The "Fonds Georges Brohée": a longstanding Belgian national initiative to stimulate research in hepatogastroenterology.

The Fonds Brohée/Brohée fund was created in 1964 at the initiative of 16 Belgian physicians, in the memory of Georges Brohée, the founder of the Belgian Society of Gastroenterology in 1928 and of its Journal in 1933, first published under the name "Le Journal Belge de Gastro-entérologie", then until today as "Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica". The goal of the Fonds is to stimulate research in the field of gastroenterology in Belgium, by awarding a young researcher (< 40 years) for an outstanding work in the clinical, translational or fundamental setting. Since 1966, 26 remarkable works have been awarded in various areas of interest in gastrointestinal diseases, whether in IBD, functional disorders, digestive oncology and, last but not least, hepatology. Since the recognition of their work, many of the awardees have become recognized for their expertise well beyond Belgium. Hopefully, the Foundation will continue to thrive and flourish after 55 years, as the members of its board and its healthy finances will allow to continue to promote and encourage high-quality research by young hepato-gastroenterologists in Belgium.

Effectiveness and persistence of Vedolizumab in patients with inflammatory bowel disease : results from the Belgian REal-LIfe study with VEdolizumab (Be-RELIVE).

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Vedolizumab (VDZ) is a gutselective integrin inhibitor used to treat Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). This retrospective study assessed effectiveness and treatment persistence of VDZ in a Belgian reallife cohort of CD and UC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: CD and UC patients from 15 Belgian centers, who started VDZ between 01/09/2015 and 31/06/2016 and attended ≥1 visit after the first VDZ infusion, were included. Data were collected before first infusion, at week (W)10, W14 (CD patients only), month (M)6 and last follow-up. Treatment response and remission rates (changes in disease activity scores) and treatment persistence (Kaplan-Meier analysis) were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 348 patients receiving at least one dose of VDZ, 325 (202 CD, 45 biologic-naïve; and 123 UC, 42 biologic-naïve) patients were included in data analyses. At M6, 87.6% (176/201) of CD and 86.1% (105/122) of UC patients were still on VDZ treatment, 75.6% (34/45) and 83.9% (26/31) achieved clinical response, and 66.7% (44/66) and 42.9% (15/35) were in remission. At M6 remission rates was significantly higher while response rates tended to be higher among biologic-naïve versus biologic-failure CD patients. CONCLUSIONS: VDZ offers an effective treatment option in real-life settings and treatment effectiveness appears higher in biologic-naïve versus biologic-failure CD patients. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2020, 83, 15-23).

Jejuno-ileal diverticulosis : a review of literature.

Jejunal diverticulosis is a rare entity with variable clinical and anatomical presentations. The majority of cases are discovered incidentally during radiological investigations. Based on a case of a 77 year old woman with jejunal diverticulitis, the current literature about small bowel diverticulosis is reviewed. A jejunoileal diverticulum is usually uncomplicated and can be treated conservatively. Serious complications that require surgery can occur. Abdominal CT is the preferred diagnostic tool.

Liver disease late in pregnancy without pre-eclampsia.

We describe the case of a first twin pregnancy in a 27 year old patient, who experienced acute onset epigastric and right upper quadrant pain at a gestational age of 32 weeks and 2 days. She was diagnosed with acute liver and renal failure and possible disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) syndrome without pre-eclampsia. Early labor induction was mandatory to save both mother and foetuses. In this overview we describe the differential diagnosis of severe pregnancy related liver injury in the third trimester of pregnancy without pre-eclampsia. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2017, 80, 53-57).

Pancreatitis-induced extrahepatic portal vein stenosis treated by percutaneous transhepatic stent placement.

One month after onset of an acute biliary pancreatitis, a 75-year-old man developed refractory ascites. Duplex ultrasound and CT scan revealed a focal stenosis of the extrahepatic portal vein as confirmed by transhepatic direct portography. In the same session, this stenosis, responsible for symptomatic prehepatic portal hypertension, was successfully dilated and stented and afterwards a residual pressure gradient of 1 mmHg over the stented segment was measured. One week after the stenting procedure the patient was free of ascites and control physical and biochemical examination one year later is completely normal.

[Three patients with a kidney infarct]. / Drie patiënten met een nierinfarct.

Two patients, one 76-year-old-man and one 79-year-old-woman with cardiovascular disease and one 36-year-old-man with Factor-V-Leiden deficiency (activated protein C-resistance) had abdominal pain and elevation of LDH levels. With abdominal CT scan kidney infarction was diagnosed. In two cases a selective kidney arteriography was performed to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment consisted of (re)starting anticoagulant therapy. In unexplained abdominal pain with insufficiently specific results of physical examination combined with a rapid rise of the LDH and sometimes of the serum creatinine, a kidney infarction should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Endoscopic sclerotherapy of esophageal varices. Long-term follow-up, recurrence, and survival.

One hundred thirty-three patients (34.5% Child's C class) with at least one severe variceal hemorrhage and treated with repeated endoscopic sclerotherapy had a follow-up of 1-6 years (mean 20 months). The risk of rebleeding decreased significantly from 2 months after onset of sclerotherapy. Sixty-four patients (or 48%) rebled, within 2 months in 45 (70%). The incidence of rebleeding correlated with Child's category and with the size of the varices. The 2-month mortality rate was 28.6%; two-thirds died of severe rebleeding. Thirteen patients underwent emergency surgery for bleeding uncontrolled by sclerotherapy; nine of them died. Of the 120 treated only by sclerotherapy 93% ultimately died, 90% from variceal rebleeding. Mortality related to the liver disease was thus determined by rebleeding mainly within 2 months and by hepatic failure but not by etiology of the disease or number of previous hemorrhages. The more pronounced mortality in Child C versus B or A patients is thus due to early rebleeding and to more pronounced liver insufficiency in the early and later period. Varices could not be eradicated within 1 year by sclerotherapy in 9 patients; 68 of the 72 patients alive had total eradication, but recurrence of varices was observed in 19 (or 28%) within 1 year, independent of the etiology and severity of liver disease and varices. Only four patients rebled within 1 year, with no mortality. After 1-4 years, another five recurrences were noted, with two nonfatal bleeding episodes. This study argues for continuation of sclerotherapy until total eradication of varices as well as for regular follow-up to avoid recurrences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Neodymium-YAG laser photocoagulation versus multipolar electrocoagulation for the treatment of severely bleeding ulcers: a randomized comparison.

A randomized trial comparing the efficacy of BICAP electrocoagulation and YAG laser photocoagulation was carried out in 100 patients presenting at endoscopy with peptic ulcer and a spurting or oozing vessel or a nonbleeding vessel. Fifty patients were enrolled in each treatment group. All lesions were pretreated with injection of epinephrine 1:10,000. Subsequently, 1-sec pulses of 80 watt YAG laser power were applied to the vessel or 1- to 2-sec pulses of electrocoagulation of 25 watt BICAP at a setting of 10. The 10 F BICAP probe was always used. Definitive hemostasis after one treatment amounted to 72% in both the laser and in the BICAP group. After two sessions the cumulative success rate was 88% in the laser group and 86% in the BICAP group. Emergency surgery and mortality were also comparable. One perforation occurred in each treatment group and both patients were operated upon without complications. It is concluded that both YAG laser and BICAP are highly and equally effective in the treatment of severe bleeding from peptic ulcers. This study stresses the importance of repeated treatment sessions in order to obtain optimal results.

Serum bilirubins in hepatobiliary disease: comparison with other liver function tests and changes in the postobstructive period.

Unconjugated bilirubin and its mono- and diester conjugates were measured by alkaline methanolysis and normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (AMHPLC) in 195 serum specimens obtained from 63 patients with various hepatobiliary disorders and from 47 healthy adult controls. With this assay, esterified bilirubins were undetectable in the controls, and detection of esterified pigment in a sample was interpreted as an abnormal result. Using this criterion, the AMHPLC result in the clinical anicteric patients (n = 39) was more frequently abnormal (87%) than the corresponding value of fasting serum bile acids (48%), SGPT (52%), total bilirubins (55%), alkaline phosphatase (71%) or gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (71%). The cumulative frequency of abnormality of these tests was comparable to that of an abnormal AMHPLC result alone. All icteric patients had detectable esterified bilirubins as well as an increased alkaline phosphatase level, while a normal result was found for serum bile acids in 34%, for SGPT in 29% and for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in 11%, respectively. In most hyperbilirubinemic patients, total serum bilirubin levels, as determined by a conventional diazo method, exceeded the value obtained by AMHPLC. This discrepancy, which appears to reflect the presence of bilirubin covalently bound to serum protein, was particularly pronounced following desobstructive intervention in patients with obstructive jaundice, in whom the decline of serum bilirubins showed a fast and a slow disappearance component. The latter portion seemed to correspond with slow plasma clearance of bilirubin covalently linked to serum albumin, disappearing at a rate comparable to that of the albumin moiety.

Sclerotherapy of oesophageal varices after variceal haemorrhage.

Fifty-six patients with recent variceal haemorrhage were studied in a trial of repeated injection sclerotherapy through the flexible oesophagoscope, with a mean follow-up of 15.2 months (1-39). Twenty-five patients (45%) did not suffer further bleedings. The risk of bleeding per patient-month of follow-up decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) after starting therapy, in all groups of cirrhosis, classified according to Child's criteria. Mortality during the study period was 39% (19.6% due to recurrence of variceal bleeding). The main complications of the procedure were the development of oesophageal wall ulcerations and oesophageal stricture.