Clinical impact of a new method using a clear proctoscope to evaluate the therapeutic effect of sclerotherapy with aluminum potassium sulfate and tannic acid (ALTA) for internal hemorrhoids: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Hemorrhoids are a common benign disorder that can require surgery for treatment. Aluminum potassium sulfate and tannic acid (ALTA) have been used as a sclerotherapy agent that induces noninvasive sclerosis and regression of hemorrhoids without surgery. However, there is no objective index for determining its effectiveness. In this study, we prospectively investigated the usefulness of our method as an objective indicator of the effectiveness of ALTA sclerotherapy. Methods: From April 2015 to April 2019, 241 patients underwent ALTA sclerotherapy. We standardized a simple evaluation method using the lumen of the lower rectum as observed through a clear plastic proctoscope. Patients' hemorrhoids were evaluated preoperatively and their subjective satisfaction with treatment by our new method was evaluated on postoperative day 7. Results: Our method showed that among patients who lost the rectal lumen before treatment, the lumen was reacquired after ALTA sclerotherapy in 96.1% (224/233). McNemar test showed the effect of ALTA sclerotherapy to be significantly associated with lumen gain [κ value, 0.0027; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.0001-0.0052], P<0.001]. Patients' subjective satisfaction with the treatment was significantly higher in the group reacquiring the lumen (Fisher's exact test, P=0.0186). Among those patients needing re-treatment, 59.4% (19/32) had lost their lumen during follow-up [mean difference, 0.578; standard deviation (SD): 0.502, P<0.001]. Conclusions: Our simple method using a clear plastic proctoscope could objectively indicate the effect of ALTA sclerotherapy and patients who needed re-treatment on losing their lumen during follow-up. We believe this method is highly advantageous for patients, can advocate the concept of the hemorrhoid shrinking sign, and will contribute to the development of new indication criteria for ALTA sclerotherapy.

[The usefulness and adverse events of bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy against advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer].

We examined clinical results of 35 patients on bevacizumab(BV)combined with chemotherapy at our hospital. The subjects were 35 patients with advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer who received BV combined with chemotherapy for approximately 2 years. Their median age was 66 years(41 to 86 years), PS was 2 or less for all; it was first-line therapy in 21 patients, second-line in 12 patients and thirdline in 2 patients. The concomitant chemotherapy was mFOLFOX 6 in 24 / patients, 5-FU/LV in 8 patients and FOLFIRI in 3 patients. Therapeutic efficacy was CR in 2 patients, PR in 10 patients, and the overall response rate was 35%. There were 7 adverse events of Grade 3 or higher, among which 4 events were leucopenia. Neither overall survival nor any concomitant chemotherapy reached the median periods. Moreover, the median periods of / progression-free survival in mFOLFOX6/FOLFIRI were 191 days. BV combined with chemotherapy should be actively introduced as first-line therapy against advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer because of its high therapeutic efficacy.

Epidural pneumatosis associated with pneumomediastinum occurring at rest.

We report a rare case of epidural pneumatosis associated with pneumomediastinum that occurred at rest. A 17-year-old male had spontaneously felt shortness of breath while attending class during the day. Chest and neck CT revealed interstitial free air collection along the right pulmonary vascular sheath. It was speculated that some cough or strain-induced increase in intra-alveolar pressure in the alveoli along the right upper lobe caused free air leaks from the ruptured alveoli, which accumulated along the bronchovascular tissue sheath and moved into the mediastinum and subcutaneous area, especially in the right neck, right anterior chest wall, and right axillary region. CT also demonstrated subcutaneous emphysema extended into the epidural space through the intervertebral foramen. He exhibited a benign self-limited course.