Baseline Clinical Factors Are Associated With Risk of Complications in Crohn's Disease: Appraisal of the American Gastroenterological Association Clinical Care Pathway.

INTRODUCTION: The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has compiled risk factors that may be predictive of disease complications in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the AGA risk factors for risk stratification in UC and CD. METHODS: We included participants of 2 cohorts: the Ocean State Crohn's and Colitis Area Registry cohort and the Mayo Clinic cohort. Baseline clinical risk factors were extracted according to the AGA pathway. Our primary end point was defined as follows: (i) any inflammatory bowel disease related-hospitalization, (ii) any inflammatory bowel disease-related bowel surgery, or (iii) any progression of disease. We analyzed the association of the number of AGA risk factors with our end point. Statistical multivariable modeling was performed with Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: A total of 412 patients with CD were included. Comparing ≥3 risk factors with 0-1 risk factor, we found a significantly increased risk of complications in both the Ocean State Crohn's and Colitis Area Registry cohort (hazard ratio [HR] 2.75, 95% confidence interval 1.71-4.41) and Mayo Clinic cohort (HR 2.07, 95% confidence interval 1.11-3.84). Diagnosis at younger age (HR 2.07), perianal disease (HR 1.99), and B2/B3 behavior (HR 1.92) were significantly associated with disease complications. We did not observe a consistent association between number of risk factors nor any specific individual risk factors and risk of disease complications in the 265 patients with UC included. DISCUSSION: We found a significant association between the number of AGA risk factors and the risk of disease complication in CD; this association was not significant in UC. The presence of ≥ 3 risk factors in CD leads to the highest risk of complications. The AGA care pathway is a useful tool to stratify patients who are at higher risk of disease complications in patients with CD.

The final plug: novel use of vascular plug for management of bronchoesophageal fistula.

Video 1Successful management of a postsurgical bronchoesophageal fistula with a combination of a self-expanding vascular plug, glue containing cyanoacrylate, and a fully covered metal stent.

Endoscopic management of surgical complications.

While the endoscopic management of surgical complications like leaks, fistulas, and perforations is rapidly evolving, its core principles revolve around closure, drainage, and containment. Effectively managing these conditions relies on several factors, such as the underlying cause, chronicity of the lesion, tissue viability, co-morbidities, availability of devices, and expertise required to perform the endoscopy. In contrast to acute perforation, fistulas and leaks often demand a multimodal approach requiring more than one session to achieve the required results. Although the ultimate goal is complete resolution, these endoscopic interventions can provide clinical stability, enabling enteral feeding to lead to early hospital discharge or elective surgery. In this discussion, we emphasize the current state of knowledge and the prospective role of endoscopic interventions in managing surgical complications.

Challenging clinical presentation of Zinner syndrome.

Zinner syndrome is a rare congenital malformation of the mesonephric duct comprising of seminal vesicle cyst, ipsilateral renal agenesis, and ejaculatory duct obstruction. Clinical presentation varies with perineal pain, painful ejaculation, hematospermia and infertility common presenting complaints. Here, we present a case of Zinner syndrome in a 35-year-old male with a rare clinical presentation of only abdominal discomfort. The purpose of this case report is to highlight the challenging clinical presentation of Zinner syndrome and the use of imaging modalities in diagnosing the condition.