Waldenström's macroglobulinemia as a diagnostic challenge: case report.

Waldenström's macroglobulinemia is a distinct clinicopathologic entity defined as a B-cell neoplasm characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate in the bone marrow, with an associated immunoglobulin (Ig) M paraprotein. Clinical manifestations are due to deposition of IgM in the liver, spleen, and/or lymph nodes, so it presents with anemia, hyperviscosity, lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and neurologic symptoms. The main diagnostic criteria are a typical peak on serum protein electrophoresis and malignant cells in bone marrow biopsy samples. There is no standard therapy for the treatment of symptomatic Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia and no agents have been specifically approved for this disease, but initial treatment usually starts with the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab, either alone or in combination with other agents, rather than chemotherapy alone. This article confirms that, despite the existence of more modern imaging methods, ultrasonography still has a significant diagnostic role.

A first case of endoscopical removal of an eroded adjustable gastric band in Croatia.

Laparoscopic gastric banding (LAGB) is one of the most common surgical procedures in the treatment of morbid obesity since it provides good long-term outcomes in weight loss and decrease of comorbidities associated with obesity. Although the procedure has low morbidity and almost none-existing mortality, certain complications can occur. Erosion of the band into the gastric wall is one of the rare complications in LAGB. The reported incidence varies from 1 to 11%, however the largest study reported an incidence of 1.6%. This is in accordance with the incidence in our Centre for obesity, where only one case of erosion occurred among 112 operative procedures. The aim of this paper is to present a patient with gastric band erosion and it's removal by using the endoscopic techniques as a minimally invasive management method.

Secondary arterio-enteric fistula: case report and review of the literature.

Arterio-enteric fistula is a rare, but potentially deadly cause of gastrointestinal bleeding. The disease occurs in two forms: primary as a result of atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm, aortitis, trauma, radiation, tumor invasion or penetrating ulcer, and secondary as a consequence of surgical aortal reconstruction. The clinical manifestation is mostly gastrointestinal bleeding, rarely back pain, fever and sepsis. Computed tomography with contrast medium is the most suitable diagnostic test, however, the diagnosis frequently requires explorative laparotomy. A case is presented of secondary arterio-enteric fistula, found two years after surgical treatment of chronic pancreatitis with pseudocystojejunostomy, which clinically manifested with gastrointestinal bleeding. Although there was strong suspicion of arterio-enteric fistula, the diagnosis was not verified by routine workup, but only on explorative laparotomy.

The influence of etiologic factors on clinical outcome in patients with peptic ulcer bleeding.

BACKGROUND: Peptic ulcer bleeding remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) use, Helicobacter pylori infection and non-H. pylori-non-NSAIDs causes of peptic ulcer bleeding and to identify the predictive factors influencing the rebleeding rate and in-hospital mortality in patients with bleeding peptic ulcer. METHODS: A total of 1,530 patients with endoscopically confirmed peptic ulcer bleeding were evaluated consecutively between January 2005 and December 2009. The 30-day mortality and clinical outcome were related to patient's demographic data, endoscopic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: The age-standardized 1-year cumulative incidence for peptic ulcer bleeding was 40.4 cases/100,000 people. The proportion of patients over 65 years increased from 45.7 % in 2005 to 61.4 % in 2009 (p = 0.007). Overall 30-day mortality rate was 4.6 %, not significantly different for conservatively and surgically treated patients (4.9 vs. 4.1 %, p = 0.87). Mortality was significantly higher in patients over 65 years of age and those with in-hospital bleeding recurrence. Patients with non-H. pylori-non-NSAID idiopathic ulcers had significantly higher 30-day mortality rate than those with H. pylori ulcers and NSAID-H. pylori ulcers (7.1 vs. 0 vs. 0.8 %, p = 0.001 and p = 0.007, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between patients with NSAID ulcers and non-H. pylori-non-NSAID idiopathic ulcers in terms of 30-day mortality rate (5.3 vs. 7.1 %, p = 0.445). CONCLUSION: The incidence of peptic ulcer bleeding has not changed over a 5-year observational period. The overall 30-day mortality was positively correlated to older age, underlying comorbid illnesses, in-hospital bleeding recurrence and the absence of H. pylori infection.

Endoclips vs large or small-volume epinephrine in peptic ulcer recurrent bleeding.

AIM: To compare the recurrent bleeding after endoscopic injection of different epinephrine volumes with hemoclips in patients with bleeding peptic ulcer. METHODS: Between January 2005 and December 2009, 150 patients with gastric or duodenal bleeding ulcer with major stigmata of hemorrhage and nonbleeding visible vessel in an ulcer bed (Forrest IIa) were included in the study. Patients were randomized to receive a small-volume epinephrine group (15 to 25 mL injection group; Group 1, n = 50), a large-volume epinephrine group (30 to 40 mL injection group; Group 2, n = 50) and a hemoclip group (Group 3, n = 50). The rate of recurrent bleeding, as the primary outcome, was compared between the groups of patients included in the study. Secondary outcomes compared between the groups were primary hemostasis rate, permanent hemostasis, need for emergency surgery, 30 d mortality, bleeding-related deaths, length of hospital stay and transfusion requirements. RESULTS: Initial hemostasis was obtained in all patients. The rate of early recurrent bleeding was 30% (15/50) in the small-volume epinephrine group (Group 1) and 16% (8/50) in the large-volume epinephrine group (Group 2) (P = 0.09). The rate of recurrent bleeding was 4% (2/50) in the hemoclip group (Group 3); the difference was statistically significant with regard to patients treated with either small-volume or large-volume epinephrine solution (P = 0.0005 and P = 0.045, respectively). Duration of hospital stay was significantly shorter among patients treated with hemoclips than among patients treated with epinephrine whereas there were no differences in transfusion requirement or even 30 d mortality between the groups. CONCLUSION: Endoclip is superior to both small and large volume injection of epinephrine in the prevention of recurrent bleeding in patients with peptic ulcer.

A randomized-controlled trial of endoscopic treatment of acute esophageal variceal hemorrhage: N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate injection vs. variceal ligation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This prospective randomized trial compares the efficacy of N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate injection and variceal ligation in emergency endoscopic treatment of acute esophageal variceal hemorrhage in patients with portal hypertension and chronic liver disease. METHODOLOGY: Between January 2004 to December 2008 43 patients with endoscopy-proven acute esophageal variceal hemorrhage were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups: endoscopic injection with N-butyl-2-cyanacrylate (n=22) and endoscopic variceal ligation (n=21). Vital signs, the amount of blood transfusion and infection status were recorded before and after endoscopic treatment. Within two weeks after initial endoscopic treatment, prophylactic variceal ligation was performed until the varices were eradicated. RESULTS: Success in arresting acute bleeding was no different in either group. The re-bleeding rate was higher in the cyanoacrylate group than the ligation group (13.6% us. 4.7%), with no statistical difference (p=0.60692). The mean amount of blood transfused was similar in both groups. Ten (45.5%) patients in the cyanoacrylate group and 7 (33%) in the ligation group died during an observational period of 14.1 +/- 13.9 months and 21.0 +/- 17.2 months, respectively (p=0.3272). CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of endoscopic injection therapy with N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate to control acute esophageal variceal hemorrhage showed no difference to endoscopic variceal ligation nor did the esophageal variceal re-bleeding rate and mortality rate.

Morbidly obese are ghrelin and leptin hyporesponders with lesser intragastric balloon treatment efficiency : ghrelin and leptin changes in relation to obesity treatment.

BACKGROUND: Ghrelin and leptin recently emerged as the most influential neuroendocrine factors in the pathophysiology of obesity. The said peptides act in reciprocity and are responsible for regulation of appetite and energy metabolism. Intragastric balloons acquired worldwide popularity for obesity treatment. However, the roles of ghrelin and leptin in intragastric balloon treatment were still not systematically studied. METHODS: A prospective single-center study included 43 Caucasians treated with BioEnterics intragastric balloon, with age range of 18-60, and divided to non-morbid (body mass index cutoff 40 kg/m(2)) or morbid type of obesity, with 12 months follow-up. Serum hormonal samples were taken from fasting patients and kept frozen until analyses. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed in anthropometrics and there were no differences between genders or comorbidities. The baseline weight for non-morbid vs. morbid was 104 kg (90-135) vs. 128.5 kg (104-197). Weight loss was statistically different between the studied groups during the study course with a median control weight at 6 months of 92 kg (72-121) vs. 107 kg (84-163), p < 0.001. Treatment was successful for 18 (94.7%) vs. 16 (66.7%) patients, p = 0.026. Ghrelin varied from 333.3 to 3,416.8 pg/ml and leptin from 1.7 to 61.2 ng/ml, with a statistically significant time-dependent relationship. A significant difference (p = 0.04) with emphasized ghrelin peak was found in the 3rd month of treatment for non-morbidly obese subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The importance of ghrelin and leptin in treatment-induced changes was reaffirmed. Ghrelin hyper-response in non-morbidly obese subjects characterized greater short-term treatment efficiency and landmarked an inclination to weight regain. The results suggest a potential pattern of individualization between obese patients according to body mass index towards intragastric balloon or bariatric surgery. Further studies are needed in order to get better insights in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of obesity.

Obesity treatment using a Bioenterics intragastric balloon (BIB)--preliminary Croatian results.

AIM OF STUDY: This study aims to assess the effectiveness, tolerance, safety, and patient satisfaction of obesity treatments using the Bioenterics intragastric balloon (BIB). METHODS: Prospective controlled trial of 33 obese patients who were treated with the BIB from March 2008 to March 2009 and who completed the 6 months treatment. Patients were selected on the basis of workup by a multidisciplinary team. The 33 obese patients (26 females, seven males) had a median age of 35 years (range 20-58). Their median baseline body weight (BW) was 114 kg (range 89-197) and their median body mass index (BMI) was 41.4 kg/m(2) (range 31.2-60.8). RESULTS: Average weight reduction was 14 kg (range 2-37), loss total weight 10.1% (range 1.4-23.1), control BMI 35.6 kg/m(2) (range 29.4-50.3), delta BMI 4.5 (range 0.6-13.1), percentage excess weight loss 29.2 (range 2.8-53.6), and percent of excess BMI loss 29.3 (range 2.7-67.4). In one female patient the BIB was removed early due to intolerance. During the first week, minor side effects were noticed: nausea/vomiting occurred in 21 patients (63.6%), and abdominal cramps in 15 (45.5%). There was one balloon deflation and one impaction in the stomach. Those incidents were both successfully treated endoscopically. Patients had no major complications from mucosal lesions and no need for surgical interventions. All intragastric balloons were successfully removed endoscopically. Patients' treatment satisfaction correlated with the degree of BW loss (p = 0.0138). CONCLUSION: BIB treatment in our setting showed the best results for individuals with BMI from 35 to 40 kg/m(2). Our preliminary results showed that BIB is safe, well tolerated with minor side effects, and alters quality of life for the better. The complication rate was negligible, due to the detailed pretreatment examinations and follow-up.

Position of intragastric balloons in global initiative for obesity treatment.

Obesity is chronic disease with multiple health consequences and among the most severe health problems worldwide. According to public health records around 65% of population in Croatia are overweight and 20% obese. National physicians chamber with support of Health and Social Welfare Ministry gave recommendations on diagnosing and treating of obesity in form of national consensus. Treatment of obesity is complex and enrolls multiple clinical specialties. Change of life style, strenuous physical activity and pharmacotherapy are part of conservative treatments. Patients are treated more efficiently by minimally invasive endoscopic procedures or bariatric surgery depending on starting body mass index score. Implantation of intragastric balloons is conceptually simple method of obesity treatment. Modern devices as Bio-Enterics intragastric balloons (BIB), (Inamed Health, USA) are gaining wide popularity among both patients and physicians. BIB intragastric offers the best gains with individuals ranging BMI from 35 to 40. Efficiency has relative timeline dependance from 85% at 6 months to 24% at 36 months. BIB offers substantial ameliorative influence on obesity comorbidities, particularly cardiovascular risk. Treatment with BIB is also efficient but transient treatment modality in morbidly and superobese individuals to reduce preoperative risks of general and bariatric surgery. Obesity treatment with BIB is well tolerated and safe, offering better quality of life. Nevertheless, due to relative poor results of conservative obesity treatments on long-term follow up further investigations defining new clinical parameters for solving treatment resistance. In order to provide resourcefully individualized approach modern perspectives are focused on endocrine constitutes of obesity. Hormonal effects of BIB treatment in compare to bariatric surgery are potentially interesting for the prospect studies.

Minimally invasive treatment of causes and complications of biliary pancreatitis.

We report a case of a 52-year-old man admitted to our hospital because of acute biliary pancreatitis caused by cholelithiasis. The patient also had choledocholithiasis complicated with pancreatic pseudocyst. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was performed and a large number of common bile duct stones were extracted with Dormia basket upon papillotomy. Pancreatic pseudocyst as a major complication of acute pancreatitis was also managed endoscopically by transpapillary stenting. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy with choledochotomy and choledochoscopy was performed for the final removal of biliary stones. Postoperative subhepatic abscess was resolved by ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage. In this case biliary pancreatitis with all its complications was treated through minimally invasive endoscopic, percutaneous and surgical procedures. Minimally invasive techniques are much better because they reduce surgical stress, caused by reduction of flow through the splanchnic, which can also be reinforced by general endotracheal anesthesia. In the case when relative hypoxia occurs and acute serous pancreatitis transfers to acute necrotic pancreatitis, minimally invasive technique is the first and the best choice for surgical procedure.

Efficacy of endoscopic clipping for actively bleeding peptic ulcer: comparison with polidocanol injection therapy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The use of hemostatic clips is conceptually attractive for achieving definitive hemostasis in peptic ulcer bleeding. There are only a few clinical trials comparing clipping with other endoscopic hemostatic methods. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of endoscopic clipping with that of injection of polidocanol for hemostasis from actively (spurting or oozing) bleeding peptic ulcer. METHODOLOGY: 61 patients with active (spurting or oozing) bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers were randomly assigned to one of two endoscopic treatments: injection therapy with polidocanol 1% (injected in 0.5-1.0 mL increments at three to five sites around the bleeding vessel to a total of 5 mL) (n=30), or endoscopic clipping using a clipping device and clips (n=31). All patients from the polidocanol group and 22 (68.8%) patients from the clipping group received pretreatment with epinephrine. Hemostatic rates, rebleeding rates, amounts of blood transfusion, and durations of hospital stay were analyzed. RESULTS: The initial hemostatic rate was 96.8% in the clipping group, and 96.7% in the polidocanol group, respectively. Mean transfusion requirements, mean number of hospital days and percentage needing surgery were comparable in both groups. Recurrent bleeding rates were higher, although not statistically significant in the polidocanol group than in the clipping group (13.3% vs. 6.5%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that injection therapy with polidocanol and endoscopic hemoclips seems to be equivalent for actively (spurting and oozing) bleeding peptic ulcer.

[Primary sclerosing cholangitis--diagnosis and therapy]. / Primarni sklerozirajuci kolangitis--dijagnosticke i terapijske mogucnosti.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of unknown origin, characterized by inflammation, fibrosis, and obliteration of bile ducts, which ultimately results in biliary cirrhosis. The condition most commonly affects intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts together, but sometimes only intrahepatic or extrahepatic ducts are involved. PSC is often associated with inflammatory bowel disease, especially ulcerative colitis. The majority of patients are initially asymptomatic, and identified on the basis of elevated serum levels of alkaline phosphatase or gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, especially while screening patients with ulcerative colitis. Diagnosis is based on characteristic cholangiographic appearance with focal bile duct dilatations proximal to areas of stricturing that produce a beaded appearance. Ursodeoxycholic acid is most effective medical therapy, with other symptomatic measures, while liver transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with advanced liver disease.

[Caroli's disease]. / Carolijeva bolest--prikaz bolesnika.

Caroli's disease is a rare condition characterized by congenital polycystic dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts. The most frequent clinical presentation of a simple type (Caroli's disease) is recurrent cholangitis, gallstone with pain, obstructive jaundice and episodes of pancreatitis in childhood and early adulthood. A more frequent type combined with congenital hepatic fibrosis is usually manifested with bleeding from esophageal varices consequential to portal hypertension. Treatment options, both conservative and surgical, are relatively limited and depend on the clinical presentation, localization of cysts in the liver, and stage of the disease. A 20-year-old man with Caroli's disease manifested with cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis with recurrent pancreatitis at the age of 16 is presented. The diagnosis was confirmed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. Treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid was initiated and after two years of follow-up the disease is stable.

Efficacy and safety of propofol sedation during urgent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy--a prospective study.

The aim of this study was to investigate both the efficacy and safety of sedation with propofol during urgent therapeutic gastroscopy in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. This prospective study included a total of 110 patients. Propofol was administered intravenously at the starting dose of 1 mg/kg body weight and was followed by repeated doses. Oxygen saturation and heart rate were monitored by pulse oxymetry. The mean dose of propofol administered was 161 +/- 49 mg. Urgent upper GI endoscopy under propofol sedation was successful in 98% of cases. Endoscopists rated the sedation as good in 83.6%, satisfactory in 14.5%, and poor in 1.8% of patients. Potentially harmful drop in oxygen saturation below 85% was observed in 5.5% of patients, whereas a temporary drop in heart rate below 50 beats/min was observed in 11.8%, not requiring any intervention. Almost 93% of patients could not remember the beginning or the end of the intervention. This data demonstrates that sedation with propofol is suitable for use in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding undergoing urgent endoscopy.