[Hereditary angioedema: strange cause of abdominal pain]. / Angioedema hereditario: causa rara de dolor abdominal.

BACKGROUND: Hereditary angioedema is an episodic swelling disorder with autosomal dominant inheritance characterized by sudden attacks of peripheral swelling. Patients also commonly have episodic swelling of the wall of hollow viscera, including the bowel. CLINICAL CASE: We present a 33-year-old previously healthy male with a complaint of acute-onset intense abdominal pain localized in the epigastrium. Pain irradiated to the right lower quadrant and was associated with five episodes of vomiting. Computed tomography showed thickening of the duodenal wall with liquid in the subphrenic space. Complementary laboratory tests showed low C4 complement levels (5.5 mg/dl) and 30% complement C1 inhibitor activity. CONCLUSIONS: Hereditary angioedema is caused by a deficiency (type I) or dysfunction (type II) in complement C1 inhibitor. Abdominal associated with angioedema may manifest as severe acute-onset abdominal pain or as moderately severe chronic recurrent abdominal pain. Two medications are currently FDA-approved for the treatment of these patients.

Antecedentes: el angioedema hereditario es un trastorno inflamatorio episódico, que se hereda de manera autosómica dominante y se caracteriza por episodios de edema periférico. Los pacientes pueden tener edema de la pared de cualquier víscera hueca, incluido el intestino. Caso clínico: se comunica el caso de un paciente masculino de 33 años de edad, sin antecedentes de importancia, con dolor abdominal, localizado en el epigastrio, irradiado al cuadrante inferior derecho, acompañado de 5 vómitos. La tomografía abdominal mostró engrosamiento de la pared de la segunda y tercera porción del duodeno, con infiltración de grasa y líquido libre. Los exámenes de laboratorio mostraron: concentraciones bajas del complemento C4 (5.5 mg/dL) y actividad del inhibidor de C1 del complemento de 30%. Conclusiones: el angioedema hereditario es consecuencia de la deficiencia (tipo I) o disfunción (tipo II) del inhibidor C1 del complemento. El dolor abdominal asociado con angioedema es de inicio súbito, como dolor cólico, recurrente y de intensidad moderada. En la actualidad existen dos medicamentos aprobados por la Food and Drug Administration para el tratamiento de pacientes con esta afección.

Vanek's polyp or inflammatory fibroid polyp. Case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Intussusception in an adult must make us suspect the presence of a tumor (benign or potentially dangerous) as the most frequent cause. Accurate diagnosis is of great importance in order to provide appropriate treatment and improve patient prognosis. CLINICAL CASE: We report the case of a 42-year-old male with abdominal pain. We performed a CT and found a small bowel intussusception. Definitive diagnosis according to the surgical specimen was inflammatory fibroid polyp (Vanek's polyp). CONCLUSIONS: Vanek's polyp is a benign lesion that occurs most frequently in the stomach and secondarily in the small bowel. Generally, it is uncommon, and its etiology is not completely known. Accurate diagnosis is done with immunohistochemistry. Because of the consequences that depend on the size and location of the lesion, it may be considered a malignant lesion. Treatment is resection.

Open, randomized multicenter comparative trial of rabeprazole, ofloxacin and amoxicillin therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication: 7 vs. 14 day treatment.

BACKGROUND: Because of the increasing resistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole, two of the antibiotics used for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori, new therapeutic alternatives are needed. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of a randomized, comparative trial of 7 vs. 14-day triple treatment with rabeprazole, ofloxacin and amoxicillin for H. pylori eradication. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present authors studied 76 dyspeptic patients infected with H. pylori diagnosed by both histology and a rapid urease test. Patients were randomized to receive rabeprazole (20 mg b.i.d.), plus ofloxacin (400 mg b.i.d.) and amoxicillin (1000 mg b.i.d.) for 7 days (group 1) vs. 14 days (group 2) and were followed by 6 weeks. Eradication was assessed 4 weeks after completing the course of study treatment by the (14)C-urea breath test. Per protocol and intention-to-treat eradication rates were determined. RESULTS: For the intention to treat analysis, the eradication rate was 62.2% for group 1 and 92.3% for group 2 (p =.004). For the per protocol analysis, eradication rate for group 1 was 63.9% and for group 2 was 97.3% (p =.001). CONCLUSIONS: Triple therapy with rabeprazole, amoxicillin and ofloxacin by 14 days was efficient for H. pylori eradication and therefore deserves further study. The same regimen prescribed for 7 days had a significantly lower and unacceptable cure rate and should not be used.

Divertículo de Meckel en el adulto. Experiencia de tres décadas / Meckel's diverticulum in the adult. Experience of three decades

Objetivo: Analizar prevalencia, manifestaciones clínicas y características de los pacientes adultos con divertículo de Meckel en el Hospital Español de México. Antecedentes: El divertículo de Meckel es la malformación congénita más frecuente del tubo digestivo. Sin embargo, raras veces produce manifestaciones clínicas en el adulto. Método: Análisis retrospectivo de 31 años. Resultados: Se encontraron 13 casos. La manifestación clínica predominante fue dolor en fosa ilíaca derecha; no hubo ningún caso de sangrado y únicamente se hizó diagnóstico preoperatorio correcto en un paciente. Todos los pacientes evolucionaron satisfactoriamente después de la cirugía. Conclusiones: Las complicaciones secundarias al divertículo de Meckel son muy poco frecuentes en los adultos, siendo las manifestaciones más comunes el dolor en fosa ilíaca derecha y la oclusión intestinal