[Endoscopic gallbladder stenting for acute cholecystitis].

Acute cholecystitis is an inflammatory disease of the gallbladder. Inflammation often remains in the gallbladder, but some patients may take a fatal course with exacerbation of inflammation. Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is recommended for moderate and severe acute cystitis, sometimes cholecystectomy is impossible in elder patients. Because many elder patients have bad general conditions, cholecystectomy should not be performed. Such patients are generally treated by percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD), but PTGBD has the risk of intra-abdominal bleeding. In previous reports, endoscopic gallbladder stenting (EGBS) has been shown to be an effective strategy in cirrhosis patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis as a bridge to transplantation. Recent studies on EGBS have demonstrated an effective long-term management of acute cholecystitis in elderly patients who are poor surgical candidates. Here, we reviewed EGBS for the management of acute cholecystitis.

Retrospective study on the efficacy of a low-carbohydrate diet for impaired glucose tolerance.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the number of people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) has increased steadily worldwide. It is clear that the prevention of diabetes is important from the perspective of public health, medical care, and economics. It was recently reported that a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) is useful for achieving weight loss and glycemic control, but there is no information about the effects of the LCD on IGT. We designed a 7-day in-hospital educational program focused on the LCD for IGT. METHODS: The subjects were 72 patients with IGT (36 in the LCD group and 36 in the control group) who were enrolled from April 2007-March 2012 and followed for 12 months. We retrospectively compared the LCD group with the control group. RESULTS: In 69.4% of the LCD group, blood glucose was normalized at 12 months and the 2-hour plasma glucose level in the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was reduced by 33 mg/dL. In addition, the incidence of diabetes was significantly lower in the LCD group than in the control group at 12 months (0% versus 13.9%, P=0.02). The LCD group showed a significant decrease in fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c, the homeostasis model of assessment of insulin resistance value, body weight and serum triglycerides (TGs) at 12 months, while there was a significant increase of the serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level. CONCLUSION: The LCD is effective for normalizing blood glucose and preventing progression to type 2 diabetes in patients with IGT.

Endoscopic gallbladder stenting for acute cholecystitis: a retrospective study of 46 elderly patients aged 65 years or older.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic transpapillary pernasal gallbladder drainage and endoscopic gallbladder stenting (EGS) have recently been reported to be useful in patients with acute cholecystitis for whom a percutaneous approach is contraindicated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of permanent EGS for management of acute cholecystitis in elderly patients who were poor surgical candidates. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 46 elderly patients aged 65 years or older with acute cholecystitis who were treated at Japan Labour Health and Welfare Organization Niigata Rosai Hospital. In 40 patients, acute cholecystitis was diagnosed by transabdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography, while 6 patients were transferred from other hospitals after primary management of acute cholecystitis. All patients underwent EGS, with a 7Fr double pig-tail stent being inserted into the gallbladder. If EGS failed, percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage or percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration was subsequently performed. The main outcome measure of this study was the efficacy of EGS. RESULTS: Permanent EGS was successful in 31 patients (77.5%) with acute cholecystitis, without any immediate postprocedural complications such as pancreatitis, bleeding, perforation, or cholangitis. The most common comorbidities of these patients were cerebral infarction (n=14) and dementia (n=13). In 30 of these 31 patients (96.7%), there was no recurrence of cholecystitis and 29 patients (93.5%) remained asymptomatic until death or the end of the study period (after 1 month to 5 years). CONCLUSIONS: EGS can be effective for elderly patients with acute cholecystitis who are poor surgical candidates and can provide a solution for several years.