Upper gastrointestinal lesions in patients receiving clopidogrel anti-platelet therapy.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Clopidogrel is associated with a high incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in high-risk patients. However, the characteristic upper gastrointestinal lesions in symptomatic clopidogrel users remain unclear. The aims of this study were to investigate the characteristics of endoscopic findings in clopidogrel users undergoing endoscopy for upper gastrointestinal symptoms and to compare the clinical characteristics and upper gastrointestinal lesions between symptomatic clopidogrel and aspirin users. METHODS: This observational study included 215 consecutive patients receiving clopidogrel (n=106) or low-dose aspirin (n=109) therapy who underwent endoscopy for dyspeptic symptoms. The upper gastrointestinal lesions were carefully assessed, and a complete medical history was obtained by a standard questionnaire. RESULTS: The frequencies of hemorrhagic spots, erosions and peptic ulcers in the symptomatic clopidogrel users were 25%, 39% and 39%, respectively. Among the peptic ulcer patients on clopidogrel therapy, the distributions of ulcers were 78%, 5% and 17% in the stomach, duodenum and both, respectively. Compared with the aspirin group, the clopidogrel group was older and had higher frequencies of past ulcer history and past gastrointestinal bleeding history in their clinical characteristics. By contrast, the clopidogrel users had a lower prevalence of active Helicobacter pylori infection than aspirin users (17% vs. 35%, respectively, p=0.007). Regarding to the endoscopic findings, the clopidogrel users had higher frequencies of hemorrhagic spots (25% vs. 10%) and peptic ulcer (39% vs. 24%) than aspirin users (p=0.004 and 0.027, respectively). CONCLUSION: Most peptic ulcers in clopidogrel users are located in the stomach. The frequencies of hemorrhagic spots and peptic ulcers in symptomatic clopidogrel users are higher than those in symptomatic aspirin users.

Endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation alone without sphincterotomy for the treatment of large common bile duct stones.

BACKGROUND: Lethal pancreatitis has been reported after treatment for common bile duct stones using small endoscopic papillary balloon dilation. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of using large balloon dilation alone without the use of sphincterotomy for the treatment of large common bile duct stones in Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital. Success rate of stone clearance, procedure-related adverse events and incidents, frequency of mechanical lithotripsy use, and recurrent stones were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 247 patients were reviewed in the current study. The mean age of the patients was 71.2 years. Most of them had comorbidities. Mean stone size was 16.4 mm. Among the patients, 132 (53.4%) had an intact gallbladder and 121 (49%) had a juxtapapillary diverticulum. The mean size of dilating balloon used was 13.2 mm. The mean duration of the dilating procedure was 4.7 min. There were 39 (15.8%) patients required the help of mechanical lithotripsy while retrieving the stones. The final success rate of complete retrieval of stones was 92.7%. The rate of pancreatic duct enhancement was 26.7% (66/247). There were 3 (1.2%) adverse events and 6 (2.4%) intra-procedure bleeding incidents. All patients recovered completely after conservative and endoscopic treatment respectively, and no procedure-related mortality was noted. 172 patients had a follow-up duration of more than 6 months and among these, 25 patients had recurrent common bile duct stones. It was significantly correlated to the common bile duct size (p = 0.036) CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation alone is simple, safe, and effective in dealing with large common bile duct stones in relatively aged and debilitated patients.

Improved survival in patients receiving medical therapy as compared with banding ligation for the prevention of esophageal variceal rebleeding.

UNLABELLED: Both medical therapy and endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) have proven to be comparable in the prevention of variceal rebleeding. However, the long-term results are still lacking. Our previous study enrolled 121 patients with history of esophageal variceal bleeding and randomized to receive EVL (EVL group, 60 patients) or drug therapy, nadolol plus isosorbide-5-mononitrate (N+I) (N+I group, 61 patients) to prevent variceal rebleeding. The EVL group received ligation regularly until variceal obliteration. The N+I group received N+I during the study period. Patients were followed for up to 8 years. After a median follow-up of 82 months, recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding developed in 28 patients (47%) in the EVL group and 49 patients (80%) in the N+I group (P = 0.001). Recurrent bleeding from esophageal varices occurred in 18 patients (30%) in the EVL group and 39 patients (64%) in the N+I group. The actuarial probability of rebleeding from esophageal varices was lower in the EVL group (P = 0.001). A total of 42 patients of the EVL group and 30 patients of the N+I group died (P = 0.013). The multivariate Cox analysis indicated that age, serum albumin, presence of encephalopathy, and treatment were the factors predictive of mortality. CONCLUSION: Our long-term follow-up study showed that combination of N+I therapy was inferior to banding ligation in the reduction of variceal rebleeding, but with enhanced survival.

Comparison of hemostatic efficacy for argon plasma coagulation and distilled water injection in treating high-risk bleeding ulcers.

GOALS AND BACKGROUND: Endoscopic treatment is recommended for initial hemostasis in nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Many endoscopic devices have been demonstrated to be effective in the hemostasis of bleeding ulcers. However, the hemostatic efficacy of argon plasma coagulation (APC) has not been widely investigated. STUDY: From February 2007 to February 2008, 271 consecutive patients with high-risk bleeding ulcers, characterized by active bleeding, nonbleeding visible vessels and adherent clots, were admitted to our hospital. Among these patients, 135 nonrandomly underwent either APC therapy or distilled water injection. Pantoprazole infusion was conducted during the fasting period after endoscopy and orally for 8 weeks to encourage ulcer healing. Episodes of rebleeding were retreated with endoscopic combination therapy. Patients who did not benefit from retreatment underwent emergency surgery. RESULTS: In all,135 patients were enrolled, among whom 6 with gastric malignancy, acute severe illness or multiple bleeding sites were excluded. Finally, hemostatic efficacy in 59 patients treated with APC was prospectively compared with 70 patients treated with distilled water injection. The two treatment groups were similar with respect to all baseline characteristics. Initial hemostasis was accomplished in 57 patients treated with APC, and 64 patients with distilled water injection therapy (97% vs. 91%, P=0.29). Bleeding recurred in 6 patients treated with APC, and in 17 patients treated with distilled water injection (11% vs. 27%, P=0.03). No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in hospital stay, transfusion requirements, surgery and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic therapy with APC is more effective than distilled water injection for preventing rebleeding in the treatment of high-risk bleeding ulcers.

Effect of intravenous albumin on endotoxin removal, cytokines, and nitric oxide production in patients with cirrhosis and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

OBJECTIVE: In patients with cirrhosis and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), the use of intravenous albumin has been shown to prevent deterioration of renal function and to decrease the mortality rate, but the mechanisms remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to characterize the mechanisms of action of albumin with the focus on endotoxin and cytokines. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty patients with SBP were divided into two groups. Group 1 received antibiotics and albumin infusion (20% 50 cc every day for 3 days) and Group 2 received antibiotic treatment only. Twenty-four cirrhotic patients with sterile ascites were enrolled in Group 3 and received albumin infusion (20% 50 cc every day for 3 days). Plasma and ascitic fluid concentrations of endotoxin, nitric oxide products (NOx), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and interleukin (IL)-6 were analyzed before and after treatments, respectively. RESULTS: Combination therapy of albumin and antibiotics can significantly (p<0.01) reduce plasma levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6, and ascitic fluid levels of endotoxin, TNF-alpha and IL-6 in cirrhotic patients with SBP. Without the addition of albumin to an antibiotic regimen, the plasma and ascitic fluid levels of NOx increased significantly in patients with SBP (p=0.005 and p=0.004, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that the beneficial effects of albumin are related to the reduction of the levels of TNF-alpha and NOx in both plasma and ascitic fluid. The infusion of albumin continuously for 3 days in addition to antibiotic treatment at the time of SBP detection is recommended as an effective therapy for patients with cirrhosis and SBP.

A randomized, controlled trial of banding ligation plus drug therapy versus drug therapy alone in the prevention of esophageal variceal rebleeding.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Both medications with beta-blockers and isosorbide-5-mononitrate and endoscopic variceal ligation have been proven plausible in the prevention of variceal rebleeding. However, the relative efficacy and safety of the combined treatment for preventing rebleeding remains unresolved. METHODS: Patients with history of esophageal variceal bleeding were enrolled. Emergency ligation was performed in patients with acute variceal bleeding. After hemodynamic stability, eligible patients were randomized to either the Medication group, using nadolol plus isorsorbide-5-mononitrate, or the Combined group, receiving banding ligation in addition to medications. Patients in the two groups with rebleeding from esophageal varices were treated with band ligation. The end points were rebleeding from varices or death. RESULTS: After a median follow up of 23 months, recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding developed in 51% in the Medication group and 38% in the Combined group (P = 0.21). Recurrent bleeding from esophageal varices occurred in 26 patients (43%) in the Medication group and in 16 patients (26%) in the Combined group (P = 0.07). Recurrent bleeding from gastroesophageal varices occurred in 48% of Medication group and 28% of Combined group (P = 0.05). The frequency of adverse effects and mortality rates were similar between both groups (P = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: Combined ligation with medications was marginally more effective than medication alone in the prevention of gastroesophageal variceal rebleeding with similar adverse effects and mortality.

Impact of food on hepatic clearance of patients after endoscopic sphincterotomy.

BACKGROUND: The recurrence rate of common bile duct stones (CBDS) is around 3-21% after treatment by endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES). Fatty meal has been shown to improve hepatic clearance in both patients with intact gallbladder and post-cholecystectomy after ES. This study tested the effects of different kinds of food on hepatic clearance by using quantitative cholescintigraphy (QC) in patients after ES. METHODS: Forty-seven patients after ES with abnormal QC were enrolled in our study. Complete ablation of sphincter function was confirmed by sphincter of Oddi manometry. Fasting QC was done in every patient shortly after normalization of liver function, and then followed with low-fat and fatty-meal QC. Each of the 47 subjects was observed for the effect on hepatic clearance at 3 different levels of treatments (diets and fasting). Additionally, possible factors responsible for recurrent CBDS were investigated by means of logistic regression. RESULTS: Both fatty and low-fat meals could significantly improve hepatic clearance compared with fasting in most patients after ES. But the response to food types was individualized. All patients tolerated the meals well. There was no significant relationship between the recurrence of CBDS and sex, age, intact gallbladder and presence of juxtapapillary diverticulum, CBD size, and improvement in hepatic clearance (> or = 5%) by food. CONCLUSION: Both fatty and low-fat meals improved hepatic clearance in most of the patients with CBDS after ES, but the response to meals was individualized. Therefore, there is no need to restrict the amount of fat intake for patients who have undergone ES.

Effect of somatostatin in the prevention of pancreatic complications after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

BACKGROUND: The unique clinical role of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in diagnosing and treating biliary tree diseases cannot be completely replaced by other modern imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. However, post-ERCP pancreatitis is one of the most common and life-threatening complications. Prophylactic medication in the prevention of pancreatitis during ERCP is still controversial. The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of different regimens of somatostatin in the prevention of acute pancreatitis after ERCP and analyze the risk factors contributing to post-ERCP complications. METHODS: From July 1999 to September 2000, 133 patients with benign biliary disease who received ERCP for diagnosis or treatment were enrolled. Group A patients received a bolus of somatostatin infusion before ERCP, followed by continuous infusion for 12 hours. Group B patients received a bolus of somatostatin before ERCP only, and group C patients were the controls who did not receive somatostatin treatment. Serum amylase levels before and 24 hours after ERCP, and abdominal pain were recorded. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in bile duct and pancreatic duct visualization, ratio of diagnostic and therapeutic ERCP, procedure time, post-procedural hyperamylasemia and pancreatitis among the 3 groups. For patients with visualization of the pancreatic duct, the incidences of hyperamylasemia (serum amylase > or = 220 U/L) were higher than in patients without visualization of the pancreatic duct (p < 0.001). All 6 patients with post-ERCP pancreatitis had pancreatic duct visualization, and recovered after conservative treatment. CONCLUSION: Continuous infusion of somatostatin after ERCP does not seem to be helpful in the prevention of pancreatic complications after ERCP. Pancreatic duct visualization is a risk factor for pancreatic complications.

Nodular regenerative hyperplasia of the liver.

Nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH), characterized by diffuse hepatic micronodular transformation in groups without fibrous septa between the nodules, is a rare benign liver lesion that has many synonyms in previous literature. Pathologic evaluation is the mainstay of accurate diagnosis. Treatment is focused on its underlying conditions and complications of portal hypertension. A 39-year-old man visited our hospital due to right upper quadrant pain and a palpable liver mass. Magnetic resonance examination revealed a slightly hyperintense tumor on T2-weighted images, and focal nodular hyperplasia was diagnosed by the radiologists. Atypical radiologic findings could not yield an accurate diagnosis. Surgical intervention was therefore performed. Pathologic examination of the resected liver tumor confirmed the diagnosis of NRH. We conclude that NRH should be included in the differential diagnosis of benign liver tumor.

Does preserved sphincter of Oddi function prevent common bile duct stones recurrence in patients after endoscopic papillary balloon dilation?

BACKGROUND: Whether preserving sphincter of Oddi (SO) function by endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD) is beneficial for preventing recurrent common bile duct stone disease (CBDS) is controversial. The aim of this study was to measure sphincter of Oddi (SO) function by using SO manometry, and to evaluate the association with recurrent CBDS. METHODS: Patients with suspected CBDS who underwent successful EPBD were included. These patients underwent SO manometry at two months after EPBD with bile duct clearance. They were regularly followed for recurrent CBDS. RESULTS: From January 2000 to December 2009, 185 patients received EPBD and SO manometry was included. There were 64% male with mean age of 65 ± 15.6 years. Mean ballooning inflation size was 1.1 ± 0.19 cm and mean ballooning time was 4.5 ± 0.85 min 55.7% had a sphincter of Oddi basal pressure (SOBP) of 0 mmHg, 16.2% < 10 mmHg, 26.5% 10-40 mmHg, and 1.6% > 40 mmHg. In multivariate analysis, EPBD with balloon ≥1.2 cm was the only factor for loss of SO function. Moreover, patients with preserved SO function had higher stone recurrence rate (15% vs. 5%, p = 0.034). CONCLUSION: EPBD using balloon ≥1.2 cm is a major factor for loss of SO function, which seems to reduce the risk of recurrent CBD stones.

Emergency endoscopic variceal ligation versus somatostatin for acute esophageal variceal bleeding.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic variceal ligation and somatostatin are widely used for treating acute esophageal variceal bleeding. This study compared the efficacy, safety, and survival of both therapies. METHODS: Acute esophageal variceal bleeding patients were randomized to undergo emergency ligation or receive a bolus of 250 microg somatostatin plus infusion at 250 microg/hour for 48 hours and undergo ligation subsequently. RESULTS: Three (4.8%) of 62 patients in the ligation group and 20 (31.7%) of 63 patients in the somatostatin group encountered treatment failure (p = 0.0001). Transfusion requirements were 4.7 +/- 3.2 units in the ligation group and 6.9 +/- 7.3 units in the somatostatin group (p = 0.03). Hospital stay was 7.7 +/- 4.0 days in the ligation group and 10.2 +/- 9.9 days in the somatostatin group (p = 0.07). Adverse effects occurred in the ligation group (20 episodes) and the somatostatin group (27 episodes) (p = 0.2). The 42-day mortality rates were 5 patients (8.1%) in the ligation group and 3 patients (4.8%) in the somatostatin group (p = 0.5). CONCLUSION: Emergency ligation was superior to somatostatin in treating acute esophageal variceal bleeding, with fewer requirements of transfusion and a tendency toward shorter hospital stay. The adverse effects and 42-day mortality rates were similar between both treatments.

Implications of anti-parietal cell antibodies and anti-Helicobacter pylori antibodies in histological gastritis and patient outcome.

AIM: To develop a serum or histological marker for early discovery of gastric atrophy or intestinal metaplasia. METHODS: This study enrolled 44 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, 52 patients with duodenal ulcer, 14 patients with gastric ulcer and 42 consecutive healthy adults as controls. Each patient received an endoscopy and five biopsy samples were obtained. The degrees of histological parameters of gastritis were categorized following the Updated Sydney System. Anti-parietal cell antibodies (APCA) and anti-Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) antibodies (AHPA) were analyzed by immunoassays. H pylori infection was diagnosed by rapid urease test and histological examination. RESULTS: Patients with gastric cancer and gastric ulcer are significantly older than healthy subjects, while also displaying higher frequency of APCA than healthy controls. Patients with positive APCA showed higher scores in gastric atrophy and intestinal metaplasia of corpus than patients with negative APCA. Patients with positive AHPA had higher scores in gastric atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, and gastric inflammation of antrum than those patients with negative AHPA. Elderly patients had greater prevalence rates of APCA. Following multivariant logistic regression analysis, the only significant risk factor for antral atrophy is positive AHPA, while that for corpus atrophy is positive APCA. CONCLUSION: The existence of positive APCA correlates with glandular atrophy in corpus and the presence of positive AHPA correlates with glandular atrophy in antrum. The existence of serum APCA and AHPA betokens glandular atrophy and requires further examination for gastric cancer.

Composition of common bile duct stones in Chinese patients during and after endoscopic sphincterotomy.

AIM: Endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) is a well-established therapeutic modality for the removal of common bile duct (CBD) stones. After ES there are still around 10% of patients that experience recurrent CBD stones. The aim of this study is to investigate the composition of CBD stones before and after ES and its clinical significance in Chinese patients. METHODS: From January 1996 to December 2003, 735 patients with CBD stones received ES at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital and stone specimens from 266 patients were sent for analysis. Seventy-five patients had recurrent CBD stones and stone specimens from 44 patients were sent for analysis. The composition of the stones was analyzed by infrared (IR) spectrometry and they were classified as cholesterol or bilirubinate stones according to the predominant composition. Clinical data were analyzed. RESULTS: In the initial 266 stone samples, 217 (82%) were bilirubinate stones, 42 (16%) were cholesterol stones, 3 were calcium carbonate stones, 4 were mixed cholesterol and bilirubinate stones. Patients with bilirubinate stones were significantly older than patients with cholesterol stones (66+/-13 years vs 56+/-17 years, P = 0.001). In the 44 recurrent stone samples, 38 (86%) were bilirubinate stones, 3 (7%) were cholesterol stones, and 3 were mixed cholesterol and bilirubinate stones. In 27 patients, both initial and recurrent stone specimens can be obtained, 23 patients had bilirubinate stones initially and 2 became cholesterol stones in the recurrent attack. In the four patients with initial cholesterol stones, three patients had bilirubinate stones and one patient had a cholesterol stone in the recurrent attack. CONCLUSION: Bilirubinate stone is the predominant composition of initial or recurrent CBD stone in Chinese patients. The composition of CBD stones may be different from initial stones after ES.

Factors for early tumor recurrence of single small hepatocellular carcinoma after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation therapy.

AIM: To evaluate the factors affecting the early tumor recurrence within one year in cirrhotic patients having a single small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after complete tumor necrosis by radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy. METHODS: Thirty patients with a single small HCC received RFA therapy by a RFA 2000 generator with LeVeen needle. Tri-phase computerized tomogram was followed every 2 to 3 mo after RFA. The clinical effects and tumor recurrence were recorded. RESULTS: The initial complete tumor necrosis rate was 86.7%. Twenty-two patients were followed for more than one year. The local and overall recurrence rates were 13.6% and 36.4%, 33.3% and 56.2%, 46.6% and 56.2% at 12, 24 and 30 mo, respectively. No major complication or procedure-related mortality was found. The risk factors for early local tumor recurrence within one year were larger tumor size, poor pathologic differentiation of tumor cells and advanced tumor staging. The age of patients with new tumor formation within one year was relatively younger (55.1+/-8.3 vs 66.7+/-10.8, P = 0.029). CONCLUSION: Large tumor size, poor pathologic differentiation of tumor cells and advanced tumor staging are the risk factors for early local tumor recurrence within one year, and young age is the positive predictor for new tumor formation within one year.

Clinical application of clip-assisted endoscopic method for nasoenteric feeding in patients with gastroparesis and gastroesophageal wounds.

AIM: To report the clinical experiences in the application of clip-assisted endoscopic method for nasoenteric feeding in patients with gastroparesis and patients with gastroesophageal wounds, and to compare the efficacy of nasoenteric feeding in these two indications. METHODS: From April 2002 to January 2004, 21 consecutive patients with gastroparesis or gastroesophageal wounds were enrolled and received nasoenteric feeding for nutritional support. A clip-assisted method was used to place the nasoenteric tubes. Outcomes in the two groups were compared with respect to the successful rate of enteral feeding, percentage of recommended energy intake (REI), and complication rates. RESULTS: The gastroparesis group included 13 patients with major burns (n = 7), trauma (n = 2), congestive heart failure (n = 2) and post-surgery gastric stasis syndrome (n = 2). The esophageogastric wound group included eight patients with tracheoesophageal fistula (n = 2) and wound leakage following gastric surgery (n = 6). Two study groups were similar in feeding successful rates (84.6% vs 75.0%). There were also no differences in the percentage of REI between groups (79.4% vs 78.6%). Additionally, no complications occurred in any of the study groups. CONCLUSION: Nasoenteric feeding is a useful method to provide nutritional support to most of the patients with gastroparesis who cannot tolerate nasogastric tube feeding and to the cases who need bypass feeding for esophageogastric wounds.

Polymerase chain reaction: a sensitive method for detecting Helicobacter pylori infection in bleeding peptic ulcers.

AIM: To assess the sensitivity and specificity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in detecting Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection in patients with bleeding peptic ulcers, and to compare its diagnostic efficacy with other invasive and non-invasive tests. METHODS: From April to September 2002, H pylori status in 60 patients who consecutively presented with gastroduodenal ulcer bleeding was examined by rapid urease tests (RUT), histology, culture, PCR, serology and urea breath tests (UBT). RESULTS: The sensitivity of PCR was significantly higher than that of RUT, histology and culture (91% vs 66%, 43% and 37%, respectively; P = 0.01, <0.001, <0.001, respectively), but similar to that of serology (94%) and UBT (94%). Additionally, PCR exhibited a greater specificity than serology (100% vs 65%, P<0.01). However, the specificity of PCR did not differ from that of other tests. Further analysis revealed significant differences in the sensitivities of RUT, culture, histology and PCR between the patients with and those without blood in the stomach (P<0.01, P = 0.09, P<0.05, and P<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: PCR is the most accurate method among the biopsy-based tests to detect H pylori infection in patients with bleeding peptic ulcers. Blood may reduce the sensitivities of all biopsy-based tests.

Role of endoscopic papillary balloon dilation in patients with recurrent bile duct stones after endoscopic sphincterotomy.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) is an established treatment for patients with choledocholithiasis or common bile duct stones (CBDS), but further management of patients after ES with recurrent CBDS remains controversial. Endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD) has been used safely and effectively for stone removal in patients after ES with recurrent CBDS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of EPLBD in patients after complete ES with recurrent CBDS. METHODS: Records of 891 patients with CBDS after complete ES from January 1991 to December 2008 were reviewed. Of 133 patients with recurrent CBDS, 122 had complete endoscopic bile duct clearance. Twenty-three patients (Group 1) underwent EPLBD and 99 (Group 2) underwent stone extraction without dilatation. Basic demographics and endoscopic findings at the first recurrence were recorded and analyzed. The primary end point was the second CBDS recurrence. RESULTS: No statistical differences were observed between the two groups, except for larger CBDS size in Group 1. The bile duct clearance rate was 96% in Group 1 and 91% in Group 2. No complications such as pancreatitis, perforation, and bleeding were noted in Group 1, and one patient in Group 2 suffered from bleeding after stone extraction. The rate of second recurrent CBDS after endoscopic clearance for the first recurrent CBDS was 17% in Group 1 and 60% in Group 2 (p < 0.001). There were two independent factors for the second recurrence, including cirrhosis (odds ratio 4.734, p = 0.023) and stone extraction directly without major papilla expansion (odds ratio 6.050, p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: EPLBD is a safe and effective endoscopic treatment for recurrent CBDS in patients after ES. It can also facilitate complete clearance of CBDS and prevent further CBDS recurrence.

Intravenous pantoprazole versus ranitidine for prevention of rebleeding after endoscopic hemostasis of bleeding peptic ulcers.

AIM: The role of intravenous pantoprazole in treatment of patients with high-risk bleeding peptic ulcers following endoscopic hemostasis remains uncertain. We therefore conducted the pilot prospective randomized study to assess whether intravenous pantoprazole could improve the efficacy of H(2)-antagonist as an adjunct treatment following endoscopic injection therapy for bleeding ulcers. METHODS: Patients with active bleeding ulcers or ulcers with major signs of recent bleeding were treated with distilled water injection. After hemostasis was achieved, they were randomly assigned to receive intravenous pantoprazole or ranitidine. RESULTS: One hundred and two patients were enrolled in this prospective trial. Bleeding recurred in 2 patients (4%) in the pantoprazole group (n = 52), as compared with 8 (16%) in the ranitidine group (n = 50). The rebleeding rate was significantly lower in the pantoprazole group (P = 0.04). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups with regard to the need for emergency surgery (0% vs 2%), transfusion requirements (4.9+/-5.9 vs 5.7+/-6.8 units), hospital days (5.9+/-3.2 vs 7.5+/-5.0 d) or mortality (2% vs 2%). CONCLUSION: Pantoprozole is superior to ranitidine as an adjunct treatment to endoscopic injection therapy in high-risk bleeding ulcers.

Endoscopic banding ligation can effectively resect hyperplastic polyps of stomach.

AIM: Bleeding and perforation are the major and serious complications associated with endoscopic polypectomy. To develop a safe and effective method to resect hyperplastic polyps of the stomach, we employed rubber bands to strangulate hyperplastic polyps and to determine the possibility of inducing avascular necrosis in these lesions. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with 72 hyperplastic polyps were treated with endoscopic banding ligation (EBL). On 14 days after endoscopic ligation, follow-up endoscopies were performed to assess the outcomes of the strangulated polyps. RESULTS: After being strangulated by the rubber bands, all of the polyps immediately became congested (100%), and then developed cyanotic changes (100%) approximately 4 minutes later. On follow-up endoscopy 2 weeks later, all the polyps except one had dropped off. The only one residual polyp shrank with a rubber band in its base, and it also dropped off spontaneously during subsequent follow-up. No complications occurred during or following the ligation procedures. CONCLUSION: Gastric polyps develop avascular necrosis following ligation by rubber bands. Employing suction equipment, EBL can easily capture sessile polyps. It is an easy, safe and effective method to eradicate hyperplastic polyps of the stomach.

Clip-assisted endoscopic method for placement of a nasoenteric feeding tube into the distal duodenum.

Gastroenterologists are often frustrated in their efforts to deliver a feeding tube by endoscopic guidance into the small bowel because of retrograde migration during the withdrawal of the endoscope. We describe a clip assisted endoscopic method whereby a nasoenteric feeding tube can be reliably delivered into the distal duodenum. A nasoduodenal tube with a 3-0 silk suture sewn on its distal tip is inserted into the stomach. The suture on the feeding tube is grasped by a clip-fixing device. Then, the endoscope with feeding tube is advanced into the distal duodenum and the tube is fixed on a mucosal fold by clipping. We used this technique to successfully place nasoenteric tubes into the distal duodenum in 9 patients. There were no procedure-related complications, and no bleeding or perforation due to removal of the feeding tubes was observed. We conclude that this clip-assisted endoscopic method is a reliable modality for placing nasoenteric tubes.