A rare case of schwannoma of the small intestine discovered during intussusception.

A woman in her 60s with anemia was diagnosed with a small intestinal intussusception on computed tomography. She underwent a double-balloon endoscopy, which revealed submucosal tumor in the ileum. Suspected to be the cause of anemia and intussusception, surgical intervention was carried out, revealing it to be a schwannoma. Schwannomas of the small intestine are very rare, and because exophytic growths are common, intussusception due to luminal side development is even rarer.

Efficacy of a Gastroscope for Cecal Intubation during Colonoscopy in Patients with Severe Sigmoid Adhesion.

BACKGROUND: Cecal intubation during colonoscopy is difficult to achieve in patients with severe sigmoid adhesions. This retrospective observational study assessed the efficacy of using a gastroscope for colonoscopy in patients with severe sigmoid adhesions. Furthermore, the ability of computed tomography (CT) to predict the possibility of cecal intubation using a gastroscope was examined. METHODS: A total of 1,626 patients who underwent colonoscopy for total colon observation by one endoscopist were enrolled. Cecal intubation rate and other procedure-related outcomes were evaluated. We also investigated whether identification of the sigmoid colon pathway by CT was involved in cecal intubation rate using a gastroscope. RESULTS: Of the enrolled patients, cecal intubation by colonoscope was not feasible in 19 patients (1.2%) because of severe sigmoid adhesions. Cecal intubation was possible in 13 patients (68.4%) using a gastroscope, and the cecal intubation rate of peritoneal carcinomatosis (0%, p < 0.01) was significantly lower than that of other causes such as a diverticulum (100%) and history of gynecologic surgery (80%). The identifiable case of the sigmoid colon pathway by horizontal section on CT showed significantly higher cecal intubation rate compared to those of unidentifiable cases (92.3% vs. 16.7%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Using a gastroscope is effective in performing cecal intubation during colonoscopy in patients with severe sigmoid adhesions. However, in patients with sigmoid adhesions caused by peritoneal carcinomatosis, cecal intubation may be difficult, even when a gastroscope is used. The ability of CT to identify the sigmoid colon pathway may predict success of cecal intubation.

Drainage of Afferent Limb Obstruction via the Trans-gastric-bile Duct Formed after Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided Hepaticogastrostomy in a Patient with Pancreatic Cancer.

A 63-year-old man with advanced pancreatic cancer and pyloric obstruction underwent surgical gastrojejunostomy. Malignant biliary obstruction appeared eight months after surgery and was managed with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided hepaticogastrostomy (HGS). Subsequently, afferent limb obstruction caused by cancer invasion occurred. Although an intestinal metal stent could not be placed, a biliary metal stent was deployed via the HGS route, which successfully decompressed the afferent limb; the abdominal symptoms subsequently disappeared. In future similar cases, decompression of the dilated intestine through the HGS and biliary stent might be a viable treatment option.