Discharge protocol in acute pancreatitis: an international survey and cohort analysis.

There are several overlapping clinical practice guidelines in acute pancreatitis (AP), however, none of them contains suggestions on patient discharge. The Hungarian Pancreatic Study Group (HPSG) has recently developed a laboratory data and symptom-based discharge protocol which needs to be validated. (1) A survey was conducted involving all members of the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP) to understand the characteristics of international discharge protocols. (2) We investigated the safety and effectiveness of the HPSG-discharge protocol. According to our international survey, 87.5% (49/56) of the centres had no discharge protocol. Patients discharged based on protocols have a significantly shorter median length of hospitalization (LOH) (7 (5;10) days vs. 8 (5;12) days) p < 0.001), and a lower rate of readmission due to recurrent AP episodes (p = 0.005). There was no difference in median discharge CRP level among the international cohorts (p = 0.586). HPSG-protocol resulted in the shortest LOH (6 (5;9) days) and highest median CRP (35.40 (13.78; 68.40) mg/l). Safety was confirmed by the low rate of readmittance (n = 35; 5%). Discharge protocol is necessary in AP. The discharge protocol used in this study is the first clinically proven protocol. Developing and testifying further protocols are needed to better standardize patients' care.

Endoscopic Treatment of an Idiopathic Pancreaticopleural Fistula.

A 61-year-old man was diagnosed with an exudative pleural effusion with raised amylase and bilirubin levels. The patient had no previous history of acute pancreatitis or trauma and no clinical or radiological signs of chronic pancreatitis. On thoracoabdominal computed tomography, a pancreatic pseudocyst with a pancreaticopleural fistula was identified. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography identified a ductal disruption site in the body of the pancreas. Pancreatic sphincterotomy and stent placement in the duct of Wirsung, combined with medical management, allowed fistula closure, pseudocyst reabsorption, and no relapse of the pleural effusion. The relevance of this case lies not only in its rarity but also as it highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in such uncommon conditions. Optimal management of this condition is debatable due to the absence of prospective studies comparing medical, endoscopic, and surgical approaches.

Um homem de 61 anos foi diagnosticado com um derrame pleural exsudativo com níveis elevados de amilase e bilirrubina. O doente não apresentava história prévia de pancreatite aguda, trauma ou sinais e sintomas de pancreatite crónica. Na tomografia computadorizada toracoabdominal, foi identificado um pseudoquisto pancreático com uma fístula pancreatopleural. A colangiopancreatografia retrógrada endoscópica identificou um ponto de disrupção ductal no corpo do pâncreas, pelo que se optou pela realização de esfincterotomia pancreática e colocação de uma prótese plástica no ducto de Wirsung. Esta abordagem, combinada com o tratamento médico, permitiu o encerramento da fístula e resolução do derrame pleural, bem como reabsorção do pseudoquisto pancreático. A relevância deste caso reside não só na sua raridade, mas também porque destaca a importância de uma abordagem multidisciplinar para otimizar o tratamento. Dada a infrequência desta condição clínica, não existem estudos prospectivos que comparem as abordagens médica, endoscópica e cirúrgica.

Pancreaticopleural fistula: An insidious cause of pleural effusion -case report.

Pancreaticopleural fistulas (PPF) are a rare etiology of pleural effusions. We describe a case of a 61-year-old man, with left chest pain with six months of progression who presented with a large volume unilateral pleural effusion. A thoracentesis was performed, which showed a dark reddish fluid(exudate) and high content of pancreatic amylase. After that an abdominal computed tomography (CT)and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) was done, revealing fistulous pathways that originated in the pancreas. The patient was admitted for conservative and endoscopic treatment by Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and a prosthesis was placed on a fistulous path. He was discharged without complications, with the resolution of the pleural effusion and fistula.The interest of this case lies in the rarity of the event and absence of symptoms of the probable primary event (acute pancreatitis). The possible iatrogenic association with several drugs of his usual medication makes it even more complex.

Incidental finding of a breast carcinoma on Ga-68-DOTA-1-Nal3-octreotide positron emission tomography/computed tomography performed for the evaluation of a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor: A case report.

RATIONALE: Functional imaging using radiolabeled somatostatin analogues plays an important role in the management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors, and it is a promising tool in the new era of theragnosis and personalized medicine. PATIENTS CONCERNS: The authors present the case of a 63-year-old woman referred for evaluation of a suspected pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor by Ga-68-DOTA-1-Nal3-octreotide positron emission tomography/computed tomography (Ga-68-DOTA-NOC PET/CT). DIAGNOSES: PET/CT confirmed increased uptake of Ga-68-DOTA-NOC in a pancreatic lesion compatible with hyperexpression of somatostatin receptors in a neuroendocrine tumor. Furthermore, PET/CT revealed increased uptake in a breast lesion and in lymphadenomegalies (less intense than in the pancreatic tumor), which conducted to the incidental diagnosis of a breast carcinoma with lymph node metastases. INTERVENTIONS: For the breast cancer, the patient underwentneoadjuvant chemotherapy and anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, after which she was submitted to surgery. Regarding thepancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, it was decided to maintain itunder surveillance. OUTCOMES: Breast carcinomas are known to express somatostatin receptors and this is the first report of Ga-68-DOTA-NOC uptake in a breast tumor. LESSONS: Ga-68-DOTA-NOC PET/CT could be useful for the management of breast cancer patients in the new era of theragnosis and personalized medicine.

Platypnea-Orthodeoxia Syndrome After Complicated Cholecystectomy: An Unsuspected Diagnosis.

A 65-year-old woman with no significant prior medical history presented, in the postoperative course of a complicated cholecystectomy, several episodes of arterial desaturation. Pulmonary embolism was repeatedly suspected, but there was no evidence of pulmonary thrombus on the chest computed tomography angiographies obtained. As these episodes were mainly induced by postural changes, a platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome was suspected. A transthoracic echocardiogram was performed and revealed a patent foramen ovale. A transesophageal echocardiography confirmed the presence of a significant right-to-left shunt exacerbated by the Valsalva manouver. The defect was repaired using a percutaneous transcatheter technique with complete resolution of the condition.

Doente do sexo feminino, 65 anos de idade, sem antecedentes pessoais relevantes, apresentou no pós-operatório de uma colecistectomia complicada diversos episódios de dessaturação arterial. Suspeitou-se repetidamente de tromboembolismo pulmonar, no entanto as diversas angio-tomografias computorizadas obtidas nunca revelaram a presença de trombos no leito vascular pulmonar. Atendendo a que os episódios de dessaturação eram maioritariamente despoletados por alterações posturais, foi levantada a hipótese de se tratar de uma síndrome de platipneia-ortodeoxia. Foi realizado ecocardiograma transtorácico, que revelou um foramen oval patente; o ecocardiograma transesofágico confirmou a presença de um shunt direito-esquerdo significativo, exacerbado pela manobra de Valsalva. O defeito foi reparado através de uma técnica transcatéter, com resolução completa do quadro clínico.

Palliative stenting of a jejunal stricture secondary to malignant compression using single-balloon enteroscopy / Stent paliativo de una estenosis yeyunal por compresión maligna con enteroscopia de mono balón

No disponible

Cystic duct carcinoma mimicking a middle bile duct tumour.

Cystic duct carcinoma was defined by Farrar as a tumour restricted to the cystic duct, making it a rare disease. The authors describe a case of a cystic duct carcinoma that fulfils Farrar's strict diagnostic criteria and that became clinically relevant by compressing the common hepatic duct, thus causing cholestasis. A cholecystectomy was performed with en bloc resection of the cystic and extrahepatic bile duct with a regional lymphadenectomy.

Pancreaticopleural fistula: an unusual complication of pancreatitis.

Pancreaticopleural fistula is an uncommon complication of pancreatitis. The authors describe a case of a man in his mid-40s with a history of alcohol abuse, who presented with dyspnoea and whose chest X-ray revealed a massive left pleural effusion. Further diagnostic work up revealed a pancreaticopleural fistula. There was no improvement with a conservative approach and endoscopic treatment was not feasible, leading to the need for a surgical intervention.