Management of suspected common bile duct stone: diagnostic yield of current guidelines.

BACKGROUND: The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has recently published a guideline for suspected CBDS with the intention of reducing unnecessary ERCP and thereby complications. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic efficacy of the ASGE guideline. METHODS: Data of patients who underwent ERCP with suspected CBDS were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were classified into high, intermediate and low risk groups based on predictors that have been suggested by the ASGE. Very strong predictors of the presence of ductal stones included: CBDS on transabdominal ultrasonography (US), clinical ascending cholangitis or total bilirubin (TBIL) >4 mg/dL). Strong predictors included dilated CBD >6 mm on US with gallbladder in situ and TBIL level of 1.8-4.0 mg/dL whereas moderate predictor included abnormal liver biochemical test other than bilirubin, age more than 55 years and clinical findings of biliary pancreatitis. RESULTS: Of 888 enrolled patients, 704 had CBDS demonstrated by ERCP and the remainder did not. All very strong and strong predictors were found to be significantly higher among patients who had CBDS. Detection of CBDS by ultrasonography and a dilated common biliary duct were observed to be independent risk factors associated with the existence of CBDS. The high risk group had a high (86.7%) positive predictive value (PPV), however, sensitivity and specificity were observed to be moderate (67.8% and 60.3% respectively). PPV was 67.9% in the intermediate risk group and the sensitivity and specificity were very low (31.9% and 42.3%). DISCUSSION: The probability of CBDS was observed to be high in the intermediate and high risk groups. However due to low sensitivity and specificity values, the ASGE guideline needs additional or different predictors.

Clinical and histological features of idiosyncratic liver injury: Dilemma in diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis.

AIM: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is becoming a worldwide problem with its still unexplained properties. METHODS: The data of patients who were diagnosed with DILI between January 2008 and December 2013 were assessed. RESULTS: Five patients had been diagnosed with intrinsic and 82 patients with idiosyncratic DILI. The most common causative agents were antimicrobial drugs. The most common injury pattern was hepatocellular. When patients with bilirubin levels of more than 5 mg/dL were divided into two groups according to receiving steroid therapy (n = 11) or not (n = 40), there was not any significant difference according to their clinical results (P > 0.05). Five of the idiosyncratic DILI patients were diagnosed with drug-induced autoimmune hepatitis (DI-AIH). In histopathological examination, hepatic rosette formation and emperipolesis were observed to be more common among patients with DI-AIH when compared with ones without (P < 0.05). Interestingly, in the remaining patients with DILI (n = 77), three of them were diagnosed with classic autoimmune hepatitis during long-term follow up (range, 11-51 months). CONCLUSION: The most common causes were antimicrobials, but any agents that have not been defined to cause DILI can induce DILI. The efficacy of steroids in DILI has not been observed but all deaths were observed in the steroid-free group. The association of DILI and AIH was observed in two different types in terms of diagnosis in our study. The first association was DI-AIH. The second one is the classical AIH which developed in three patients after a few months following spontaneous recovery of DILI.

Is Gastric Xanthelasma an Alarming Endoscopic Marker for Advanced Atrophic Gastritis and Intestinal Metaplasia?

BACKGROUND/AIM: The clinical significance of gastric xanthelasmas is unknown. We conducted a case-control study in order to evaluate whether gastric xanthelasma is an indicator of advanced atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study was conducted among 1400 patients who underwent elective upper endoscopy. Patients with gastric xanthelasma and atrophy and/or intestinal metaplasia constituted the study group (n = 55). The control group involved patients with only atrophic gastritis and/or intestinal metaplasia (n = 50). Histopathologic findings of the groups including the distribution of atrophic gastritis and/or intestinal metaplasia, operative link on gastritis assessment score, operative link on gastritis intestinal metaplasia assessment (OLGIM) score, and presence of dysplasia and malignancy were compared. Subgroup analysis was performed in order to establish the relation between the characteristics (size, number, and localization) of xanthelasmas, atrophy, and intestinal metaplasia. RESULTS: Multifocal atrophic gastritis was significantly more common in patients with a gastric xanthelasma (41.8 vs. 26.0 %, p = 0.03). Patients with multiple xanthelasmas had a significantly higher rate of intestinal metaplasia (p = 0.02) and a higher OLGIM score (p = 0.02) compared to those with a single xanthelasma. Dysplasia was detected in 8 (14.5 %) patients with a xanthelasma and 4 (8.0 %) patients without a xanthelasma (p = 0.2). CONCLUSION: Gastric xanthelasma(s) is a warning endoscopic sign for the presence of multifocal atrophic gastritis and advanced intestinal metaplasia.

Steroid Resistance/Dependence Might Be an Alarming Feature for Cytomegalovirus Infection Among Ulcerative Colitis Patients With Increased Disease Activity.

Background/Aims This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection among patients with moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis (UC) and to determine the risk factors for CMV infection according to the demographic features of these patients. Patients/Methods A total of 183 patients with severe or moderate active UC were enrolled in the study after retrospective analysis. The disease severity of UC was determined according to the Mayo Score. CMV infection was investigated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the immunohistochemical (IHC) staining method in colonic mucosal biopsies. Results CMV infection was diagnosed in 33.9% of patients with UC. UC patients diagnosed with CMV infection had significantly higher Mayo Score levels (9.68 vs 8.56 and p=0.001). The long-term presence of UC disease, steroid, azathioprine (AZA), and anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) usage increased the risk of CMV infection (p=0.001 and odds ratio=1.168; p=0.001 and odds ratio=2.967; p=0.004 and odds ratio=2.953; p=0.003 and odds ratio=3.861, respectively). CMV infection increases the risk of developing steroid resistance or dependency (p=0.002 and odds ratio=3.147; p=0.002 and odds ratio=5.085, respectively). Post-treatment clinical remission and mucosal healing rates were higher in CMV-negative patients than in CMV-positive patients (99.2% vs 91.9%, p=0.018 and 86.8% vs 70.9%, p=0.015). A higher rate of need for colectomy had been found in patients with CMV infection (5 patients vs 1 patient; p=0.034 and odds ratio=10.526). Conclusions The presence of CMV infection increases the severity of the disease and worsens clinical outcomes, leading to adverse treatment outcomes. CMV infection increases the requirement for colectomy. The presence of steroids, immunosuppressives such as AZA, and anti-TNF-alpha usage increases the occurrence of CMV infection. CMV infection should be suspected in patients with moderate to severe UC activity.

Endoscopic Treatment of the Coloanal Anastomotic Dehiscence and Stricture: Stenting Via Rendezvous Technique.

An anastomotic leak is a serious complication of colorectal surgery. Leak management is often grueling, and a definitive stoma is often mandatory for rescue therapy. Herein, we present a patient who experienced coloanal anastomotic dehiscence and complete stricture at the proximal part of the anastomosis. This case was successfully treated with a fully covered self-expandable metallic stent placement via the combined endoscopic (per ileostomy) and manual (per anal channel) rendezvous technique.

Endoscopic Treatment of the Zenker Diverticulum With Flexible Endoscopic Myotomy: A Single Tertiary Center Experience.

INTRODUCTION: The Zenker diverticulum (ZD) is the most common type of esophageal diverticula. Management of ZD has different options; however, there is a recent increase in treatment with flexible endoscopic myotomy (FEM). In our study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of FEM among patients with ZD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of patients who underwent FEM for ZD in our clinic between January 2008 and May 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Myotomy was performed with a needle-knife sphincterotome by using pulse-cut or forced coagulation electrocautery mode. Myotomy was performed on the common wall of the diverticulum up to 0.5 to 1 cm of the distal end. A handmade diverticuloscope, which was modified from an overtube, was used in most of the patients to focus more carefully on the septum. Dysphagia scores of the patients before and after the procedure were compared and complications were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean age was 65.3 years, and mean diverticular diameter was 3.2 cm. The most common symptoms were dysphagia and regurgitation. The mean in-hospital stay was 5 days. The dysphagia score was significantly decreased after FEM among the patients (0.17±0.39 vs. 2±0.79; P=0.0001). Complications were observed in 3 patients (17.6%); however, there was no procedure-related mortality. DISCUSSION: FEM is an efficient and safe procedure as a treatment modality for ZD. However, lack of a standard algorithm is a remarkable disadvantage.

Endosonogragphic features of lesions suggesting gastricectopic pancreas: experience of a single tertiary center.

BACKGROUND/AIM: We aimed to present the endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) features of gastric lesions suggesting gastric ectopic pancreas during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy that were diagnosed in our gastroenterology unit, which is a tertiary center for endoscopic procedures in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal EUS in our center between April 2012 and July 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: All of the lesions suggesting gastric ectopic pancreas were localized in the gastric antrum. Thirty-six of 44 lesions (81.1%) showed central dimpling. Lesion borders were shown to be definite in 10 (22.7%) lesions, whereas the borders of 34 lesions (77.3%) were indefinite. Thirty-nine lesions (88.6%) had heterogeneous and 5 lesions (11.4%) had homogeneous echo patterns; whereas 29 lesions (65.9%) were hypoechoic, 9 lesions (20.5%) were hyperechoic and 6 lesions (13.6%) had mixed echogenicity. Forty-two lesions (95.5%) were shown to affect only a single sonographic layer of the gastric wall. CONCLUSION: EUS features of lesions that strongly suggest gastric ectopic pancreas endoscopically, without any histopathological evidence and without either endoscopic or surgical resection, are as follows: indefinite border appearance, minimal heterogeneous hypoisoechoic echo pattern, existence of anechoic duct-like structures inside the lesion, common localization in the submucosal layer, and existence of umbilication.

Endoscopic Management of the Difficult Bile Duct Stones: A Single Tertiary Center Experience.

Background. Most common bile duct (CBD) stones can be removed with standard techniques using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), but in some cases additional methods are needed. In this study we aimed to investigate the management of patients with difficult stones and the factors that affect the outcome of patients that have undergone periodic endobiliary stenting. Materials and Methods. Data of 1529 patients with naive papilla who had undergone ERCP with an indication of CBD stones was evaluated retrospectively. Stones that could not be removed with standard techniques were defined as "difficult stones." Cholangiograms of patients who had difficult stones were revised prospectively. Results. Two hundred and eight patients (13.6%) had difficult stones; 150 of these patients were followed up with periodic endobiliary stenting and successful biliary clearance was achieved in 85.3% of them. Both CBD (p < 0.001) and largest stone size (p < 0.001) were observed to be significantly reduced between the first and the last procedure. This difference was even more significant in successfully treated patients. Conclusions. Periodic endobiliary stenting can be used as an effective treatment for patients with difficult stones. Sizes of the CBD and of the largest stone are independent risk factors that affect the success rate.

The predictive value of noninvasive serum markers of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aims to show the predictive value of noninvasive serum markers on the hepatic fibrosis level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross sectional study involves 120 patients with chronic hepatitis C. The noninvasive markers used were as follows: age-platelet index (AP index), cirrhosis discriminant score (CDS), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)-alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio (AAR), fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index, AST-platelet ratio index (APRI), Goteborg University Cirrhosis Index (GUCI), FibroQ, King's score, platelet count. Concurrent liver biopsies were evaluated using the modified Ishak and Knodell scoring systems. In accordance with the Knodell scores, F3-F4 scores were defined as "severe fibrosis," and the modified Ishak scores stage of ≥3 (F3-F6) were defined as "clinically significant fibrosis." Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were carried out to compare the noninvasive markers with hepatic fibrosis level. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 51.7±11.6. A total of 10 patients (8.3%) with Knodell scores and 24 patients (20%) with modified Ishak scores were evaluated to have ≥F3 hepatic fibrosis. ROC analyses with the Knodell and modified Ishak scores were as follows: AP index=0.61-0.57, CDS=0.66-0.55, AAR=0.60-0.49, FIB-4=0.70-0.68, APRI=0.67-0.72, GUCI=0.66-0.72, FibroQ=0.64-0.54, King's score=0.68-0.54, platelet count=0.61-0.55. CONCLUSION: We found that APRI, FIB-4, King's score, and GUCI can be used to determination patients with mild fibrosis with a high negative predictive value and in the differentiation of severe/significant fibrosis from mild to moderate fibrosis.

Double balloon enteroscopy: A 7-year experience at a tertiary care Centre.

BACKGROUND: Double Balloon Enteroscopy (DBE) provides the opportunity not only to investigate but also apply endoscopic therapeutic interventions for small intestinal disturbances. The aim of this study is to assess the indications, diagnosis, therapeutic interventions, complications and safety in clinical practise of DBE procedures that have been performed in our clinic. MATERIAL-METHODS: The data of patients who had undergone DBE procedure in our clinic between October 2007 and December 2014 were retrospectively investigated. All features including indications, findings, histopathological results, applied interventions and complications due to procedure were noted. RESULTS: A total of 297 patients, 160 (53,9%) male and 137 (46,1%) female were enrolled in the study. Total number of procedures for these 297 patients were 372 [256 (68,8%) oral and 116 (31,2%) anal]. Mean age of the patients was 46,9 (14-94) years. The most common indications were; obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding (28,3%), iron deficiency anaemia (17,5% ) and abnormal findings in a prior imaging study (13,8%), respectively. The rate of new diagnosis with DBE was 11.8%, where the rate for confirmation of a possible diagnosis was 16.2%, rate of endoscopic treatment with definite diagnosis was 11%, rate for ruling out possible diagnosis or showing normal findings was 34.7% and rate for insufficient or unsuccessful procedures was 26.3%. Ulcers, inflammation and erosions (13%), polyposis syndromes (9.8%) and vascular pathologies (7.4%) were the most common endoscopic findings. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that DBE has high efficacy for diagnosis and ability to perform treatment of small intestinal disturbances with safety.

Crohn's disease in the elderly: Clinical presentation and manifestations from a tertiary referral center in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: There is no precise consensus at present on age to define elderly patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but recently, age of more than 60 years has been widely accepted. Characteristics of IBD in the elderly are somewhat different from what is seen in younger patients. The elderly have milder disease activity, and therapeutic options are fewer because of their age and features such as comorbidities, drug interactions, and loss of organ function. There are few reports on Crohn's disease in the elderly. Herein, first report on this topic with respect to population of this country is presented. METHODS: Characteristics of 95 patients with Crohn's disease, who were over age 60 from 3125 patients with IBD treated in our clinic between 1996 and 2015 were analyzed. Research was performed using patient files, and outpatient clinic visits, when possible. RESULTS: Median age of the group was 66 years, and male:female ratio was 1.6. Of the total, 48.4% of the patients had colonic disease, 37.9% had ileocolonic disease, and 13.7% had small bowel disease. Data indicated that 23.1% of patients had undergone surgical procedures, which were primarily right hemicolectomy and ileotransversostomy. Disease was most often managed with mesalazine or azathioprine. It was also determined that 12.6% patients had 2 or more comorbidities, and findings indicated coronary heart disease and hypertension were most prevalent. CONCLUSION: Analysis revealed similar features in characteristics of disease compared with recent knowledge reported in the literature. This is the first report from our country to describe Crohn's disease in the elderly population, and the number of patients is sufficient to provide general information about this group.

Examining the whole bowel, double balloon enteroscopy: Indications, diagnostic yield and complications.

Double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) is an advanced type of endoscopic procedure which brings the advantage of reaching the whole small bowel using anterograde or the retrograde route. This procedure is both diagnostic and interventional for a variety of small intestinal diseases, such as vascular lesions, tumors, polyps and involvement of inflammatory bowel diseases. Main indication is the diagnosis and treatment of mid-gastrointestinal bleeding according to the recent published data all over the world. The complication rates seem to be higher than conventional procedures but growing experience is lowering them and improving the procedure to be safe and well tolerated. This review is about the technique, indications, diagnostic importance and complications of DBE according to the literature growing since 2001.

Treatment of Crohn's disease and familial Mediterranean fever by leukopheresis: single shot for two targets.

Coexistence of Crohn's disease (CD) and familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a rare condition and knowledge about this clinical situation is limited with a few case reports in the literature. The treatment of both diseases depends on their individual therapies. However, it is very hard to deal with this coexistence when CD is refractory to standard therapies. Ongoing activity of CD triggers the clinical attacks of FMF and the symptoms like abdominal pain interfere with both disease presentations which can cause problems about diagnostic and therapeutic approach. The main therapeutic agent for FMF is colchicine and diarrhea is the most common side effect of this drug. This side effect also causes problems about management of these diseases when both of them are clinically active. Here we report probably the first case in the literature with coexisting CD and FMF who was successfully treated by leukopheresis since he was refractory to conventional therapies for CD.

Can Serum ST2 Levels Be Used as a Marker of Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis B Infection?

Interleukin 33 (IL-33) is a cytokine belonging to the IL-1 superfamily. Soluble ST2 (sST2) binds to IL-33 and by functioning as trap receptor inhibits signal sending to Th2 via transmembrane ST2. Because Th2-type cytokines play an important role in fibrosis, the aim of this study is to determine whether sST2 can be used as a marker of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients or not.The study included 19 healthy controls, 54 patients with CHB, and 14 patients with cirrhosis because of CHB. The aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis index based on the 4 factors (FIB-4) scores also calculated, and correlations between liver biopsies, sST2 levels, and these scores were analyzed in CHB and cirrhosis patients.The sST2 levels in patients with CHB were significantly higher than those in the control group subjects (median: 1133 pg/mL vs 762.5 pg/mL, respectively [P = 0.035]). In CHB patients, the METAVIR fibrosis score (stages from 0 to 4) showed a moderate correlation with serum sST2 level (r = 0.396, P = 0.004) and a weak correlation with FIB-4 score (r = 0.359, P = 0.008), but no correlation with APRI score (r = 0.253, P = 0.06). The under the curve value of serum sST2 was 0.68, and its prediction of significant fibrosis (METAVIR score ≥2) in values >674 pg/mL had a sensitivity of 91.7% and specificity of 40% (P = 0.009). According to multiple logistic regression analysis, only METAVIR fibrosis stage was found to be an independent predictor of serum sST2 elevation in CHB patients (P = 0.04).The sST2 level can be used for differentiating significant fibrosis from mild fibrosis in CHB patients. However, the efficacy of this marker should be verified by larger studies in the future.

Effectiveness of Saccharomyces boulardii in a rat model of colitis.

AIM: To investigate the effects of Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii) in an experimental rat model of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis. METHODS: Thirty-two Wistar albino female rats were categorized into five groups. On the first day of the study, 50 mg TNBS was administered via a rectal catheter in order to induce colitis in all rats, except those in the control group. For 14 d, the rats were fed a standard diet, without the administration of any additional supplements to either the control or TNBS groups, in addition to 1 mg/kg per day S. boulardii to the S. boulardii group, 1 mg/kg per day methyl prednisolone (MP) to the MP group. The animals in the S. boulardii + MP group were coadministered these doses of S. boulardii and MP. During the study, weight loss, stool consistency, and the presence of obvious blood in the stool were evaluated, and the disease activity index (DAI) for colitis was recorded. The intestines were examined and colitis was macro- and microscopically scored. The serum and tissue levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) were determined, and fungemia was evaluated in the blood samples. RESULTS: The mean DAI scores for the MP and S. boulardii + MP groups was significantly lower than the TNBS group (3.69 ± 0.61 vs 4.46 ± 0.34, P = 0.018 and 3.77 ± 0.73 vs 4.46 ± 0.34, P = 0.025, respectively). While no significant differences between the TNBS and the S. boulardii or MP groups could be determined in terms of serum NO levels, the level of serum NO in the S. boulardii + MP group was significantly higher than in the TNBS and S. boulardii groups (8.12 ± 4.25 µmol/L vs 3.18 ± 1.19 µmol/L, P = 0.013; 8.12 ± 4.25 µmol/L vs 3.47 ± 1.66 µmol/L, P = 0.012, respectively). The tissue NO levels in the S. boulardii, MP and S. boulardii + MP groups were significantly lower than the TNBS group (16.62 ± 2.27 µmol/L vs 29.72 ± 6.10 µmol/L, P = 0.002; 14.66 ± 5.18 µmol/L vs 29.72 ± 6.10 µmol/L, P = 0.003; 11.95 ± 2.34 µmol/L vs 29.72 ± 6.10 µmol/L, P = 0.002, respectively). The tissue NO levels in the S. boulardii, MP and S. boulardii + MP groups were similar. The mean serum and tissue TNF-α levels were determined to be 12.97 ± 18.90 pg/mL and 21.75 ± 15.04 pg/mL in the control group, 18.25 ± 15.44 pg/mL and 25.27 ± 11.95 pg/mL in the TNBS group, 20.59 ± 16.15 pg/mL and 24.39 ± 13.06 pg/mL in the S. boulardii group, 9.05 ± 5.13 pg/mL and 24.46 ± 10.85 pg/mL in the MP group, and 13.95 ± 10.17 pg/mL and 24.26 ± 10.37 pg/mL in the S. boulardii + MP group. Significant differences in terms of the levels of serum and tissue TNF-α and the macroscopic and microscopic scores were not found between the groups. S. boulardii fungemia was not observed in any of the rats. However, Candida fungemia was detected in one rat (14%) in the TNBS group, two rats (28%) in the S. boulardii group, three rats (50%) in the MP group, and three rats (42%) in S. boulardii + MP group. CONCLUSION: S. boulardii does not demonstrate considerable effects on the DAI, pathological scores, or cytokine levels but does decrease the tissue NO levels.

Gestational diabetes has no additional effect on plasma thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor antigen levels beyond pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a prothrombotic condition with increased levels of several circulating coagulation factors. Decreased fibrinolytic activity has been shown in gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes has been found to be associated with higher plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) antigen levels than normal pregnancy. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of gestational diabetes on plasma thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) antigen levels. Plasma TAFI and PAI-1 antigen levels were measured in 26 pregnant women with gestational diabetes, 25 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance, and age-matched 24 non-pregnant women with no history of gestational diabetes. Increased plasma TAFI antigen levels were found in pregnant women compared to non-pregnant controls. However, no statistically significant difference in TAFI antigen levels was observed between women with gestational diabetes and pregnant controls. Plasma PAI-1 antigen levels were higher in gestational diabetes than pregnant and non-pregnant controls. Our study revealed that pregnancy was associated with elevated plasma TAFI antigen levels. However, no additional effect of gestational diabetes was found on plasma TAFI antigen levels beyond pregnancy. We suggest that pregnancy is associated with enhanced coagulation and impaired fibrinolysis. Despite increased PAI-1 antigen levels associated with gestational diabetes, the effect of gestational diabetes on TAFI antigen levels is lacking.