Diagnostic value of the C methacetin breath test in various stages of chronic liver disease.

The accuracy of the (13)C-methacetin breath test ((13)C-MBT) in differentiating between various stages of liver disease is not clear. A cross-sectional study of Asian patients was conducted to examine the predictive value of the (13)C-MBT in various stages of chronic liver diseases. Diagnostic accuracy of the breath test was determined by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the curve analysis. Seventy-seven patients (47 men/30 women, mean age 50 ± 16 years) were recruited. Forty-seven patients had liver cirrhosis (Child Pugh A = 11, Child Pugh B = 15, and Child Pugh C = 21), 21 had fibrosis, and 9 had chronic inflammation. The sensitivity and positive predictive value for liver fibrosis, cirrhosis (all stages), Child-Pugh A, Child-Pugh B, and Child-Pugh C were 65% and 56%, 89% and 89%, 67% and 42%, 40% and 40%, and 50% and 77%, respectively. Area under curve values for fibrosis was 0.62 (0.39-0.86), whilst that for cirrhosis (all stages) was 0.95 (0.91-0.99). The (13)C-methacetin breath test has a poor predictive value for liver fibrosis but accurately determines advanced cirrhosis.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is a significant cause of peptic ulcer disease in a tertiary hospital in Singapore: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Peptic ulcers due to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use may have contributed to the static prevalence of ulcer disease in Asia. GOAL: We aimed to determine the current etiology of peptic ulcer disease in Singapore. STUDY: Consecutive patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy who had not been exposed to antibiotics, or antiulcer therapy within the past 6 months, and in whom peptic ulcers were found, were prospectively studied. Before endoscopy, patients were interviewed regarding the use of NSAID or aspirin. During endoscopy, antral biopsies were obtained for urease test and histology. Serum thromboxane B2 levels were compared with those of healthy volunteers. RESULTS: Peptic ulcers were detected in 600 patients during a 2-year period. The ulcers were negative for Helicobacter pylori in 212 patients (35.3%) and these H. pylori negative ulcers were related to NSAID use in 68.9% of cases. On the basis of serum thromboxane B2 levels, 30.8% of the patients with non-H. pylori non-NSAID were considered to have consumed NSAID. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori negative peptic ulcer makes up a significant proportion of peptic ulcer in Singapore. Most of these ulcers were related to NSAID use. Serum thromboxane profile suggested surreptitious NSAID use in many of the non-H. pylori and apparently non-NSAID patients.

Complications of endoscopic retrograde cholangiography in the post-MRCP era: a tertiary center experience.

AIM: To evaluate our experience in endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) in terms of fulfilling the ASGE guidelines in indications, positive findings, and complications in the post-magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) era. METHODS: Between November 2001 and February 2003, consecutive ERCP cases were prospectively evaluated with regard to the indications, findings, cannulation techniques, devices used during the procedure, sedation given, duration of procedure, and complications. These data were entered in a database for subsequent processing and analysis. RESULTS: Of 336 cases, 21.4% were diagnostic and 78.6% therapeutic ERCP. The indications for ERCP fulfilled the ASGE guidelines in 323 cases (96.1%). Suspected bile duct stone was the most frequent indication (26.8%), and this was followed by cholangitis (24.4%), dilated common bile duct (14.9%), and cholestatic jaundice (13.4%). Cannulation success rate was 94%. Biliary sphincterotomy was performed in 175 (52.1%) patients. Repeated ERCP was performed on 31.5% of the patients. Overall, the complication rate was 9.8% with 0.3% being procedure-related mortality. The complications were pancreatitis (5.4%), bleeding (0.8%), cholangitis (2.4%) and others (1.5%). No significant difference was observed between the complication rate and the type of ERCP performed. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that post-ERCP complication rate was comparable with the other large prospective studies and there was no difference in the complication between the diagnostic and therapeutic ERCP.