[Myelosarcoma of the proximal jejunum. A rare primary condition of acute myelogenous leukemia]. / Myelosarkom des proximalen Jejunums Eine seltene Erstmanifestation der akuten myeloischen Leukämie.

Myelosarcoma (chloroma) is a rare primary condition in patients with either a myelodysplastic syndrome, or an acute or chronic leukemia. It is an extramedullary neoplasm which does not commonly present with changes in peripheral blood or bone marrow. The rarity and histomorphological similarity to malignant non-Hodgkin lymphoma renders the diagnosis notoriously difficult. Due to its coincidental or secondary manifestation followed by myelogenous leukemia, this tumor needs to be seen as a primary systemic disease. We present a 40 year old man with myelosarcoma of the jejunum and discuss this entity and its therapeutic options.

[Is duodeno-gastro-esophageal reflux just a bystander of acid reflux?]. / Ist duodeno-gastro-ösophagealer Reflux nur eine Begleiterscheinung des sauren Refluxes?

BACKGROUND & AIM: Duodeno-gastro-esophageal reflux (DGER) as measured with bilirubin monitoring is observed in many patients with reflux disease especially in Barrett's esophagus. As acid suppression is an effective therapy of reflux disease, DGER is frequently just considered as a bystander of acid reflux. To define the importance of DGER, reflux of duodenal contents was evaluated by bilirubin monitoring in the stomach. METHODS: 100 patients with reflux disease were evaluated (62 m, 38 f, 50 (12) years). 26 patients had Barrett's esophagus, 57 had esophagitis and 17 non- erosive reflux disease (pH pos.). All patients were evaluated with simultaneous 24-hour bilirubin monitoring in the esophagus and stomach. Results were compared to 35 measurements of healthy volunteers in the esophagus and 41 measurements in the stomach. RESULTS: Normal values: DGER - Exposure time esophagus > 11.8 % using an absorbance value > 0.14, duodenogastric reflux (DGR) - Exposure time stomach >24.8 % using an absorbance value > 0.25. 56 % of the patients had DGER, 41 % had DGR. 29 of the 41 patients with DGR had DGER (71 %), while 27 of the 56 patients with DGER had physiologic duodenogastric reflux (48 %). DISCUSSION: About 30 % of the patients with reflux disease show DGER combined with excessive DGR. Therefore, DGER is not just a bystander of acid reflux. The excessive DGR in some patients adds additional potentially dangerous substances to the esophageal reflux.

Combination of endoscopic argon plasma coagulation and antireflux surgery for treatment of Barrett's esophagus.

Columnar-lined epithelium with specialized intestinal metaplasia of the esophagus (i.e., Barrett's esophagus) is a premalignant condition caused by chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease. Progression of intestinal metaplasia may be avoided by antireflux surgery, whereas regeneration of esophageal mucosa could be achieved by endoscopic argon plasma coagulation (EAPC). The aim of this prospective study was to show the early results of a combination of EAPC and antireflux surgery. Thirty patients with Barrett's esophagus were treated between August 1996 and December 1999. Regeneration of esophageal mucosa was achieved with several sessions of EAPC under general anesthesia. All patients were receiving a double dose of proton pump inhibitors. Endoscopic follow-up was performed 6 to 8 weeks after the last session. Antireflux surgery (Nissen [n = 26] or Toupet [n = 4] fundoplication) followed complete regeneration of the squamous epithelium in the esophagus. One year after laparoscopic fundoplication and EAPC follow-up with endoscopy and quadrant biopsies of the esophagus, 24-hour pH monitoring and esophageal manometry were performed. All 30 patients showed complete regeneration of the squamous epithelium after a median of two sessions (range 1 to 7) of EAPC. Twenty-two patients underwent 1-year follow-up studies. All showed endoscopically an intact fundic wrap. Recurrence of a 1 cm segment of Barrett's epithelium without dysplasia was present in two patients, both of whom had recurrent acid reflux due to failure of their antireflux procedure. Our results indicate that the combination of EAPC and antireflux surgery is an effective treatment option in patients with Barrett's esophagus with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Long-term follow-up of this therapy is necessary to evaluate its effect on cancer risk in Barrett's esophagus.

Quality of life following laparoscopic gastric banding in patients with morbid obesity.

In a prospective study of 188 patients with morbid obesity, the time-dependent changes in the quality of life of individual patients were analyzed following laparoscopic gastric banding (LGB). These 188 patients (148 females and 40 males; age 19 to 59 years; body mass index 33 to 72 kg/m(2)) underwent evaluation of the LGB according to a strict protocol that included psychological testing using standardized instruments, detailed medical evaluation, upper gastrointestinal function studies, and evaluation of quality of life using the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI). Following this evaluation, 73 patients (57 females and 16 males; age 37 years [range 19 to 59 years]; body mass index 48 kg/m(2) [range 37 to 72 kg/m(2)]) underwent LGB and were followed up for 2 years focusing on weight loss, postoperative morbidity, weight-related comorbidity, and quality of life. The results demonstrate that LGB is well able to allow for a significant loss of excess weight and a significant improvement in patients' quality of life, both after a rather short period of time after surgery and at a continuous rate throughout the follow-up. The price for this success that was found in approximately 90% of patients is a complication rate of 38%; 85% of these patients, almost one third of all patients, must undergo some type of revision surgery. However, once the complications are resolved, these patients achieve the same level of weight loss and improvement in quality of life as patients with an uncomplicated postoperative course.

Laparoscopic fundoplication--short- and long-term outcome.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is probably the most frequently occurring benign functional disorder in the Western industrial countries. With the increasing popularity of laparoscopic anti-reflux procedures, issues on the appropriate technique have been revitalized. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic fundoplication and reflect on the perspective of an increasing frequency of performed operations. The data sampling is based on a literature review and a questionnaire. It can be summarized that reflux recurrence due to breakdown of the wrap or herniation of the wrap can also develop in later years after the primary surgery and amount up to 8%. Persistent dysphagia is a severe problem in the first post-operative year, but usually decreases with time and is limited to rates of 3-5% on the long-term follow-up. Other functional problems, such as gasbloat, meteorism and epigastric pain--the cause often cannot be further detected or specified--limit the quality of life of patients after laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery in the long-term follow-up in up to 5% of cases. Side effects of laparoscopic antireflux procedures can be limited to 5 to 10%, but not totally avoided.

Variability in the composition of physiologic duodenogastric reflux.

Duodenogastric reflux has long been associated with various diseases of the foregut. Even though bile is often used as a marker, duodenogastric reflux consists of other components such as pancreatic juice and duodenal secretions. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of duodenogastric reflux, its components, and the variability of its composition in normal subjects. Twenty healthy volunteers (7 men and 13 women) whose median age was 24 years underwent combined 24-hour bilirubin and gastric pH monitoring and intraluminal gastric aspiration. All probes were placed at 5 cm below the lower border of the lower esophageal sphincter. Aspiration was performed hourly and at any time when bilirubin and/or pH monitoring showed signs of duodenogastric reflux. Elastase and amylase were measured in the aspirate. All volunteers had episodes of physiologic duodenogastric reflux. A total of 70 episodes of duodenogastric reflux were registered with a median of three episodes (range 1 to 8) per subject. Most bile reflux occurred separately from pancreatic enzyme reflux. Pancreatic enzyme aspirate was significantly more often associated with a rise in pH in comparison to bile reflux (P <0.01). Duodenogastric reflux is a physiologic event with varying composition. Both bile and pancreatic enzyme reflux frequently occur separately. These findings could explain the disagreement regarding assessment and interpretation of duodenogastric reflux in the past. Thus monitoring of duodenogastric reflux requires more than the detection of just one component.

[Patient selection for laparoscopic gastric banding operation]. / Patientenselektion zur laparoskopischen "gastric banding" Operation.

This study presents methods and results of a systematic selection of patients for laparoscopic gastric banding. A seven-step selection process considering anamnestic data, comprehensive counseling of patients and relatives, standardized psychological evaluation, specific medical work-up, including functional foregut testing, and economic issues was performed to select 50 of 163 referred patients (30.1%) for surgery. Long-term follow-up is needed to assess the value of this selection process.

[Laparoscopic interventions in gastroesophageal reflux--a cost-benefit analysis]. / Laparoskopische Eingriffe bei gastroösophagealer Refluxkrankheit--eine Nutzen-Kosten-Analyse.

On the basis of a cost analysis of conservative and surgical therapy of gastroesophageal reflux disease in 70 patients health economic aspects are discussed. In a prospective documented series of reflux patients a retrolective analysis of medication cost and duration of conservative therapy is performed. In addition, the costs for surgical therapy including preoperative diagnostic workup, cost during hospitalization as well as costs for complications with necessary additional treatment and readmissions are assessed. For the conservative treatment of 70 reflux patients a total of more than DM < 700,000 had to be spent during preoperative 5 years. A major part of this sum was spent for patients who needed to increase the initial 20 mg dosage of Omeprazol within 5 years. A mean of approximately DM 2,000 per patient was spent for conservative treatment. Surgical treatment without complications was calculated with DM 5,425 per case. However, in 7 patients complications occurred causing prolonged or even rehospitalization with necessary further treatment summing up to about DM 486,000 for surgical therapy in 70 patients including complications. Cost relevant factors are therefore in conservative treatment patients who need increasing dosages, while, in surgical treatment, the cost relevant patients are those with complications and necessary additional treatment.

[How expensive is treatment of reflux disease?]. / Wie teur ist die Behandlung der Refluxkrankheit?

In a prospective documented series of reflux patients, a retroelective analysis of medication cost and duration of conservative therapy as well as the costs for surgical therapy including preoperative diagnostic workup, cost during hospitalization, and costs for complications with necessary additional treatment and readmissions is assessed. Cost-relevant factors are in conservative treatment cost-relevant factors are those patients who need increasing dosages, while in surgical treatment the cost-relevant patients are those with complications who need additional treatment.