All underwent attenuation-corrected FDG-PET imaging of the neck, thorax, and upper abdomen, a spiral computed tomography scan, and an endoscopic ultrasound. The gold standard consisted exclusively of the histology of sampled nodes obtained by extensive two-field or three-field lymphadenectomies (n = 39) or from guided biopsies of suspicious distant nodes indicated by imaging (n = 3). RESULTS: The FDG-PET scan had lower accuracy for the diagnosis of locoregional nodes (N1-2) than combined computed tomography and endoscopic ultrasound (48% vs. 69%) because of a significant lack of sensitivity (22% vs. 83%). The accuracy for distant nodal metastasis (M+Ly), however, was significantly higher for FDG-PET than the combined use of computed tomography and endoscopic ultrasound (86% vs. 62%). Sensitivity was not significantly different, but specificity was greater (90% vs. 69%). The FDG-PET scan correctly upstaged five patients (12%) from N1-2 stage to M+Ly stage. One patient was falsely downstaged by FDG-PET scanning. CONCLUSIONS: FDG-PET scanning improves the clinical staging of lymph node involvement based on the increased detection of distant nodal metastases and on the superior specificity compared with conventional imaging modalities.

Utility of positron emission tomography for the staging of patients with potentially operable esophageal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: A prospective study of preoperative tumor-node-metastasis staging of patients with esophageal cancer (EC) was designed to compare the accuracy of 18-F-fluoro-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) with conventional noninvasive modalities. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-four patients with carcinomas of the esophagus (n = 43) or gastroesophageal junction (n = 31) were studied. All patients underwent attenuation-corrected FDG-PET imaging, a spiral computed tomography (CT) scan, and an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). RESULTS: FDG-PET demonstrated increased activity in the primary tumor in 70 of 74 patients (sensitivity: 95%). False-negative PET images were found in four patients with T1 lesions. Thirty-four patients (46%) had stage IV disease. FDG-PET had a higher accuracy for diagnosing stage IV disease compared with the combination of CT and EUS (82% v 64%, respectively; P: =.004). FDG-PET had additional diagnostic value in 16 (22%) of 74 patients by upstaging 11 (15%) and downstaging five (7%) patients. Thirty-nine (53%) of the 74 patients underwent a 2- or 3-field lymphadenectomy in conjunction with primary curative esophagectomy. In these patients, tumoral involvement was found in 21 local and 35 regional or distant lymph nodes (LN). For local LN, the sensitivity of FDG-PET was lower than EUS (33% v 81%, respectively; P: =.027), but the specificity may have been higher (89% v 67%, respectively; P: = not significant [NS]). For the assessment of regional and distant LN involvement, compared with the combined use of CT and EUS, FDG-PET had a higher specificity (90% v 98%, respectively; P: =. 025) and a similar sensitivity (46% v 43%, respectively; P: = NS). CONCLUSION: PET significantly improves the detection of stage IV disease in EC compared with the conventional staging modalities. PET improves diagnostic specificity for LN staging.

Combination therapies for the endoscopic treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding.

This review discusses the background and analysis of data in the literature regarding the effect of a combination of endoscopic therapies on the treatment of bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers. Although these techniques are commonly used, convincing data to support combinations of injection therapies are scarce, and various studies give somewhat conflicting results. In one study, a combination of the injection of adrenaline and a high dose of thrombin was superior to using adrenaline alone. The combination of injection therapy with a thermal method tends to give better results than injection therapy alone in several studies, but the difference is only statistically significant in one study (which uses the gold probe). The data regarding a combination of injection therapy with haemostatic clips are somewhat discordant regarding the effect of the haemoclip itself, but none of the studies found an advantage of combining the two modalities. Some studies suggest that subgroups may exist, such as ulcers with spurting haemorrhage, in which combined treatment might be more useful.

The effects of smoking and indomethacin on small intestinal permeability.

BACKGROUND: Smoking modulates inflammatory bowel disease, protecting from ulcerative colitis on the one hand and worsening the course of Crohn's disease on the other. This influence might occur through changes in intestinal permeability, because permeability is increased in most patients with Crohn's disease. AIM: To study the influence of smoking on small intestinal permeability and its increase induced by indomethacin. METHODS: 50 smokers and 50 nonsmokers underwent a 51Cr-EDTA basal permeability test and the same test after challenge with indomethacin 125 mg p.o. RESULTS: Small intestinal permeability was the same in smokers (median 1.22%; IQR 1.00-1.58) and nonsmokers (1.24%; 0.94-1.66). Basal small intestinal permeability was lower in females (1.09%; 0.87-1.33) than in males (1.48%; 1.18-1.88). Indomethacin challenge increased permeability by 110% (71-141) in smokers, vs. 156% (78-220) in the nonsmokers (P=0.04). CONCLUSION: Smoking reduces the effect of NSAID on small intestinal permeability. It is therefore unlikely that the adverse effect of smoking on Crohn's disease is related to its influence on intestinal permeability.