Trauma to the solid abdominal organs: The missed dark box of colonoscopy.

Colonoscopy is an integral part of the lower bowel care and is generally considered a potentially safe diagnostic and therapeutic procedure performed as a daycare outpatient procedure. Colonoscopy is associated with different complications that are not limited to adverse events related to the bowel preparation solutions used, the sedatives used, but to the procedure related as well including bleeding and perforation. Injuries to the extra-luminal abdominal organs during colonoscopy are uncommon, however, serious complications related to the procedure have been reported infrequently in the literature. Life threatening injuries to the spleen, liver, pancreas, mesentery, and urinary bladder have been reported as early as in mid-1970s. These injuries should not be overlooked by clinicians and endoscopists. Steadily increasing abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and hemodynamic instability in absence of rectal bleeding should raise the possibility of severe organ injury. Splenic and hepatic injury following colonoscopy are usually serious and may be life threatening. Although conservative management may help, yet they usually need interventional radiology or surgical intervention. Acute pancreatitis following colonoscopy is usually mild and is mostly managed conservatively. The mechanism of abdominal organ injuries during colonoscopy is not fully understood, however many risk factors have been identified, which can be classified as- organ related, procedure related, and local abdominal factors. Difficult colonoscopy and prior intra-abdominal adhesions are probably the most relevant risk factors for these injuries. Left lateral position, avoidance of looping and excessive force during the procedure would probably reduce the risk of such injuries.

Sonographic gallbladder wall thickness measurement and the prediction of esophageal varices among cirrhotics.

Acute variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension (PHT) is the most serious emergency complication among those patients and could have catastrophic outcomes if not timely managed. Early screening by esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGD) for the presence of esophageal varices (EVs) is currently recommended by the practice guidelines for all cirrhotic patients. Meanwhile, EGD is not readily accepted or preferred by many patients. The literature is rich in studies to investigate and validate non-invasive markers of EVs prediction aiming at reducing the unneeded endoscopic procedures. Gallbladder (GB) wall thickness (GBWT) measurement has been found promising in many published research articles. We aim to highlight the validity of sonographic GBWT measurement in the prediction of EVs based on the available evidence. We searched databases including Cochrane library, PubMed, Web of Science and many others for relevant articles. GBWT is associated with the presence of EVs in cirrhotic patients with PHT of different etiologies. The cut-off of GBWT that can predict the presence of EVs varied in the literature and ranges from 3.1 mm to 4.35 mm with variable sensitivities of 46%-90.9% and lower cut-offs in viral cirrhosis compared to non-viral, however GBWT > 4 mm in many studies is associated with acceptable sensitivity up to 90%. Furthermore, a relation was also noticed with the degree of varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy. Among cirrhotics, GBWT > 3.5 mm predicts the presence of advanced (grade III-IV) EVs with a sensitivity of 45%, the sensitivity increased to 92% when a cut-off ≥ 3.95 mm was used in another cohort. Analysis of these results should carefully be revised in the context of ascites, hypoalbuminemia and other intrinsic GB diseases among cirrhotic patients. The sensitivity for prediction of EVs improved upon combining GBWT measurement with other non-invasive predictors, e.g., platelets/GBWT.

Does gallbladder wall thickness measurement predict esophageal varices in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension?

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM: Endoscopy is the gold standard investigation for diagnosis of gastroesophageal varices (GOVs), yet it is invasive, associated with complications. Many noninvasive parameters were investigated to predict the presence of GOVs. The current study investigated gallbladder wall thickening (GBWT) measurement as a noninvasive predictor of GOVs in posthepatitic cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 105 cirrhotic patients were divided into, group I and II according to the presence or absence of GOVs, respectively. Group I subdivided into, groups A and B according to the grade of GOVs either nonadvanced (grades I and II) or advanced (grades III and IV), respectively. Complete history taking, full clinical examination, full investigations, upper endoscopy and abdominal ultrasonography were performed to examine all patients. RESULTS: Both groups were comparable in their baseline characteristics except for AST to Platelet Ratio Index and Fibrosis-4 scores, which were significantly higher in group I. GBWT, portal vein diameter and spleen length were significantly associated not only with GOVs but also with its advanced grades. GBWT at a cutoff level >3.1 mm can predict the presence of GOVs with 54.29% sensitivity, 97.14% specificity, 97.4% positive predictive value (PPV), 51.5% negative predictive value (NPV) and 68.5% accuracy. GBWT can predict advanced grades of GOVs at a cutoff level >3.5 mm, with 45% sensitivity, 90% specificity, 64.3% PPV, 80.4% NPV and 77.1% accuracy. CONCLUSION: GBWT was associated with the presence of GOVs, and with advanced GOVs in posthepatitis cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension.