Sustainability in gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy: Position Paper from the Italian Association of Hospital Gastroenterologists and Digestive Endoscopists (AIGO).

Climate crisis is dramatically changing life on earth. Environmental sustainability and waste management are rapidly gaining centrality in quality improvement strategies of healthcare, especially in procedure-dominant fields such as gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy. Therefore, healthcare interventions and endoscopic procedures must be evaluated through the 'triple bottom line' of financial, social, and environmental impact. The purpose of the paper is to provide information on the carbon footprint of gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy and outline a set of measures that the sector can take to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases while improving patient outcomes. Scientific societies, hospital executives, single endoscopic units can structure health policies and investment to build a "green endoscopy". The AIGO study group reinforces the role of gastrointestinal endoscopy professionals as advocates of sustainability in digestive endoscopy. The "green endoscopy" can shape a more sustainable health service and lead to an equitable, climate-smart, and healthier future.

Correct use of telemedicine in gastroenterology, hepatology, and endoscopy during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: Recommendations from the Italian association of hospital gastroenterologists and endoscopists (AIGO).

The purpose of the present document is to provide detailed information on the correct and optimal use of digital media to ensure continuity of care for gastroenterological patients in everyday clinical practice, in health emergencies and/or when the patient cannot reach the hospital for other reasons. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has allowed many patients with chronic diseases to access remote care worldwide, proving to be the ideal solution to overcome restrictions and carry out non-urgent routine follow-ups on chronic patients. The COVID-19 pandemic has therefore made organizational and cultural renewal essential for the reorganization of healthcare in order to ensure greater continuity of care with a minimum risk of spreading the virus to users, practitioners and their families. These AIGO recommendations are intended to provide Italian gastroenterologists with a tool to use this method appropriately, in compliance with current legislation, in particular the proper approach and procedures for conducting a remote examination using a video conferencing tool, the so-called televisit. In the near future, telemedicine may contribute to a possible reorganization of healthcare systems, through innovative care models focusing on the citizen and facilitating access to services throughout the entire Country.

Hood colonoscopy in trainees: a useful adjunct to improve the performance.

BACKGROUND: The use of a transparent hood to improve colonoscopic performance has recently been proposed. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether using the hood might improve the cecal intubation rate, cecal intubation time, number of attempts needed to intubate the ileo-cecal valve, and polyp detection rate in trainees. METHODS: Patients undergoing colonoscopy (n = 378) were randomized in two groups, one studied with hood colonoscopy (n = 179) and the other (n = 199) with standard examination. RESULTS: No differences were found between hood and standard colonoscopy with respect to cecal intubation rate (95 vs 92 %), whereas hood colonoscopy significantly shortened the cecal intubation time, the number of attempts needed to intubate the ileo-cecal valve, and the overall polyp detection rate (p < 0.01 for all these variables). CONCLUSIONS: Hood colonoscopy might represent a useful adjunct to standard colonoscopy, especially improving the performance of endoscopic trainees.

Emerging technologies in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and celiac disease.

Despite advances in our knowledge of celiac disease, the most current and authoritative recommendations conclude that diagnosis requires at least four biopsy specimens to be taken from the duodenal area. These recommendations are based on the perception that classic endoscopic markers are not adequate to target biopsy sampling to sites of villous damage in the duodenum. In the past few years, newly developed procedures and technologies have improved endoscopic recognition of the duodenum. These advances make possible the real-time recognition of the duodenal villous pattern during an upper endoscopy procedure, and thereby have the potential to optimize diagnostic accuracy. It is, therefore, reasonable to hypothesize that upper endoscopy might have a more incisive role in the diagnosis of celiac disease than merely providing a means of obtaining biopsy specimens for histological analysis. This Review highlights the new technologies in the field of upper endoscopy that could be helpful for the diagnosis of celiac disease, including the water-immersion technique, chromoendoscopy, high-resolution magnification endoscopy, optimal band imaging, optical coherence tomography and confocal endomicroscopy.

The water immersion technique is easy to learn for routine use during EGD for duodenal villous evaluation: a single-center 2-year experience.

GOALS: We investigated the learning parameters of the immersion technique for the assessment of marked villous atrophy (MVA), during routine esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). BACKGROUND: The immersion technique offers a proven possibility of enhancing the sensitivity of endoscopy in detecting duodenal villous atrophy patterns. STUDY: Nine endoscopists with at least 2 years of experience, who had previously been trained to perform the immersion technique, searched for duodenal villi during routine EGD. In a 2-year study, duodenal villi were evaluated underwater duodenoscopy in 432 patients from whom duodenal biopsies had been, for various reasons, obtained. The endoscopic findings were compared with the histology. The learning parameters of the water immersion technique and the accuracy in detecting subjects with MVA were observed. RESULTS: A total of 28 (6.5%) patients with MVA were identified during endoscopy by the trained endoscopists. All these patients were diagnosed as being celiac patients. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy (positive and negative predictive values) of the immersion technique in detecting MVA patterns, irrespective of the endoscopist who performed the examination, were always 100%. CONCLUSIONS: The underwater evaluation of the duodenum can be efficiently and regularly performed during routine EGD by endoscopists with 2 years of experience, after a specific, brief training period. This procedure is simple, feasible, and can accurately detect MVA patterns.

Optimal band imaging system: a new tool for enhancing the duodenal villous pattern in celiac disease.

BACKGROUND: The optimal band imaging (OBI) system is a new technology that can select better spectral images decomposed from ordinary endoscopic images. This technology, first introduced as "FUJI Intelligent Color Enhancement," enhances the contrast of the mucosal surface without the use of dyes. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the potential of OBI for predicting the duodenal villous morphologic characteristics in patients with suspected celiac disease. DESIGN: This study was designed as an open, prospective, single-center trial. Duodenoscopy was performed with a high-resolution magnification view, in association with OBI spectral processing. Duodenal villous patterns were evaluated and classified as normal, partially atrophic, or markedly atrophic. The endoscopic results were then compared with the histologic diagnosis. SETTING: Endoscopy unit at the A. Gemelli University Hospital of Rome, Italy. PATIENTS: Sixty-one patients undergoing upper endoscopy for clinical history of malabsorption or serologic suspicion for celiac disease were included in the study. RESULTS: From OBI sets using red, green, and blue wavelength combinations that ranged from 400 to 580 nm, the endoscopist was able to find marked villous atrophy of the duodenum in 16 subjects, partial villous atrophy in 9 subjects, and normal villi in the remaining 36 subjects. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the OBI-based duodenoscopy were 100% accurate in the evaluation of villous patterns. CONCLUSIONS: High-resolution magnification endoscopy with OBI allows clear visualization of the duodenal villous pattern. The OBI system may play a potential role in optimizing the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopy in celiac disease.

Regression of EI2-stage low-grade gastric MALT-lymphoma after H. pylori eradication.

To our knowledge there are only a few reports showing a role of eradication therapy for H. pylori in the treatment of low-grade MALT-lymphoma, of stage EI2. We report a rare case of MALT-lymphoma, invading all of the gastric wall, which regressed after eradication of H. pylori. The regression was well documented by endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). A 70-year-old man was referred to us for upper endoscopy that showed a single ulcer of 3cm in diameter at the gastric angulus. Histology, immunohistochemistry and PCR analyses diagnosed a low-grade MALT-lymphoma in the presence of H. pylori infection. EUS showed a tumor invasion of all the gastric wall. The serosa layer, also, appeared irregular and interrupted in some points. The lymph nodes around the duodenum and the stomach were not involved. An anti-H. pylori therapy was started. After 1 year from the diagnosis, EUS showed the reappearance of the normal layers of the stomach. The patient is actually disease free. This result suggests that in EI2-stage gastric lymphoma of MALT type, in the absence of both high-grade malignancy foci and t(11;18)(q21;q21) chromosomal translocation, an eradication treatment may be considered as a first therapeutic option.

Long-term efficacy of the surgical treatment of buffalo hump in patients continuing antiretroviral therapy.

Fat redistribution disorders are common complications of antiretroviral therapy. Corrective surgery is increasingly used to treat localized fat accumulations that are difficult to treat medically or by changes in drug regimens, but is limited by relapses caused by the continuation of antiretroviral therapy. The surgical treatment of buffalo hump has a long-term favourable effect in the majority of patients continuing antiretroviral therapy, and can therefore be considered in patients experiencing considerable physical or psychological discomfort.