[Endoscopic and echoendoscopic findings in secondary linitis plastica of the rectum]. / Hallazgos endoscópicos y ecoendoscópicos en la linitis plástica rectal secundaria.

Linitis plastica of the rectum consists of intraparietal, subepithelial and circumferential tumoral infiltration of the wall of the rectum leading to a constricted rectum with mural thickening. There is often a delay between symptom onset and diagnosis because this entity mimics a large number of diseases and the findings of endoscopy and conventional biopsies are non-conclusive since the surface mucosa is not usually affected. We present the endoscopic and echoendoscopic findings of two patients with secondary linitis plastica of the rectum.

[Utility of endoscopic ultrasonography in the etiological diagnosis of patients with acute idiopathic pancreatitis]. / Utilidad de la ecoendoscopia en el diagnóstico etiológico de los pacientes con pancreatitis aguda idiopática.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of endoscopic ultrasonography in the etiological diagnosis of patients initially diagnosed with acute idiopathic pancreatitis and to determine the clinical and laboratory factors related to the results of this technique. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 73 patients initially diagnosed with acute idiopathic pancreatitis and referred to our service for biliopancreatic endoscopic ultrasonography. A positive result was considered to be identification of at least one possible cause of pancreatitis, excluding patients in whom the only echoendoscopic finding was chronic pancreatitis. The clinical characteristics and clinical course of these patients were compared with the results of the technique. RESULTS: Endoscopic ultrasonography diagnosed at least one possible cause of acute pancreatitis in 32 patients (44%). The most frequent diagnoses were cholelithiasis (16%) and biliary sludge (20%). The diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasonography was lower in patients with prior cholecystectomy (16% vs. 49%; p=0.037) while a positive result was more likely in patients with elevated glutamyl oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) or glutamyl pyruvic transaminase (GPT) levels at diagnosis of acute pancreatitis (GOT: 68 vs. 31%; p=0.002; GPT: 63 vs. 26%; p=0.001). No differences were found in diagnostic yield according to whether endoscopic ultrasonography was performed during the first episode of pancreatitis (48%) or in recurrent episodes (37%) (p=0.40). Over a mean follow-up period of 28 months, recurrence of new episodes of pancreatitis was significantly lower in patients with an etiological diagnosis (3 vs. 22%; p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic ultrasonography is a useful technique in the etiological diagnosis of acute pancreatitis of unknown origin, especially in patients with elevated transaminase levels and/or without cholecystectomy. This technique should be used in the first episode of acute idiopathic pancreatitis.

[Contribution of endoscopic ultrasound to the diagnosis of pancreatic metastases from renal carcinoma. Apropos of two cases]. / Aportación de la ecoendoscopia al diagnóstico de las metástasis pancreáticas del carcinoma renal: a propósito de dos casos.

Pancreatic metastases represent 2% of pancreatic tumors. The neoplasms most frequently metastasizing to the pancreas are breast, lung, melanoma and kidney tumors. We present the cases of two patients with pancreatic metastases from renal carcinoma diagnosed 4 and 8 years after the diagnosis and surgical treatment of the primary renal tumor. In both patients, endoscopic ultrasound was useful in the detection and characterization of these pancreatic lesions and allowed fine-needle aspiration for cytological study to be performed.

Frequency of CARD15 polymorphisms in patients with Crohn's disease from Toledo, Spain: genotype-phenotype correlation.

Crohn's disease (CD) presents a complex multifactorial etiology with genetic and environmental factors contributing to the disorder. Epidemiological studies have shown that three major CARD15 polymorphisms, R702W, G908R, and 1007fs, are associated with CD. We studied the frequencies of these three polymorphisms in patients from Toledo, Spain, and compared them with the frequencies found in studies of other populations. A total of 183 patients with CD and 172 healthy controls from Toledo, Spain, were included in this study. All of these individuals were genotyped for the three CARD15 polymorphisms R702W, G908R, and 1007fs. Frequencies were analyzed to identify any genotype-phenotype associations. The control population exhibited frequencies of CARD15 polymorphisms similar to the results of previous studies, 3.4%, 1.1%, and 2.0% for the R702W, G908R, and 1007fs polymorphisms, respectively, whereas CD patients had allele frequencies of 7.6%, 3.0%, and 4.6%, respectively. Significant associations were found between the presence of R702W and patients carrying two susceptibility variants with early age of onset and stricturing pattern.

[Cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall. An underdiagnosed complication in aberrant pancreas]. / Distrofia quística de la pared duodenal. Una complicación infradiagnosticada del páncreas aberrante.

Cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall is an uncommon complication of aberrant pancreas characterized by increased duodenal wall thickness associated with intraparietal cystic lesions. We present the case of a male patient with cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall, which posed major diagnostic problems due to the difficulty of distinguishing this entity from tumors of the head of the pancreas. Echoendoscopy was useful in establishing the definitive diagnosis, allowing puncture-evacuation of the intracystic contents with resolution of obstructive symptoms.

Prospective comparison of endoscopic ultrasonography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in the etiological diagnosis of "idiopathic" acute pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to compare endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in the etiological diagnosis of patients initially diagnosed with idiopathic acute pancreatitis and to determine the clinical and analytical factors related to the end result of these techniques. METHODS: Forty-nine patients, initially diagnosed with idiopathic acute pancreatitis, were evaluated prospectively with EUS and MRCP. Diagnoses were compared between the 2 procedures. The clinical-evolutionary characteristics of these patients with regard to the results obtained with these techniques were compared. RESULTS: In twenty-eight patients (57%), EUS and/or MRCP diagnosed at least 1 possible cause of acute pancreatitis. The diagnostic yield of EUS was higher than that of MRCP (51% vs 20%; P = 0.001). Cholelithiasis and biliary sludge (24%) were the most frequent EUS diagnoses, and pancreas divisum (8%) was the most frequent MRCP diagnosis. Only in 3 cases (6%) did MRCP identify additional features in patients etiologically undiagnosed using EUS. The EUS yield was lower in patients who had a previous cholecystectomy (11% vs 60%; P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic ultrasonography and MRCP are useful techniques in the etiological diagnosis of acute pancreatitis of nonestablished cause. Endoscopic ultrasonography should be preferred for establishing a possible biliary etiology in patients who have not had a cholecystectomy.

Splenic focal lesions as manifestation of sarcoidosis: Characterization with contrast-enhanced sonography.

We report the case of a 74-year-old woman with elevated liver enzyme levels in whom abdominal sonographic examination revealed a diffusely heterogeneous liver parenchyma and multiple hypoechoic subcentimetric splenic nodules. Contrast-enhanced sonography (CEUS) revealed that the splenic focal lesions did not enhance. CT examination revealed a low-density, multinodular pattern both in the liver and in the spleen. Core biopsy of 1 hepatic nodule revealed noncaseating epithelioid cell granuloma, and the patient was diagnosed with systemic sarcoidosis. CEUS has shown to be useful in the diagnosis of focal hepatic lesions, but studies referring to splenic lesions are lacking.

Clinical features of patients with negative results from traditional diagnostic work-up and Crohn's disease findings from capsule endoscopy.

INTRODUCTION: Capsule endoscopy (CE) can detect Crohn's disease in patients with suggestive symptoms but with negative results from the traditional diagnostic work-up (ileocolonoscopy and small bowel follow-through). The objective of this study was to determine which clinical features predict the diagnosis of Crohn's disease by CE in this subgroup of patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-three patients (7 men, 16 women; mean age: 40+/-15 y) with negative results from conventional imaging techniques were prospectively included in the study because of suspicion of Crohn's disease (long-standing abdominal pain and/or diarrhea and at least one of the following symptoms: anemia, weight loss, long-standing fever, perianal disease, extraintestinal manifestations typical of inflammatory bowel disease, elevated inflammatory parameters, or family history of inflammatory bowel disease). RESULTS: CE diagnosed Crohn's disease in 6 patients (26%). Crohn's disease diagnosis was more frequent in patients with a combination of anemia and elevated inflammatory parameters than in patients without this combination (57% vs. 12.5%; P=0.04). The only statistically significant association between an inflammatory parameter and Crohn's disease was an increased platelet count. CONCLUSIONS: CE is a useful tool for the diagnosis of subtle small bowel Crohn's disease. The diagnostic yield of CE in patients with suspicion of Crohn's disease but negative results from the traditional diagnostic work-up is significantly higher in patients with anemia and increased platelet count than in patients without this combination of clinical features.

Hallazgos endoscópicos y ecoendoscópicos en la linitis plástica rectal secundaria / Endoscopic and echoendoscopic findings in secondary linitis plastica of the rectum

La linitis plástica rectal es una infiltración tumoral intraparietal, subepitelial y circunferencial de la pared del recto que condiciona engrosamiento parietal y estenosis de la luz. Con frecuencia existe demora entre la aparición de los síntomas y el diagnóstico debido a que la linitis rectal simula un gran número de enfermedades y los hallazgos endoscópicos y las biopsias convencionales no son concluyentes, pues la mucosa en superficie suele no estar afectada. Presentamos los hallazgos endoscópicos y ecoendoscópicos de 2 pacientes con linitis rectal secundaria (AU)

Linitis plastica of the rectum consists of intraparietal, subepithelial and circumferential tumoral infiltration of the wall of the rectum leading to a constricted rectum with mural thickening. There is often a delay between symptom onset and diagnosis because this entity mimics a large number of diseases and the findings of endoscopy and conventional biopsies are non-conclusive since the surface mucosa is not usually affected. We present the endoscopic and echoendoscopic findings of two patients with secondary linitis plastica of the rectum (AU)

Aportación de la ecoendoscopia al diagnóstico de las metástasis pancreáticas del carcinoma renal: a propósito de dos casos / Contribution of endoscopic ultrasound to the diagnosis of pancreatic metastases from renal carcinoma. Apropos of two cases

Las metástasis pancreáticas representan el 2% de los tumores pancreáticos. Las neoplasias que con más frecuencia metastatizan en el páncreas son: mama, pulmón, melanoma y riñón. Presentamos los casos clínicos de 2 pacientes con metástasis pancreáticas de carcinoma renal detectadas a los 4 y 8 años del diagnóstico e intervención quirúrgica del tumor primario renal. En ambos casos la ecoendoscopia resultó ser una técnica útil en la detección y la caracterización de estas lesiones pancreáticas, y permitió la realización de una punción para el estudio citológico

Pancreatic metastases represent 2% of pancreatic tumors. The neoplasms most frequently metastasizing to the pancreas are breast, lung, melanoma and kidney tumors. We present the cases of two patients with pancreatic metastases from renal carcinoma diagnosed 4 and 8 years after the diagnosis and surgical treatment of the primary renal tumor. In both patients, endoscopic ultrasound was useful in the detection and characterization of these pancreatic lesions and allowed fine-needle aspiration for cytological study to be performed