Endoscopic severe mucosal atrophy indicates the presence of gastric cancer after Helicobacter pylori eradication -analysis based on the Kyoto classification.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer after Helicobacter pylori (HP) eradication is a crucial clinical challenge today as HP eradication therapy is widely performed. Detecting gastric cancer after HP eradication tends to be difficult with normal white-light endoscopy. In the present study, we aimed to identify easily-evaluated endoscopic findings that indicate the presence of gastric cancer after HP eradication so that endoscopists can consider additional detailed examinations at the site. METHODS: We analyzed the endoscopic images of 43 patients who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer after HP eradication and 119 patients with an HP eradication history who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy for a medical checkup. Endoscopic findings were evaluated according to the Kyoto classification of gastritis (atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, enlarged folds, nodularity, and diffuse redness) and map-like redness. RESULTS: Patients with gastric cancer had significantly higher total Kyoto risk scores; more atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, and diffuse redness; and a significantly higher prevalence of map-like redness compared with those without gastric cancer, in the univariate analyses. We used logistic regression analysis with forward selection based on the likelihood ratio to develop a model using atrophy and diffuse redness. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that a score of A2 in the Kyoto classification of gastritis (open-type atrophic pattern in the Kimura-Takemoto classification) was an endoscopic marker for the presence of post-HP-eradication gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic severe gastric mucosal atrophy is useful to screen patients for gastric cancer after HP eradication.

[Prevention of hepatic veno-occlusive disease by a combination of heparin and prostaglandin E1 in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation].

The effect and safety of combination prophylaxis for hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) following stem cell transplantation (SCT) was retrospectively evaluated in a total of 53 children who survived until day 30. Prophylaxis was started on the day before conditioning, and heparin (10 unit/kg/hr) alone was used in 6 patients, PGE1 (5 ng/kg/min) plus heparin plus PTX (200 mg/day) in 17 patients, lipo-PGE1 (0.5 ng/kg/min) plus heparin plus PTX in 7 patients, and lipo-PGE1 plus heparin in 23 patients. Diagnosis of VOD was made based on McDonald's criteria in 5 cases (9.4%), but not on Jones' criteria. No statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of VOD among each prophylaxis group. The degree of VOD was mild in all of 5 cases, and all recovered with continuation of the prophylactic procedure. Each prophylactic procedure was performed without any significant adverse effect except for seizure induced by lipo-PGE1 in one patient with Lennox syndrome. Since both the incidence and fatality rate of VOD in children undergoing SCT are approximately 20% according to most of the previous reports, the present study suggests the effectiveness of combination prophylaxis.