Establishment of the hybrid endoscopic full-thickness resection of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

A prospective observational study was conducted to establish the procedure of hybrid endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) using an existing flexible endoscope. The present study included 16 patients who underwent hybrid EFTR between September 2009 and February 2013 for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). The patients were selected using the following inclusion criteria for histological findings: Mitotic counts <5/high-power field and immunohistochemical stains positive for KIT or cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34). The mean patient age was 68.2 years (range, 44-81 years); the male-to-female ratio was 6:10; lesion sites at upper (U), middle (M) and lower regions (L) of the stomach were 9/6/1; and the average tumor diameter was 28.3 mm. The mean surgical time was 271 min and the surgical time became progressively faster with each successive surgery. There were 12 and four patients with mitotic counts of <5 and 5-10, respectively, which was significantly different (P=0.01). Immunohistochemical stains showed that tumors from 13 and 10 patients (81.2 and 62.5%, respectively) were positive for KIT and CD34, respectively (P=0.328). All resected surgical margins were negative. According to Fletcher's risk classification, there were five, eight and three patients at an 'extremely low', 'low', and 'intermediate' risk (31.2, 50 and 18.8%, respectively) (P=0.003). The mean postoperative hospital duration was 12.3 days (range, 10-15 days). In conclusion, an ultra-minimally invasive surgery-hybrid EFTR is a safe and established surgical endoscopy procedure.

An effective and safe gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection in the right lateral position using an inverted overtube.

Previously, we reported the efficacy of a newly developed inverted overtube in shortening the hemostatic time and obtaining a clear endoscopic view in emergency endoscopic hemostasis. This device also helped us to perform gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) more safely by changing the direction of gravity in the right lateral position. To perform a safe ESD, it is important to make an appropriate angle and distance between the electric knife and the gastric mucosa. In this position, the distance to gastric mucosa is reduced, and the angle of the electric knife changes from vertical to somewhat oblique, facilitating safer cutting.

Radical excision of Barrett's esophagus and complete recovery of normal squamous epithelium.

To treat Barrett's esophagus (BE), radiofrequency ablation or cryotherapy are effective treatments for eradicating BE with dysplasia and intestinal metaplasia, and reduce the rates of Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma (BAC). However, patients with BE and dysplasia or early cancer who achieved complete eradication of intestinal metaplasia, BE recurred in 5% within a year, requiring expensive endoscopic surveillances. We performed endoscopic submucosal dissection as complete radically curable treatment procedure for BE with dysplasia, intestinal metaplasia and BAC.

Endoscopic management of a rare granulation polyp in a colonic diverticulum.

There are many case reports on colon diverticula that cause irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, bleeding, diverticulitis, stricture due to multiple recurrences of diverticulitis, and perforation. However, few articles have examined neoplasms that arise from a diverticulum, such as adenoma and adenocarcinoma, and there have been no reports of granulation polyps that arise from a colon diverticulum after recurrent diverticulitis. We observed a rare granulation polyp that arose from a diverticulum as a result of repeated episodes of local diverticulitis. Narrow band imaging magnified colonoscopy was very useful to diagnose the polyp as a granulation polyp because of the absence of a pit pattern on the surface of the polyp. We successfully resected the polyp using endoscopic mucosal resection. We inverted the diverticulum, and the resected stalk of the polyp was used to close the diverticulum with an over-the-scope clip. If a granulomatous polyp could arise from a diverticulum, differential diagnosis between a colon neoplasm and a granulomatous polyp would not only be difficult but also necessary for suitable endoscopic treatment.