Safety, Efficacy and High-Quality Standards of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Procedures in Personalized Sedoanalgesia Managed by the Gastroenterologist: A Retrospective Study.

Performing GI endoscopy under sedoanalgesia improves the quality-indices of the examination, in particular for cecal intubation and adenoma detection rates during colonoscopy. The implementation of procedural sedoanalgesia in GI endoscopy is also strongly recommended by the guidelines of the major international scientific societies. Nevertheless, there are regional barriers that prevent the widespread adoption of this good practice. A retrospective monocentric analytic study was performed on a cohort of 529 patients who underwent EGDS/Colonoscopy in sedoanalgesia, with personalized dosage of Fentanyl and Midazolam. ASA class, age and weight were collected for each patient. The vital parameters were recorded during, pre- and post-procedure. The rates of cecal intubation and of procedure-related complications were entered. The VAS scale was used to evaluate the efficacy of sedoanalgesia, and the Aldrete score was used for patient discharge criteria. No clinically significant differences were found between vital signs pre- and post-procedure. Both anesthesia and endoscopic-related complications occurring were few and successfully managed. At the end of examination, both the mean Aldrete score (89.56), and the VAS score (<4 in 99.1%) were suitable for discharge. For the colonoscopies, the cumulative adenoma detection rate (25%) and the cecal intubation rate in the general group (98%) and in the colorectal cancer screening group (100%) were satisfying. Pain control management is an ethical and medical issue aimed at increasing both patient compliance and the quality of the procedures. The findings of this work underscore that in selected patients personalized sedoanalgesia in GI endoscopy can be safely managed by gastroenterologists.

Endobiliary biopsy.

The differential diagnosis between benign and malignant biliary strictures is challenging and requires a multidisciplinary approach with the use of serum biomarkers, imaging techniques, and several modalities of endoscopic or percutaneous tissue sampling. The diagnosis of biliary strictures consists of laboratory markers, and invasive and non-invasive imaging examinations such as computed tomography (CT), contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). Nevertheless, invasive imaging modalities combined with tissue sampling are usually required to confirm the diagnosis of suspected malignant biliary strictures, while pathological diagnosis is mandatory to decide the optimal therapeutic strategy. Although EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy is currently the standard procedure for tissue sampling of solid pancreatic mass lesions, its diagnostic value in intraductal infiltrating type of cholangiocarcinoma remains limited. Moreover, the "endobiliary approach" using novel slim biopsy forceps, transpapillary and percutaneous cholangioscopy, and intraductal ultrasound-guided biopsy, is gaining ground on traditional endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography endobiliary forceps biopsy. This review focuses on the available endobiliary techniques currently used to perform biliary strictures biopsy, comparing the diagnostic performance of endoscopic and percutaneous approaches.

Age-dependent diagnostic yield of echocardiography as a second-line diagnostic investigation in athletes with abnormalities at preparticipation screening.

AIMS: Systematic pre-participation screening of subjects practicing sports activity has the potential to identify athletes at risk of sudden cardiac death. However, limited evidence are present concerning the yield of echocardiography as a second-line exam in athletes with abnormal pre-participation screening. METHODS: Consecutive athletes were screened (2011-2017) in a community-based sports medicine center in Tuscany, with familial history, physical examination and ECG. Patients with abnormal/>1 borderline ECG findings, symptoms/signs of cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular risk factors or family history of juvenile/genetic cardiac disease underwent echocardiography. RESULTS: A total of 30109 athletes (age 21 [15;31]) were evaluated. Of these, 6234 (21%) were aged 8-11 years, 18309 (61%) 12-18 years, 4442 (15%) 19-35 years, 1124 (4%) >35 years. A total of 2569 (9%) athletes were addressed to echocardiography. Referral rates increased significantly with age (5% in preadolescents to 38% in master athletes, P< 0.01). Subclinical heart diseases were found in 290/30109 (0.8%) and were common >35 years (135/1124, 11%), but rare at 19-35 years (91/4442, 2%), very rare <18 years (64/24 543, 0.2%; P< 0.01). Seventy-four (0.3%) athletes were disqualified because of the structural alterations identified, 29 (0.1%) with cardiac structural diseases at risk for sudden death. CONCLUSIONS: Italian community-based pre-participation screening showed an age-dependent yield, with a three-fold increase in referral in athletes >35 years. Subclinical structural abnormalities potentially predisposing to sudden death were rare (0.01%), mostly in post-pubertal and senior athletes. Age-specific pre-participation screening protocols may help optimize resources and improve specificity.

Bowel intussusception in adult: Prevalence, diagnostic tools and therapy.

Intussusception is defined as invagination of one segment of the bowel into an immediately adjacent segment. The intussusception refers to the proximal segment that invaginates into the distal segment, or the intussusception (recipient segment). Intussusception, more common occur in the small bowel and rarely involve only the large bowel. In direct contrast to pediatric etiologies, adult intussusception is associated with an identifiable cause in almost all the symptomatic cases while the idiopathic causes are extremely rare. As there are many common causes of acute abdomen, intussusception should be considered when more frequent etiologies have been ruled out. In this review, we discuss the symptoms, location, etiology, characteristics, diagnostic methods and treatment strategies of this rare and enigmatic clinical entity in adult.

Giant splenic artery aneurysm presenting with massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Splenic artery aneurysm (SAA) and pseudoaneurysm are rare vessel's lesions. Pseudoaneurysm is often symptomatic and secondary to pancreatitis or trauma. True SAA is the most common aneurysm of visceral vessels. In contrast to pseudoaneurysm, SAA is usually asymptomatic until the rupture, with high mortality rate. The clinical onset of SSA's rupture is a massive life-threatening bleeding with hemodynamic instability, usually into the free peritoneal space and more rarely into the gastrointestinal tract. CASE SUMMARY: We describe the case of a 35-year-old male patient, with negative past medical history, who presented to the emergency department for massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding, severe anemia and hypotension. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy performed in emergency showed a gastric bulging in the greater curvature/posterior wall with a small erosion on its surface, with a visible vessel, but no active bleeding. Endoscopic injection therapy with cyanoacrylate glue was performed. Urgent contrast-enhanced computed tomography was carried out due to the clinical scenario and the unclear endoscopic aspect: The radiological examination showed a giant SAA which was adherent to posterior stomach wall, and some smaller aneurysms of the left gastric and ileocolic artery. Because of the high risk of a two-stage rupture of the giant SAA with dramatic outcome, the patient underwent immediate open surgery with aneurysmectomy, splenectomy and distal pancreatectomy with a good postoperative outcome. CONCLUSION: The management of a ruptured giant SAA into the stomach can be successful with surgical approach.

Temperature monitoring and lesion volume estimation during double-applicator laser-induced thermotherapy in ex vivo swine pancreas: a preliminary study.

Tissue temperature distribution plays a crucial role in the outcome of laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT), a technique employed for neoplasias removal. Since recent studies proposed LITT for pancreatic tumors treatment, assessment of temperature and of its effects around the laser applicator could be useful to define optimal laser settings. The aims of this work are temperature monitoring and measurement of ablated tissue volume in an ex vivo porcine pancreas undergoing double-applicator LITT. A three-dimensional numerical model is implemented to predict temperature rise and volumes of ablated tissue in treated pancreas. Experiments are performed to validate the model, with two modalities: (1) 12-fiber Bragg grating sensors are adopted to monitor the heating and cooling during LITT at several distances from the applicators tip, and (2) 1.5-T MR imaging is used to estimate the ablated volume. Experimental data agree with theoretical ones: at 2 mm from both applicators tips, the maximum temperature increase is approximately 60 °C downward from the tips, while it increases of about 40 °C and 30 °C, respectively, at the level and upward from the tips. This behavior occurs also at other distances, proving that the tissue downward from the tip is mostly heated. Furthermore, the estimated volume with MRI agrees with theoretical one (i.d., 0.91 ± 0.09 vs. 0.95 cm(3)). The encouraging results indicate that the model could be a suitable tool to choose the optimal laser settings, in order to control the volume of ablated tissue.

US-guided application of Nd:YAG laser in porcine pancreatic tissue: an ex vivo study and numerical simulation.

BACKGROUND: Laser ablation (LA) with a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser is a minimally invasive approach able to achieve a high rate of complete tissue necrosis. In a previous study we described the feasibility of EUS-guided Nd:YAG pancreas LA performed in vivo in a porcine model. OBJECTIVE: To establish the best laser setting of Nd:YAG lasers for pancreatic tissue ablation. A secondary aim was to investigate the prediction capability of a mathematical model on ablation volume. DESIGN: Ex vivo animal study. SETTING: Hospital animal laboratory. SUBJECTS: Explanted pancreatic glands from 60 healthy farm pigs. INTERVENTION: Laser output powers (OP) of 1.5, 3, 6, 10, 15, and 20 W were supplied. Ten trials for each OP were performed under US guidance on ex vivo healthy porcine pancreatic tissue. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Ablation volume (Va) and central carbonization volume (Vc) were measured on histologic specimens as the sum of the lesion areas multiplied by the thickness of each slide. The theoretical model of the laser-tissue interaction was based on the Pennes equation. RESULTS: A circumscribed ablation zone was observed in all histologic specimens. Va values grow with the increase of the OP up to 10 W and reach a plateau between 10 and 20 W. The trend of Vc values rises constantly until 20 W. The theoretical model shows a good agreement with experimental Va and Vc for OP between 1.5 and 10 W. LIMITATIONS: Ex vivo study. CONCLUSION: Volumes recorded suggest that the best laser OP could be the lowest one to obtain similar Va with smaller Vc in order to avoid the risk of thermal injury to the surrounding tissue. The good agreement between the two models demonstrates the prediction capability of the theoretical model on laser-induced ablation volume in an ex vivo animal model and supports its potential use for estimating the ablation size at different laser OPs.

EUS-guided Nd:YAG laser ablation of normal pancreatic tissue: a pilot study in a pig model.

BACKGROUND: Laser ablation with a neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser can achieve a high rate of complete tissue necrosis and has been applied as a minimally invasive, palliative option in hepatocellular carcinoma, liver metastasis in colorectal cancer, and malignant thyroid nodules. OBJECTIVE: To assess the in vivo feasibility of EUS-guided laser ablation with an Nd:YAG laser of normal pancreatic tissue of a porcine model. DESIGN: Prospective investigation. SETTING: Hospital animal laboratory. SUBJECTS: Eight pigs. INTERVENTIONS: EUS-guided puncture of the pancreatic tail with a laser-beam fiber. An Nd:YAG laser (1.064 nm) was used, with an output power of 2 and 3 W and a total delivered energy of 500 and 1000 J in continuous mode. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The 24-hour follow-up of the pigs was focused on clinical and laboratory aspects. Results of histological studies of the pancreas were obtained 24 hours after the procedure on necroscopy tissue. RESULTS: There were no technical limitations to the performance of the procedure. Tissue necrosis, localized in the pancreatic parenchyma, was observed in all animals on histological examination. The volume of ablation tissue ranged from a mean of 314 mm(3) to 483 mm(3). The ablation area ranged from a mean of 49 mm(2) to 80 mm(2). No major postprocedure complications were recorded, and all the pigs survived at 24 hours. LIMITATION: Animal study. CONCLUSIONS: EUS-guided laser ablation of the pancreas with an Nd:YAG laser is feasible in a porcine model.