Double-blind placebo-controlled trial of amitriptyline for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome in adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy of amitriptyline (AMI) in treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in adolescents. STUDY DESIGN: Adolescents 12 to 18 years with newly diagnosed IBS were surveyed with a symptom checklist, pain rating scale, visual analog scale, and IBS quality of life (QOL) questionnaire. Subjects were randomized in a double-blinded fashion to receive AMI or placebo, and again completed surveys at 2, 6, 10, and 13 weeks. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients (24 female) were enrolled. Patients receiving AMI were more likely to experience improvement from baseline in overall QOL at 6, 10, and 13 weeks (P = .019, .004, and .013). Patients receiving AMI were also more likely to experience a reduction in IBS-associated diarrhea at 6 and 10 weeks (P = .029 for both), a reduction in periumbilical pain at 10 weeks (P = .018), and a reduction in right lower quadrant pain at 6, 10, and 13 weeks (P = .014, .039, and .004). CONCLUSION: AMI significantly improves overall QOL in adolescents with IBS and should be a therapeutic option for adolescents with this disorder.

Recurrent gastrointestinal tract bleeding secondary to jejunal gastric heterotopia.

A 4-year-old Latino boy with a history of malrotation, nonobstructing annular pancreas, and a Ladd procedure during infancy presented with recurrent severe gastrointestinal tract bleeding. Investigations revealed a large mass in the proximal small bowel. At laparotomy, the proximal jejunal segment containing the mass was resected. Pathological examinations revealed a large intraluminal polyp composed of ectopic gastric mucosa. The patient presented 10 months later with recurrent bleeding, and subsequent laparotomy demonstrated a newly acquired segment of jejunal polyposis not present at the first operation. The case is presented, along with a plan of patient surveillance and a review of the pertinent literature.