Prevalence and Characteristics of Covert/Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Covert/minimal hepatic encephalopathy (C/MHE) is the mildest form of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), but it is closely related to the quality of life and prognosis of patients with cirrhosis. Currently, the epidemiological data of C/MHE have not been well described. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for relevant articles. We performed a random-effects meta-analysis of proportions to estimate the pooled prevalence of C/MHE in patients with cirrhosis. We also examined potential risk factors for C/MHE by comparing characteristics of patients with and without C/MHE. RESULTS: Finally, a total of 101 studies were included. The prevalence of C/MHE was 40.9% (95% confidence interval, 38.3%-43.5%) among patients with cirrhosis worldwide. The pooled C/MHE prevalence was 39.9% (95% confidence interval 36.7%-43.1%) based on studies using the psychometric HE score as a diagnostic tool. Meta-regression models showed that geographic region, sample size, mean age, sex ratio, and Child-Pugh classification were influencing factors for the heterogeneity of C/MHE prevalence. The presence of C/MHE was found to be associated with various factors including age, level of education, alcoholic etiology, Child-Pugh classification, MELD score, history of overt HE, presence of other complications, and laboratory tests related to impaired liver function. DISCUSSION: This study reports detailed data on the prevalence of C/MHE as well as clinical features associated with C/MHE, suggesting that C/MHE is one of the most common complications of liver cirrhosis.

Cold Snare Polypectomy With or Without Submucosal Injection for Endoscopic Resection of Colorectal Polyps: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The impact of submucosal injection during cold snare polypectomy (CSP) remains uncertain. We conducted an evidence-based comparison of conventional CSP (C-CSP) and CSP with submucosal injection (SI-CSP) for colorectal polyp resection. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing C-CSP with SI-CSP. Major outcomes included the rates of complete resection, en bloc resection, polyp retrieval, and adverse events, as well as the duration of polypectomy. Data were analyzed by using a random-effects model. RESULTS: A total of seven RCTs were included. Complete resection rates for all polyps (RR 0.98; 95% CI 0.93-1.03), polyps ≤ 10 mm (RR 0.99; 95% CI 0.96-1.02) and polyps > 10 mm (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.69-1.12) were not substantially different between C-CSP and SI-CSP groups. En bloc resection rate (RR 0.93; 95% CI 0.79-1.09) and polyp retrieval rate (RR 1.00; 95% CI 0.99-1.01) were also not significantly different between the two groups. The SI-CSP group required a prolonged polypectomy time than the C-CSP group (SMD - 0.89; 95% CI -1.29 to -0.49). Adverse events were rare in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: SI-CSP is not an optimal substitute for CSP in the resection of colorectal polyps, particularly diminutive and small polyps.

Retroflexed view for reexamination of the right colon after forward view examination: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effect of retroflexed view (RV) for the reexamination of the right colon after forward view (FV) examination has not been fully understood. METHODS: We searched multiple databases including PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for prospective studies exploring the role of RV for reexamination of the right colon. A meta-analysis was performed on outcomes including lesion detection rates, lesion miss rates, and withdrawal time. RESULTS: Four randomized controlled trials aimed to compare the impact of the second withdrawal from the right colon in RV vs. FV following a standard colonoscopy. Both the additional adenoma detection rate (AADR) and additional polyp detection rate (APDR) of the right colon were lower in the RV group compared with the FV group (risk ratio [RR] 0.73 for AADR; RR 0.76 for APDR); similar results were noted in comparisons of the adenoma miss rate and polyp miss rate. Six prospective cohort studies aimed to describe the effect of the RV examination of the right colon after one or two rounds of FV examination. Both the adenoma detection rate (ADR) and polyp detection rate (PDR) of the right colon were slightly higher in combined examinations with RV examination than single FV examination (RR 1.11 for ADR; RR 1.16 for PDR) or two FV examinations (RR 1.21 for ADR; RR 1.22 for PDR). CONCLUSIONS: FV may detect more adenomas and polyps than RV during the second withdrawal from the right colon. RV may detect additional adenomas and polyps in the right colon after two FV examinations.

Narrow Band Imaging for Surveillance in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The role of narrow band imaging (NBI) for surveillance colonoscopy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is debatable. We aim to compare NBI versus other endoscopic techniques in surveillance of IBD basing on current evidences. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases was conducted for relevant studies. To assess the detection efficacy, we estimated risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences (MDs) for continuous outcomes. To assess the differentiation efficacy, we estimated sensitivity and specificity of NBI with reference to histology. All outcome variables were pooled using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was tested by the Q statistic and I statistic. RESULTS: A total of 10 studies involving 938 participants were included. Statistically significant differences were not found in the likelihood of detecting patients with dysplastic lesions [RR, 1.11; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.83-1.48] nor in the likelihood of detecting dysplastic lesions by targeted biopsies (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.51-1.12) between NBI and other techniques, and there was also no difference in the likelihood of detecting dysplastic subtypes. NBI required shorter procedural time compared with other techniques (MD, -10.23; 95% CI, -11.53 to -8.92). The sensitivity and specificity of NBI to differentiate neoplastic lesions from non-neoplastic lesions were 0.64 (95% CI, 0.50-0.77) and 0.74 (95% CI, 0.69-0.79), respectively, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.7626. CONCLUSIONS: Although a shorter procedural time is needed, the clinical application of NBI for both dysplasia detection and neoplasia differentiation in IBD is not superior to other endoscopic techniques.

Arsenic trioxide combined with transarterial chemoembolization for primary liver cancer: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The benefit of combination therapy of arsenic trioxide (As2 O3 ) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is debated. This meta-analysis was conducted to determine whether As2 O3 &TACE therapy achieves better therapeutic effects compared with TACE alone for primary liver cancer. METHODS: A systematic search of both English and Chinese databases was conducted for randomized controlled trials. The main outcomes were therapeutic responses, survival rates, improvement in quality of life, and adverse events. All data analyses in this study were carried out using Review Manager software and STATA software. RESULTS: Eighteen randomized controlled trials involving 1412 participants were included. The pooled objective response rate was significantly higher in the As2 O3 &TACE group compared with the TACE group (relative risk [RR] 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-1.58, P < 0.0001), and the pooled clinical benefit rate was also significantly higher (RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.08-1.29, P = 0.0002). A higher pooled result was obtained from the combination group for 1-year survival rate (RR 1.37, 95% CI 1.23-1.53, P < 0.00001). As2 O3 &TACE therapy was not superior to TACE alone for improvement in quality of life (RR 1.15, 95% CI 0.98-1.36, P = 0.09). There was no significant difference in the risk of adverse effects. When a subgroup analysis was performed, both administration methods of As2 O3 (intravenous or arterial) were effective for all evaluating indicators except the improvement in quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant As2 O3 therapy combined with TACE achieves better therapeutic effects compared with TACE alone. Both the intravenous administration of As2 O3 and the arterial administration of As2 O3 were good options for clinical practice.