Should Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinicians Provide Their Patients with e-Health Resources? Patients' and Professionals' Perspectives.

Introduction: The internet is emerging as a source of information for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, it is not always reliable and may cause anxiety. We aim to assess patients' information habits and patients' and professionals' perceptions of a national website integrated as an educational resource for the IBD unit. Methods: Patients aged 18-65 years, comfortable with the internet, and attending follow-ups at participating IBD units (March-June 2019) and their professionals were invited to evaluate a recommended website through an online survey. Results: Three hundred eighty-nine patients and 95 professionals completed the survey. The internet (n = 109; 27.4%) was the second preferred source of information after the health care team (n = 229; 57.5%). Eighty percent of patients searched the internet for information on their disease and 28.6% did so at least once a week (n = 114), especially newly diagnosed ones (<2 years). Patients valued a website recommended by their professional (n = 379; 95.2%) and endorsed by the National Working Group (n = 377; 94.7%). They would attend online educational initiatives on the website (n = 279; 70.1%) and complete periodical surveys to improve its usefulness (n = 338; 84.9%). According to IBD professionals, this type of website is the best patient source of supplementary information (n = 76; 80%) and they "prescribe" it to most patients (67.0 ± 25.2%), especially the newly diagnosed patients (52.7 ± 26.5%). It effectively integrates routine face-to-face education (n = 95; 100%). Conclusions: Patients of IBD units, especially newly diagnosed ones, appreciate a trusted e-Health resource to back up professional information. The favorable opinion of patients and professionals will allow its use in training interventions.

Incidence, management, and course of cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] are at increased risk for developing some types of neoplasia. Our aims were to determin the risk for cancer in patients with IBD and to describe the relationship with immunosuppressive therapies and clinical management after tumor diagnosis. METHODS: Retrospective, multicenter, observational, 5-year follow-up, cohort study. Relative risk [RR] of cancer in the IBD cohort and the background population, therapeutic strategies, and cancer evolution were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 145 cancers were diagnosed in 133 of 9100 patients with IBD (global cumulative incidence 1.6% vs 2.4% in local population; RR = 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.57-0.78). Patients with IBD had a significantly increased RR of non-melanoma skin cancer [RR = 3.85; 2.53-5.80] and small bowel cancer [RR = 3.70; 1.23-11.13]. After cancer diagnosis, IBD treatment was maintained in 13 of 27 [48.1%] patients on thiopurines, in 2 of 3 on methotrexate [66.6%], none on anti-TNF-α monotherapy [n = 6] and 4 of 12 [33.3%] patients on combined therapy. Rate of death and cancer remission during follow-up did not differ [p > 0.05] between patients who maintained the treatment compared with patients who withdrew [5% vs 8% and 95% vs 74%, respectively]. An association between thiopurines [p = 0.20] or anti-TNF-α drugs [p = 0.77] and cancer was not found. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with IBD have an increased risk for non-melanoma skin cancer and small bowel cancer. Immunosuppresive therapy is not related to a higher overall risk for cancer or worse tumor evolution in patients who maintain these drugs after cancer diagnosis.

Eminencia ganglionar: Anatomía y patología en resonancia magnética fetal / Ganglionic Eminence: Anatomy and Pathology in Fetal MRI

Se presentan dos casos de resonancia magnética (RM) fetal en los que se detectan anomalías de las eminencias ganglionares (EG): un caso en una gestación única y otro en una gestación gemelar con solo uno de los fetos afectado. Las alteraciones en las eminencias ganglionares son entidades poco frecuentes, con muy pocos casos publicados, tanto por RM como por ecografía fetal, que suelen asociarse con alteraciones neurológicas graves. Se describen los hallazgos por RM de la patología de las EG en estos dos casos, no visibles en la ecografía previa.

We present two cases of fetal MRI where anomalies of the ganglionic eminences (GE) are detected, one case in a single pregnancy and another in a twin gestation with only one of the affected fetuses. Alterations in the ganglionic eminences are rare entities, with very few published cases, both by MRI and fetal ultrasound, which are usually associated with severe neurological alterations. The MR findings of the pathology of the GE in these two cases are described. These findings were not visible on the previous ultrasound.

Esophageal Cicatricial Pemphigoid as an Isolated Involvement Treated with Mycophenolate Mofetil.

Cicatricial pemphigoid (CP) is a rare blistering autoimmune disease. Esophageal involvement occurs in widespread disease and rarely appears as the only affected organ. We report a 67-year-old Caucasian female with esophageal dysphagia and weight loss. Several oral panendoscopies showed multiple exudative ulcerations with fibrin and webs in mid- and proximal esophagus and a peeling mucosa. There were no lesions in other organs. We established the diagnosis performing a direct immunofluorescence (DIF), demonstrating IgG3 and complement deposition along the basement membrane. As initial treatment the patient received prednisone 60 mg and 1 gr twice daily of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) as a steroid-sparing agent due to its lower toxicity and its selective mechanism of action. Six months later there was a significant clinical improvement and the esophageal ulcerations had disappeared, developing cicatricial fibrous rings, although no stenosis was present. Four years later, the patient remains asymptomatic with a low maintenance dose of MMF.