Big-data analysis: A clinical pathway on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for common bile duct stones.

BACKGROUND: A clinical pathway (CP) is a standardized approach for disease management. However, big data-based evidence is rarely involved in CP for related common bile duct (CBD) stones, let alone outcome comparisons before and after CP implementation. AIM: To investigate the value of CP implementation in patients with CBD stones undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital in patients with CBD stones undergoing ERCP from January 2007 to December 2017. The data and outcomes were compared by using univariate and multivariable regression/linear models between the patients who received conventional care (non-pathway group, n = 467) and CP care (pathway group, n = 2196). RESULTS: At baseline, the main differences observed between the two groups were the percentage of patients with multiple stones (P < 0.001) and incidence of cholangitis complication (P < 0.05). The percentage of antibiotic use and complications in the CP group were significantly less than those in the non-pathway group [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.55-0.93, P = 0.012, adjusted OR = 0.44, 95%CI: 0.33-0.59, P < 0.001, respectively]. Patients spent lower costs on hospitalization, operation, nursing, medication, and medical consumable materials (P < 0.001 for all), and even experienced shorter length of hospital stay (LOHS) (P < 0.001) after the CP implementation. No significant differences in clinical outcomes, readmission rate, or secondary surgery rate were presented between the patients in the non-pathway and CP groups. CONCLUSION: Implementing a CP for patients with CBD stones is a safe mode to reduce the LOHS, hospital costs, antibiotic use, and complication rate.

Role of Virtual Touch Tissue Imaging Quantification in the Assessment of Hepatic Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome in a Rat Model.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the value of liver stiffness in rats with various degrees of hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (HSOS) induced by monocrotaline by comparing liver histopathologic findings. METHODS: Seventy rats were randomly divided into a control group (n = 10), a low-dose monocrotaline group (n = 30), and a high-dose monocrotaline group (n = 30). After successful modeling, the liver shear wave velocity (SWV) by Virtual Touch tissue imaging quantification (Siemens Medical Solutions, Mountain View, CA) and the alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and total bilirubin levels of the groups were obtained on days 3 and 5, and the intergroup differences were compared. Liver histopathologic characteristics were analyzed to evaluate the degrees of HSOS, and the scores were recorded. RESULTS: On days 3 and 5, the total bilirubin, AST, and ALT, levels and liver SWV in the low- and high-dose groups were elevated; the portal vein velocity (PVV) of these groups was decreased compared with the control group; and the high-dose rats showed higher serum AST and ALT levels than the low-dose rats. The high-dose rats had a lower PVV than the low-dose rats at day 3. The liver SWV values had significant correlations with the histologic score and PVV. In a multivariate analysis, the liver SWV (ß = 0.813; P < .001) was independently associated with the histopathologic score. CONCLUSIONS: Liver stiffness as measured by Virtual Touch tissue imaging quantification increases with the severity of HSOS and can be recommended as a marker for diagnosis and assessment of HSOS.