Diltiazem and granulomatous hepatitis.

A case of granulomatous hepatitis proven by biopsy and related to diltiazem use is described. Clinicians should be alert to the possible presence of this complication in patients who develop fever, laboratory abnormalities, or clinical evidence of hepatic injury while taking diltiazem.

Increased colonic motility during exposure to a stressful situation.

Colonic smooth muscle spike potentials and contractility were recorded during the periods of stress by a bipolar electrode-perfused catheter apparatus placed in the rectosigmoid colon. Healthy subjects and patients with the irritable colon syndrome (ICS) were exposed to three standardized stressful conditions: (1) ice-water immersion, (2) Stroop stimulus differentiation test, and (3) ball sorting. In healthy controls, colonic motility increased after the first exposure to ice-water immersion (P less than 0.05), Stroop test (P less than 0.05), or ball sorting. Respiratory frequency also increased after exposure to the stressful stimuli. However, repeat exposures to the stress tests did not stimulate colonic motility. An increase in colonic motility occurred in patients with the irritable colon syndrome pretreated with a placebo after exposure to ice water (P less than 0.05), Stroop Test, or ball sorting (P less than 0.05). However, after exposure to the stressful situations patients pretreated with chlordiazepoxide had a diminished increase in colonic motility or in respiratory frequency. These studies suggest: (1) in healthy controls habituation reduces the stress-related increase in colonic motility, and (2) in patients with the irritable colon syndrome, chlordiazepoxide decreases the stress-related increase in colonic motility.

Diverticulum of the urinary bladder.

Vesical diverticulum predominates in males and is frequently associated with obstruction at or near the bladder neck. The obstruction may be due to benign prostatic hypertrophy, urethral stricture or, less often, carcinoma. Diagnosis is made by intravenous or retrograde cystogram. Urinary stasis leads to recurrent infection and stone formation. While small diverticula may often be left alone, large ones should be surgically removed.

Provocation of esophageal pain by ergonovine or edrophonium.

Ten patients with anginal symptoms and ergonovine-induced chest pain without coronary artery spasm had esophageal manometry with provocative pharmacologic testing. Increased amplitude of esophageal contractions on baseline manometry (68.2 +/- 10.3 mmHg) was the only characteristic discriminating these patients from normals (40.9 +/- 6.3 mmHg) and from patients with esophageal motility disorders (39.6 +/- 7.5 mmHg). The administration of ergonovine or edrophonium provoked typical chest pain in association with high amplitude, long duration, and repetitive esophageal contractions in all 10 patients. Patients with esophageal motor disorders showed a similar, but less marked esophageal response with pain infrequently produced. Normals showed no response to ergonovine, and a minimal response to edrophonium, but without chest pain. Clinical features of patients with ergonovine-induced chest pain could not distinguish them from patients with coronary artery disease; esophageal symptoms were infrequent and mild. These studies suggest that certain patients with chest pain of esophageal origin may be identified only by provocative testing during esophageal manometry. However, these provocative drugs may also induce coronary artery spasm and should not be used during routine clinical manometry.

Dilatation of severe esophageal strictures by an inflatable balloon catheter.

Most benign strictures of the esophagus can be successfully dilated with conventional bougienage techniques. Occasionally strictures are so severe, lengthy, or irregular that these techniques fail, and surgery is required. We describe 2 patients with such severe esophageal strictures that conventional techniques were initially unsuccessful. However, esophageal dilatation of both strictures was successful using the Grüntzig balloon catheter. A torqueable guide wire was initially directed through the stricture under fluoroscopic control. The balloon catheter was then passed over the guide wire and inflated sequentially to a maximum diameter of 9 mm. Subsequent dilatations using conventional techniques were successful. The technique of negotiating severe, irregular esophageal strictures with a torqueable guide wire followed by Grüntzig balloon catheter dilatation may be valuable in the management of severe esophageal strictures.