Proton pump inhibitors are not associated with fundic gland polyps - a systematic review that takes into consideration all known confounders.

Sporadic fundic gland polyps (FGPs) progress, albeit rarely, to dysplasia and cancer. Two meta-analyses, including 8 and 11 studies, concluded that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were associated with FGPs. Intervention is considered unnecessary when FGPs have a background of PPIs use. Both meta-analyses, however, disregarded known confounders: age, sex, endoscopy indications, study design (prospective or retrospective), duration of PPI use, and H. pylori infection. Confounders are known to invalidate meta-analyses. We followed PRIXMA guidelines and searched the literature for studies on FGPs in PPI-users and PPI-nonusers. In the 22 studies searched, we compared FGPs in PPI-users (n = 6534) and PPI-nonusers (n = 41 115). Heterogeneity was significant (Cochran Q = 277.8, P < 0.0001; I2 = 92.8%), annulling meta-analysis performed by blanket tallying. To offset the above confounders, we matched PPI-users and PPI-nonusers by (a) age and sex (n = 4300 and 29 307, respectively) and (b) their propensity scores derived from the confounders (n = 2950 and 4729, respectively). After both matching, FGPs were not significantly different between PPI-users and PPI-nonusers [odds ratio (OR) = 1.1, P = 0.3078; OR = 0.9, P = 0.3258, respectively]. Furthermore, FGP frequency did not correlate with increasing duration of PPI use (Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients = 0.1162, 0.0386, P < 0.6064, 0.8646, respectively); it was not significantly different between any of the duration periods of observation, namely, <10, 10-20, 20-40, >40 months, nor was it significantly different between PPI-users and PPI-nonusers within each duration period (P > 0.05). We conclude that PPIs are not associated with FGPs, implying that a background history of PPI use is not a justification for nonintervention in the management of FGPs.

Histological assessment of endometrial polyps resected by hysteroscopy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the clinical data and pathologic aspects of endometrial polyps (EMPs) excised completely during surgical hysteroscopy and assess the connection between premalignant and malignant EMPs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study includes 489 participants who underwent hysteroscopy due to endometrial polyps, and the clinical features and histological findings of the resected polyps analyzed. RESULTS: Participants with EMPs were divided into six groups according to histologic findings. The histologic finding of most cases was simple benign endometrial polyp [397 patients (81.2%)]. Malignant polyp was detected in 3 patients (0.6%). The histologic findings according to age, menopausal status, and menstrual bleeding patterns at the time of presentation to the outpatient clinic were compared; however, no significant difference was observed. 237 patients were observed to have menometrorrhagia, which was the most prevalent symptom reported. The distribution of polyp sizes observed at hysteroscopy according to histologic findings was compared, but no significant difference was observed. CONCLUSIONS: EMPs are often benign but can include premalignant or malignant tissue changes. Hysteroscopy is used for direct observation of the uterine cervix and resection of existing polyps, considering the increasing frequency of its use as a diagnostic and treatment tool.

Feasibility and efficacy of endoscopy with blue laser imaging for the detection and diagnosis of cardia polyps: A single-center randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the detection rate and diagnostic accuracy of cardia polyps using endoscopy with blue laser imaging (BLI) and white-light imaging (WLI). METHODS: Patients were randomly divided into the BLI group and WLI group according to the endoscopic procedures. BLI followed by WLI was conducted in the BLI group, whereas WLI followed by BLI examination was conducted in the WLI group. The number, size, microstructure, and microvascular patterns of cardia polyps detected were recorded. Biopsy of the polyps was then performed. RESULTS: The detection rate of cardia polyps in the BLI group was higher than that in the WLI group (7.87% vs 4.22%, P = 0.018). The rate of overlooked lesions in the BLI group was lower than in the WLI group (0.64% vs 3.38%, P = 0.003). The diagnostic coincidence rate between magnifying BLI and histopathology was 88.16%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of neoplastic lesions by magnifying endoscopy with BLI were 90.91%, 87.69%, 55.56%, and 98.28%, respectively. The most remarkable patterns for predicting inflammatory polyps were the prolonged and fine network patterns (sensitivity 71.43%, specificity 93.75%). Small round combined with honeycomb patterns were the most common among fundic gland polyps (sensitivity 80.00%, specificity 98.48%). Neoplastic lesions presented as villous or ridge-like combined with core vascular or unclear pattern for both microvascular and microstructure patterns. CONCLUSION: BLI is more effective than WLI in the detection and diagnosis of cardia polyps, and magnifying endoscopy with BLI may help diagnose such lesions.

[Menetrier's disease and its association with gastric hyperplastic polyps]. / Enfermedad de Menetrier y su asociación a pólipos gástricos hiperplásicos.

Menetrier's disease represents a low prevalence clinical entity, characterized by complexity in its diagnosis, particularly due to the need to exclude its potential association with gastric cancer. In this context, we present the clinical case of a 54-year-old male with nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms and hypoalbuminemia. During the upper endoscopy procedure, a noticeable thickening of gastric folds was observed, associated with multiple polypoid lesions in the stomach, predominantly in the fundus and body. Since the patient did not show improvement in symptoms and given the inability to rule out gastric cancer, total gastrectomy was chosen as the treatment. Surgical specimen and histology confirmed the presence of Menetrier's disease.

Polyp segmentation based on implicit edge-guided cross-layer fusion networks.

Polyps are abnormal tissue clumps growing primarily on the inner linings of the gastrointestinal tract. While such clumps are generally harmless, they can potentially evolve into pathological tumors, and thus require long-term observation and monitoring. Polyp segmentation in gastrointestinal endoscopy images is an important stage for polyp monitoring and subsequent treatment. However, this segmentation task faces multiple challenges: the low contrast of the polyp boundaries, the varied polyp appearance, and the co-occurrence of multiple polyps. So, in this paper, an implicit edge-guided cross-layer fusion network (IECFNet) is proposed for polyp segmentation. The codec pair is used to generate an initial saliency map, the implicit edge-enhanced context attention module aggregates the feature graph output from the encoding and decoding to generate the rough prediction, and the multi-scale feature reasoning module is used to generate final predictions. Polyp segmentation experiments have been conducted on five popular polyp image datasets (Kvasir, CVC-ClinicDB, ETIS, CVC-ColonDB, and CVC-300), and the experimental results show that the proposed method significantly outperforms a conventional method, especially with an accuracy margin of 7.9% on the ETIS dataset.

Updated European guidelines for clinical management of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), MUTYH-associated polyposis (MAP), gastric adenocarcinoma, proximal polyposis of the stomach (GAPPS) and other rare adenomatous polyposis syndromes: a joint EHTG-ESCP revision.

BACKGROUND: Hereditary adenomatous polyposis syndromes, including familial adenomatous polyposis and other rare adenomatous polyposis syndromes, increase the lifetime risk of colorectal and other cancers. METHODS: A team of 38 experts convened to update the 2008 European recommendations for the clinical management of patients with adenomatous polyposis syndromes. Additionally, other rare monogenic adenomatous polyposis syndromes were reviewed and added. Eighty-nine clinically relevant questions were answered after a systematic review of the existing literature with grading of the evidence according to Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology. Two levels of consensus were identified: consensus threshold (≥67% of voting guideline committee members voting either 'Strongly agree' or 'Agree' during the Delphi rounds) and high threshold (consensus ≥ 80%). RESULTS: One hundred and forty statements reached a high level of consensus concerning the management of hereditary adenomatous polyposis syndromes. CONCLUSION: These updated guidelines provide current, comprehensive, and evidence-based practical recommendations for the management of surveillance and treatment of familial adenomatous polyposis patients, encompassing additionally MUTYH-associated polyposis, gastric adenocarcinoma and proximal polyposis of the stomach and other recently identified polyposis syndromes based on pathogenic variants in other genes than APC or MUTYH. Due to the rarity of these diseases, patients should be managed at specialized centres.

Clinicopathologic and endoscopic characteristics of ten patients with gastric hamartomatous inverted polyp: a single center case series.

BACKGROUND: Gastric hamartomatous inverted polyps (GHIPs) are not well characterized and remain diagnostically challenging due to rarity. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the clinicopathologic and endoscopic characteristics of patients with GHIP. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinicopathologic and endoscopic features of ten patients with GHIP who were admitted to Beijing Friendship Hospital from March 2013 to July 2022. All patients were treated successfully by endoscopic resection. RESULTS: GHIPs were usually asymptomatic and found incidentally during gastroscopic examination. They may be sessile or pedunculated, with diffuse or local surface redness or erosion. On endoscopic ultrasonography, the sessile submucosal tumor-type GHIP demonstrated a heterogeneous lesion with cystic areas in the third layer of the gastric wall. Histologically, GHIPs were characterized by a submucosal inverted proliferation of cystically dilated hyperplastic gastric glands accompanied by a branching proliferation of smooth muscle bundles. Inflammatory cells infiltration was observed in the stroma, whereas only one patient was complicated with glandular low-grade dysplasia. Assessment of the surrounding mucosa demonstrated that six patients (60%) had atrophic gastritis or Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis, and four patients (40%) had non-specific gastritis. Endoscopic resection was safe and effective. CONCLUSIONS: GHIPs often arise from the background of abnormal mucosa, such as atrophic or H.pylori-associated gastritis. We make the hypothesis that acquired inflammation might lead to the development of GHIPs. We recommend to make a full assessment of the background mucosa and H. pylori infection status for evaluation of underlying gastric mucosal abnormalities, which may be the preneoplastic condition of the stomach.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection for the treatment of a large inflammatory fibroid polyp in the gastric antrum prolapsing into the duodenum: A case report.

RATIONALE: Inflammatory fibroid polyp (IFP), also known as Vanek tumor, is a rare, benign gastrointestinal lesion characterized by its inflammatory and fibroid histological features. IFP is often discovered incidentally during endoscopic examinations. It is exceedingly rare for an IFP to prolapse into the duodenum and results in incomplete obstruction of the pylorus. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 64-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital with recurrent episodes of melena over a 6-month period, along with complaints of dizziness and fatigue in the past 10 days. DIAGNOSES: Gastroscopy showed a giant polypoid mass on the posterior wall of the gastric antrum, prolapsing into the duodenum. Abdominal computer tomography (CT) confirmed the tumor protruding into the duodenum. Pathologic examination of the resected specimen confirmed the IFP diagnosis. INTERVENTIONS: The giant tumor was completely and successfully excised using endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). After the surgery, the patient underwent acid suppression and fluid replenishment therapy. OUTCOMES: The patient responded well to ESD and was discharged in stable condition. As of the submission of the case report, there has been no recurrence of the tumor after a 5-month follow-up, and the patient is still under follow-up. LESSONS: While IFPs have traditionally been managed surgically, ESD demonstrates promising treatment outcomes, avoiding the need for surgical distal gastrectomy, and emerges as a safe and effective treatment option.

Endometrial microbiota alteration in female patients with endometrial polyps based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis.

Introduction: The potential role of the endometrial microbiota in the pathogenesis of endometrial polyps (EPs) warrants further investigation, given the current landscape of limited and inconclusive research findings. We aimed to explore the microecological characteristics of the uterine cavity in patients with EPs and investigate the potential of endometrial microbiota species as novel biomarkers for identifying EPs. Methods: Endometrial samples were collected from 225 patients who underwent hysteroscopies, of whom 167 had EPs, whereas 58 had non- hyperproliferative endometrium status. The endometrial microbiota was assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We characterized the endometrial microbiota and identified microbial biomarkers for predicting EPs. Results: The endometrial microbial diversity and composition were significantly different between the EP and control groups. Predictive functional analyses of the endometrial microbiota demonstrated significant alterations in pathways involved in sphingolipid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and apoptosis between the two groups. Moreover, a classification model based on endometrial microbial ASV-based biomarkers along with the presence of abnormal uterine bleeding symptoms achieved powerful classification potential in identifying EPs in both the discovery and validation cohorts. Conclusion: Our study indicates a potential association between altered endometrial microbiota and EPs. Endometrial microbiota-based biomarkers may prove valuable for the diagnosis of EPs. Clinical trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100052746).

Proton Pump Inhibitor Associated Multiple Gastric Hyperplastic Polyps With Uncontrollable Bleeding: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) has been reported to be strongly associated with the development of fundic gland polyps (FGPs). Conversely, a few cases of gastric hyperplastic polyps (GHPs) associated with PPI use have been reported. We experienced a case of PPI-associated multiple GHPs with uncontrollable bleeding. CASE REPORT: A 64 year old man with a history of rheumatoid arthritis presented to the hospital with complaints of vertigo and black stools. Blood tests revealed anemia and hypoproteinemia. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed blood and black residue accumulated in the stomach. The source of the bleeding was multiple hyperplastic polyps. Bleeding could be stopped even with fasting, and total blood transfusions amounted to 28 units of RBCs were required in 18 days. After the cessation of PPI, EGD showed that the polyps had almost disappeared. Pathological diagnosis of resected polyp was hyperplastic polyp, which was characterized by capillary hyperplasia and edema. Gastrin receptors were over-expressed in the foveolar epithelium and not in the capillaries. Methotrexate (MTX)-induced portal hypertensive gastroenteropathy was revealed during follow-up. We consider that the effect of portal hypertension may have caused the capillary hyperplasia. CONCLUSION: Although PPI-related polyps are usually fundic gland polyps and do not cause life-threatening adverse events, we experienced PPI-related GHPs in which hemostasis was difficult to control.

Prediction of neoplastic gallbladder polyps in patients with different age level based on preoperative ultrasound: a multi-center retrospective real-world study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of neoplastic polyps in gallbladder polyps (GPs) increases sharply with age and is associated with gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). This study aims to predict neoplastic polyps and provide appropriate treatment strategies based on preoperative ultrasound features in patients with different age level. METHODS: According to the age classification of WHO, 1523 patients with GPs who underwent cholecystectomy from January 2015 to December 2019 at 11 tertiary hospitals in China were divided into young adults group (n=622), middle-aged group (n=665) and elderly group (n=236). Linear scoring models were established based on independent risk variables screened by the Logistic regression model in different age groups. The area under ROC (AUC) to evaluate the predictive ability of linear scoring models, long- and short- diameter of GPs. RESULTS: Independent risk factors for neoplastic polyps included the number of polyps, polyp size (long diameter), and fundus in the young adults and elderly groups, while the number of polyps, polyp size (long diameter), and polyp size (short diameter) in the middle-aged groups. In different age groups, the AUCs of its linear scoring model were higher than the AUCs of the long- and short- diameter of GPs for differentiating neoplastic and non-neoplastic polyps (all P<0.05), and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test showed that the prediction accuracy of the linear scoring models was higher than the long- and short- diameter of GPs (all P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The linear scoring models of the young adults, middle-aged and elderly groups can effectively distinguish neoplastic polyps from non-neoplastic polyps based on preoperative ultrasound features.

Association between the arm-to-choroidal circulation time and clinical profile in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between the arm-to-choroidal circulation time (ACT) on indocyanine green angiography (IA) and clinical profile in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). STUDY DESIGN: Single-center retrospective study. METHODS: We included 38 eyes of 38 patients with PCV diagnosed using multimodal imaging and did not undergo previous treatment. All patients were treated with monthly aflibercept injections for 3 months and treat-and-extend regimens for the subsequent 12 months. Posterior vortex vein ACT was assessed on the first visit using Heidelberg IA. The patients were divided into two groups: ACT ≥20 s (L group; eight eyes) and ACT <20 s (S group; 30 eyes). The clinical profiles before and after treatment were analyzed to assess associations with ACT. RESULTS: The mean ACT was 16.39±3.3 s (L group: 21.25±1.49 s, women:men=2:6, mean age: 77.3±6.5 years; S group: 15.10±2.17 s, women:men=7:23, mean age: 75.5±6.9 years). No significant difference was observed in the mean subfoveal choroidal thickness between the L and the S groups (176±75 µm vs. 230±79 µm, P=0.10). However, there were significant differences between the L and S groups in retinal fluid accumulation and hemorrhage recurrence (eight/eight eyes, 100% vs. 13/30 eyes, 43%, P<0.001), mean aflibercept injections (8.8±1.6 vs. 7.0±1.6, P<0.01) during the 12-month period, and the number of polypoidal lesions (1.8±0.7 vs. 1.3±0.5, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with PCV and ACT >20 s are more likely to experience exudative change recurrence in the retina during treatment because they have more polypoidal lesions.

Clinicopathological Pattern of Endometrial Specimens in Women with Abnormal Uterine Bleeding and Ultrasonography Correlation.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) refers to any symptomatic deviation from normal menstruation. AUB is a common gynecological disorder in non-pregnant women of reproductive age, accounting for approximately 33% of gynecological outpatient visits. The early diagnosis and management cause of AUB is important because of increased incidence of endometrial carcinoma with rapid growth. Transvaginal ultrasound is non-invasive imaging technique used to find endometrial carcinoma before referring patients for invasive techniques. Dilatation and curettage (D&C) and endometrial biopsy are surgical procedures that scrape the endometrial lining of the uterus for diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study is to describe the clinicopathologic pattern of endometrial specimens in women with AUB and ultrasonographic correlation. METHODS: Tissues from endometrial biopsy and curettage of 411 patients with AUB who referred to Shahid Mohammadi hospital were prospectively selected from 2021 to 2023. Patients were divided into three groups based on age and menstrual status including: premenopausal (18-39 years), perimenopausal (40-49 years) and postmenopausal (≥50 years). The results were correlated to patient's age and other data and evaluated with statistical analysis. RESULTS: During the two-year study period, a total of 411 endometrial specimens with clinical diagnosis of AUB were submitted and the results were analyzed. The youngest patient presenting with AUB was 21 years old, while the oldest was 77 years old. The most common complaint was menorrhagia in 201 (48.0%) out of 411 patients. The most common pathology finding in three groups was polyp in 100 (24.3%) cases. Hormonal effect was the next commonly observed pattern seen in 70 (17.0%) cases. P value was calculated as 0.003 which was significant using chi-square for the trend seen in age. CONCLUSION: Endometrial sampling is a useful tool for evaluation of women with AUB and referring patients for treatment. Histopathological evaluation of the endometrium is very useful in detecting the etiology of AUB. Transvaginal sonography has high sensitivity in detecting polyps.

The value of CT radiomics combined with deep transfer learning in predicting the nature of gallbladder polypoid lesions.

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) radiomics combined with deep transfer learning was used to identify cholesterol and adenomatous gallbladder polyps that have not been well evaluated before surgery. PURPOSE: To investigate the potential of various machine learning models, incorporating radiomics and deep transfer learning, in predicting the nature of cholesterol and adenomatous gallbladder polyps. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical and imaging data from 100 patients with cholesterol or adenomatous polyps confirmed by surgery and pathology at our hospital between September 2015 and February 2023. Preoperative contrast-enhanced CT radiomics combined with deep learning features were utilized, and t-tests and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) cross-validation were employed for feature selection. Subsequently, 11 machine learning algorithms were utilized to construct prediction models, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC), accuracy, and F1 measure were used to assess model performance, which was validated in a validation group. RESULTS: The Logistic algorithm demonstrated the most effective prediction in identifying polyp properties based on 10 radiomics combined with deep learning features, achieving the highest AUC (0.85 in the validation group, 95% confidence interval = 0.68-1.0). In addition, the accuracy (0.83 in the validation group) and F1 measure (0.76 in the validation group) also indicated strong performance. CONCLUSION: The machine learning radiomics combined with deep learning model based on enhanced CT proves valuable in predicting the characteristics of cholesterol and adenomatous gallbladder polyps. This approach provides a more reliable basis for preoperative diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.

Misdiagnosed Asthma Turned Out to Be Bronchial Fibroepithelial Polyp: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Bronchial fibroepithelial polyps are exceedingly rare with few cases have been reported. They can manifest with a wide array of symptoms; ranging from being totally asymptomatic, cough, refractory dyspnea, and hemoptysis. In our case, our patient's condition was diagnosed and was managed as asthma. It is one of the rare benign conditions to be encountered, shares similar morphology with other tumors such as angiomyofibroblastoma, aggressive angiomyxoma, and cellular angiofibroma. These lesions have a slow growth pattern which may end up with obstruction. According to the tumor size and symptoms caused by it, treatment varies from observation to complete resection. This case describes an incidental finding of fibroepithelial polyp in the main bronchus for a patient with long-term refractory cough for 5 years, was misdiagnosed to have asthma. Diagnosis typically involves imaging and bronchoscopy, followed by appropriate therapeutic measures and careful monitoring to assess the prognosis.

The volumetric ADC histogram analysis in differentiating stage IA endometrial carcinoma from endometrial polyp.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram based on whole lesion volume in distinguishing stage IA endometrial carcinoma from the endometrial polyp. METHODS: MRI of 108 patients with endometrial lesions confirmed by pathology were retrospectively analysed, including 65 cases of stage IA endometrial carcinoma and 43 cases of endometrial polyp. The volumetric ADC histogram metrics and general imaging features were evaluated and measured simultaneously. All the features were compared between the 2 groups. The receiver operating characteristic curve was utilized to evaluate the diagnostic performance. RESULTS: The mean, max, min, and percentiles (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 95th) ADC values of endometrial carcinoma were significantly lower than that of polyp (all P < .05). The skewness and kurtosis of ADC values in the endometrial carcinoma group were significantly higher than those in the endometrial polyp group, and the variance of ADC values in the endometrial carcinoma group was lower than those in the endometrial polyp group (all P < .05). Endometrial carcinoma demonstrated more obvious myometrial invasion combined with intralesion haemorrhage than polyp (all P < .05). The 25th percentile of ADC values achieved the largest areas under the curve (0.861) among all the ADC histogram metrics and general imaging features, and the sensitivity and specificity were 83.08% and 76.74%, with the cut-off value of 1.01 × 10-3 mm2/s. CONCLUSION: The volumetric ADC histogram analysis was an effective method in differentiating endometrial carcinoma from an endometrial polyp. The 25th percentile of ADC values has satisfactory performance for detecting malignancy in the endometrium. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: The ADC histogram metric based on whole lesion is a promising imaging-maker in differentiating endometrial benign and malignant lesions.

Efficacy of Brolucizumab in Polyp Regression of Treatment-Naive Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy and Its Effect on 1-Year Treatment Outcome.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal brolucizumab in polyp regression of treatment-naive polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) patients and its effect on 1-year treatment outcome. METHODS: Medical records of 31 treatment-naive PCV patients, who received three monthly intravitreal brolucizumab injections followed by as-needed injections for at least a year, were retrospectively reviewed. Visual and anatomical outcomes were evaluated at 3, 6, and 12 months. Complete polyp regression rate and percentage change of vascular lesion and polyp area were evaluated after three monthly injections of brolucizumab. The effect of complete polyp regression and the impact of vascular lesion and polyp reduction rate on 1-year treatment outcome were also evaluated. RESULTS: In terms of visual outcome, best-corrected visual acuity significantly improved after 12-month follow-up (p < 0.001). In terms of anatomical outcome, central macular thickness (CMT) and central choroidal thickness significantly decreased after 12-month follow-up (p < 0.001). Complete polyp regression was observed in 23 patients (74.2%) after three monthly injections. Group with complete polyp regression had a higher rate of achieving dry macula at 3 months (p = 0.026) and fewer number of injections (p < 0.001) compared to the group without complete polyp regression. Higher polyp reduction rate was significantly associated with higher CMT change from baseline at 3 months (p = 0.048) while higher vascular lesion reduction rate was significantly associated with higher CMT change from baseline at 12 months (p = 0.031) and fewer number of injections (p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal brolucizumab injection effectively improved visual and anatomical outcomes and achieved significant polyp regression in treatment-naive PCV patients. Complete polyp regression and the reduction rate of vascular lesion size and polyp size after loading injection significantly influence the treatment outcome of PCV patients. However, careful monitoring and preoperative warning is warranted due to occurrence of brolucizumab-related IOI.

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Role of Electrocautery Snare Use in Endobronchial Polypoid Lesions.

INTRODUCTION: Electrocautery with a snare probe offers a tool for the treatment of endobronchial polyps. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of the snare probe in patients undergoing rigid bronchoscopy due to central airway obstruction. METHODS: This retrospective descriptive study included patients who underwent rigid bronchoscopy with an electrocautery snare probe for the diagnosis and/or treatment of endobronchial polyps in an interventional pulmonology unit. RESULTS: The mean age of the 47 patients (38 men) with endobronchial polypoid lesions was 61.5 years. Six lesions (12.8%) were located in the trachea, 6 (12.8%) in the right main bronchus, 11 (23.4%) in the left main bronchus, and 24 (51.1%) in the lobar bronchi. Twenty-eight lesions (59.5%) were malignant. Prior to the procedure, 6 (12.8%) patients had grade 1 obstruction, 6 (12.8%) had grade 2 obstruction, 15 (31.9%) had grade 3 obstruction, and 20 (42.6%) had grade 4 obstruction. In terms of airway obstruction after the procedure, grade 1 was present in 46 (97.9%) patients and grade 2 was present in 1 (2.1%) patient. No major complication developed in 93.6% of the patients. During a mean follow-up period of 48 months, 85.1% of the patients did not experience recurrence. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that the snare probe can be used to effectively and reliably establish airway patency in patients with central airway obstruction due to endobronchial polypoid lesions.