Clinical values of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer subgroup and up-to-7 criteria in intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.

BACKGROUND: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a recommended treatment for patients with intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but with variable treatment outcomes. AIM: To determine factors for predicting outcomes of TACE in patients with intermediate stage B HCC. METHODS: Patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B HCC who underwent TACE as the primary treatment were enrolled at Taichung Veterans General Hospital from January 2005 to December 2009. Patients were assigned to either the objective responder (OR) group or the non-OR group according to mRECIST criteria. Clinical and radiological characteristics were compared between the 2 groups. The overall survival of enrolled subjects was analyzed. RESULTS: In 128 enrolled patients, 66 (51.6%) were in the OR group and 62 (48.4%) in the non-OR group. Compared with the non-OR group, the OR group had a significantly smaller HCC size (6.55 cm vs 9.50 cm, P = 0.001) and was within the up-to-7 criteria (50% vs 26.7%, P = 0.001). After multivariable analyses, these significant associations still existed. Overall survival rate of all the subjects averaged 20.65 ± 13.26 mo. The survival rate at 1-year was 64.8%, 2-year was 46.9%, and 3-year was 31.2%. For those patients with OR to TACE, smaller tumor size and within up-to-7 criteria were associated with significantly better overall survival. Those patients with subgroup B1 had the highest OR ratio (75%) and better overall survival (26.70 ± 12.07 mo) after TACE. CONCLUSION: BCLC stage B HCC patients with smaller tumor size or within up-to-7 criteria had better survival outcomes to TACE. BCLC stage B subgroup is useful to predict refractoriness to TACE.

Safety of Nonagenarians Receiving Therapeutic ERCP, Single Center Experience.

(1) Background: The complication rates for nonagenarians receiving therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) remain poorly understood. We aimed to determine whether nonagenarians were at an increased risk of ERCP-related complications. (2) Methods: We performed a retrospective study on therapeutic ERCP in nonagenarians from 2011 to 2016 at Taichung Veterans General Hospital. A control group comprising patients aged 65 to 89 years was used to compare demographic data and the outcomes of therapeutic ERCP with the nonagenarians. The risk factors for complications were determined by logistic regression model. (3) Results: There were 35 nonagenarians and 111 patients in the control group. Overall, complication rates were not statistically different between the two groups. However, advanced age was an independent predictor of complications in the multivariate analysis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-1.12; p = 0.049). End stage renal disease (ESRD) was another independent predictor of complications (OR = 4.87; 95% CI = 1.11-21.36; p = 0.036). Post-ERCP pancreatitis and bleeding were more common in ESRD patients than patients without ESRD. (4) Conclusions: Although nonagenarians receiving ERCP did not have more complications compared to elderly patients younger than 90 years, advanced age and comorbidity still affect the outcome of therapeutic ERCP in the elderly patients.

The Combining of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors as First-Line Treatment for Advanced Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

AIM: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), including sorafenib (SOR) and lenvatinib (LEN), as well as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), including nivolumab (NIVO) and pembrolizumab (PEMBRO), have been approved for the treatment of advanced HCC. The aim of the study is to determine whether advanced-stage HCC patients should receive a combination of TKI and ICI as first-line therapy. METHODS: Data for subjects with BCLC stage C HCC, who were receiving combining TKI and ICI as first-line therapy at Taichung Veterans General Hospital from April 2019 to July 2021, were evaluated. The general and therapeutic outcome data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 33 patients were enrolled (8 SOR/NIVO, 4 SOR/PEMBRO, 11 LEN/NIVO, and 10 LEN/PEMBRO). All cases belonged to Child-Pugh class A. The objective response rate was 48.5%, and disease control rate was 72.7%. The average progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of all patients was 9.2 and 17.0 months, respectively. The use of PEMBRO, when compared with NIVO, had a significantly positive impact towards achieving an objective response, defined as either complete response or partial response (OR 5.54, p = 0.045). PFS and OS between the different TKIs or ICIs had no differences. The most adverse event was fatigue (36.4%), and most cases were mild and manageable. CONCLUSION: Combining TKI and ICI provides an acceptable antitumor efficacy in first-line therapy for advanced-stage HCC patients. The survival outcomes between different TKIs or ICIs display no differences.

Critically-Ill Patients with Biliary Obstruction and Cholangitis: Bedside Fluoroscopic-Free Endoscopic Drainage versus Percutaneous Drainage.

Severe acute cholangitis is a life-threatening medical emergency. Endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) or percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) is usually used for biliary decompression. However, it can be risky to transport a critical patient to the radiology unit. We aimed to compare clinical outcomes between bedside, radiation-free EBD and fluoroscopic-guided PTBD in patients under critical care. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit with biliary obstruction and cholangitis from January 2011 to April 2020. RESULTS: A total of 16 patients receiving EBD and 31 patients receiving PTBD due to severe acute cholangitis were analyzed. In the EBD group, biliary drainage was successfully conducted in 15 (93.8%) patients. Only one patient (6.25%) encountered post-procedure pancreatitis. The 30-day mortality rate was no difference between the 2 groups (32.72% vs. 31.25%, p = 0.96). Based on multivariate analysis, independent prognostic factors for the 30-day mortality were a medical history of malignancy other than pancreatobiliary origin (HR: 5.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-27.57) and emergent dialysis (HR: 7.30, 95% CI: 2.20-24.24). CONCLUSIONS: Bedside EBD is safe and as effective as percutaneous drainage in critically ill patients. It provides lower risks in patient transportation but does require experienced endoscopists to perform the procedure.

IgG4-Related Pseudotumors Mimicking Metastases in Liver and Lungs.

A 47-year-old man complained intermittent dull pain at the right upper quadrant abdomen and right neck swelling for 3 months. Blood tests revealed leukocytosis with mild eosinophilia. Computed tomography (CT) showed the presence of multiple nodules in the liver and both lung fields. Positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) scans found increased uptake at lymph nodes of the right neck, in the lung, liver, and prostate. The patient was diagnosed with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) based on the biopsy findings from the right neck lymph nodes, showing enriched IgG4-positive lymphoplasmacytic cells. It is often difficult to distinguish IgG4-RD from malignancy, especially in presentations with multiple pseudotumors. This case serves as a reminder that IgG4-RD should be considered in earlier diagnosis, since pseudotumors in multiple organs may imitate tumor metastases.

Duodenal major papilla morphology can affect biliary cannulation and complications during ERCP, an observational study.

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether duodenal major papilla morphology could be a risk factor for failure of selective biliary cannulation (SBC) and post endoscopic retrograde cholangiography and pancreatography (ERCP) complications. METHODS: A prospectively recorded database was reviewed retrospectively. Patients were included if they received therapeutic ERCP and had naïve major duodenal papilla. We used Haraldsson's classification for papilla morphology, as follows: Regular (Type 1), Small (Type 2), Protruding or Pendulous (Type 3) and Creased or Ridged (Type 4). Risk factors for failing SBC and post-ERCP complications were analyzed by multivariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 286 cases were included. Age, gender, indications and therapeutic procedures were not different among the four types of papillae. The failure rates of SBC with Type 3 papilla and Type 4 papilla were 11.11% and 6.25%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, Type 2 papilla (odd ratio 7.18, p = 0.045) and Type 3 papilla (odd ratio 7.44, p = 0.016) were associated with greater SBC failure compared with Type 1 papilla. Malignant obstruction compared to stone (odds ratio 4.45, p = 0.014) and age (odd ratio = 1.06, p = 0.010) were also risk factors for cannulation failure. Type 2 papilla was correlated with a higher rate of post-ERCP pancreatitis (20%, p = 0.020) compared to the other types of papilla However, papilla morphology was not a significant risk factor for any complications in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Small papilla and protruding or pendulous papilla are more difficult to cannulate compared to regular papilla. Small papilla is associated with a higher rate of post-ERCP pancreatitis.

Therapeutic benefits of combined sorafenib for intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma unresponsive to transarterial chemoembolization in a Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the treatment modality for intermediate, or Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its beneficial effect on outcomes is still unsatisfactory. This study aimed to assess the outcomes of combined TACE and sorafenib for patients with intermediate HCC. METHODS: Patients with intermediate HCC who were receiving TACE alone (the monotherapy group), or combined TACE and sorafenib (the combined therapy group) from January 2013 to June 2018 were enrolled. RESULTS: Altogether 64 patients were enrolled, of whom 34 were assigned to the monotherapy group and 30 to the combined therapy group. A prolonged time-to-progression (TTP) (mean 14.46 mo vs 6.39 mo, P = 0.001) was noted in the combined therapy group compared with the monotherapy group. Overall survival (OS) (mean 18.96 mo vs15.44 mo, P = 1.000) between the two groups did not differ significantly. After adjustment, there were no significant differences in the 12-18 month mortality rate between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Patients with intermediate HCC receiving combined TACE and sorafenib had a better TTP, but not OS, than those receiving TACE alone.

Risk factors and metabolic abnormality of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Either non-obese or obese Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) occurs not only in obese individuals but also in non-obese ones. The aim of this study was to focus on the association between NAFLD and metabolic events in a non-obese or obese Chinese population. METHODS: Data collected from subjects registered at Taichung Veterans General Hospital from January to December 2009 were analyzed. The exclusion criteria were alcoholics, chronic hepatitis B or C. Patients included in analyses were assigned to four groups according to sonography of their liver (normal or NAFLD), and body mass index (BMI) levels (non-obese if BMI < 25 kg/m2 or obese if BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2). RESULTS: There were 745, 208, 770 and 285 patients enrolled in four groups labeled non-obese normal liver (group A), non-obese NAFLD (group B), obese normal liver (group C) and obese NAFLD (group D), respectively. The highest ratio of metabolic syndrome existed in the group B (26.9%), followed by group A (11.7%), group D (10.9%) and finally the group C (5.2%). The positive association with NAFLD in non-obese individuals was significant in triglyceride (OR = 1.01; 95% CI: 1.01-1.02) and glucose (OR = 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01-1.03), while the positive association with NAFLD in obese subjects was only significant in triglyceride (OR = 1.01; 95% CI: 1.01-1.02). The positive association was most significant in all cases (adjusted OR = 2.41; 95% CI: 1.78-3.24), especially in non-obese individuals (OR = 2.81; 95% CI: 1.92-4.12). CONCLUSIONS: Non-obese NAFLD subjects displayed a higher proportion of metabolic abnormality. Hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia had the most positive strength association with NAFLD.

Health-related quality of life of subjects with Barrett's esophagus in a Chinese population.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of a Chinese population with Barrett's esophagus (BE). METHODS: Data from subjects with BE from a single hospital were prospectively collected from October 2012 to December 2014. The exclusion criteria included total esophagectomy, severe cardiopulmonary deficiency, malignancy, or other unsuitable conditions for scope. All the enrolled cases were asked to complete the Reflux Disease Questionnaire (RDQ), the short form-12, (SF-12), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). RESULTS: In total, 139 subjects were enrolled, and the mean age of the cases was 61.85 years old. Most subjects had short-segment BE (SSBE) (92.8%) and non-dysplastic BE tissue (94.2%). The mean physical and mental composite scores, PCS and MCS, of SF-12 were 44.14 and 45.53, respectively. The SF-12 scores in BE individuals were similar in men and women, elderly and non-elderly, LSBE and SSBE, coexisting EE and no-EE, and dysplastic and non-dysplastic. The appearance of reflux symptoms tended to decrease SF-12 scores in affected individuals, especially heartburn. The rates of anxiety and depression accounted for 25.2% and 17.3% of these cases, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study found HRQoL in BE patients was strongly associated with presentation of reflux symptoms.

Impact of Obesity on a Chinese Population with Erosive Esophagitis and Barrett's Esophagus.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between obesity and erosive esophagitis (EE) or Barrett's esophagus (BE) in a Chinese population. METHODS: Data from subjects were retrospectively collected from 2006 to 2009. Individuals with BE were identified and age- and sex-matched at a 1:2 ratio with normal esophagocardial junction and EE patients. The subjects were stratified into two groups: the normal weight group and overweight/ obesity group (body mass index ≥25 mg/m²) or the normal waist group and abdominal obesity group (waist circumference ≥90 cm for men and ≥80 cm for women). RESULTS: Overall, 45%, 72%, and 52% were overweight/obese and 23%, 65%, and 18% had abdominal obesity in the normal, EE, and BE groups, respectively. Positive associations were identified between EE and overweight/obesity (odds ratio [OR], 3.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.75 to 5.66) and abdominal obesity (OR, 6.22; 95% CI, 3.34 to 11.57); however, the associations were nonsignificant between BE and overweight/obesity (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 0.67 to 2.61) or abdominal obesity (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.31 to 1.73). Female BE patients had a significantly increased rate of being overweight/obese. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is a contributing factor in EE. The association of BE and obesity was not significant, with the exception of female BE cases.

Diverticular disease and additional comorbidities associated with increased risk of dementia.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Colonic diverticular disease may cause a chronic systemic effect, but its role in the development of dementia remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential increased risk for dementia in colonic diverticular disease. METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study using data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. A total of 66 377 sex-matched, age-matched, and index year-matched (1:4) pairs of patients with colonic diverticular disease and 265 508 patients without colonic diverticular disease, who served as controls, were selected from all potential participants aged 20 years or older in the database. Each subject was individually tracked from 2000 to 2011 to identify incident cases of dementia. Cox proportional hazards regression was employed to calculate the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association between colonic diverticular disease and dementia. RESULTS: There were 1057 dementia cases in the diverticular disease cohort during the follow-up period of 315 171 person-years; the overall incidence rate of dementia differed from that of the control group (3.35 vs 2.43 per 1000 person-years, P < 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratio for dementia was 1.24 (95% confidence interval 1.15-1.33) for diverticular disease patients after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: Colonic diverticular disease may be associated with increased risk for dementia.

The impact of acid-suppressing drugs to the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A nationwide, population-based, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: A high prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms has observed among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, and proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the main medication in clinical practices. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of PPIs to the risk of pneumonia in the cases with COPD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a nationwide, population-based, cohort study using National Health Insurance Program in Taiwan. The enrolled cases were newly-diagnosed COPD, older than 30 years, between 2001 and 2005. Patients' prescriptions with PPIs and histamine receptor 2 antagonists (HR2As), >2 months, were identified. The appearance of pneumonia and mortality of these enrolled patients was recorded. Multivariate Cox's regression was used to examine the influence of acid-suppressing drugs to pneumonia on individuals with COPD. RESULTS: A total of 17,498 patients were included, of whom 109 (0.6%) and 526 (3%) cases had used PPIs and HR2As respectively. The risk of pneumonia existed when patients had used concurrent PPIs (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.33-2.34) or HR2As (adjusted HR = 1.25; 95% CI = 1.07-1.47). The positive association was lost in the cases over 70 years. The ratio of mortality also increased in those with PPIs or HR2As. CONCLUSION: Acid-suppressing drugs, especially PPIs, are attributed to more pneumonia happening in COPD patients compare with nonusers. The association was lost in elderly cases. Use acid-suppressing drugs should be careful about a higher possibility of pneumonia in younger individuals with COPD.

Statins are associated with a reduced risk of cholangiocarcinoma: a population-based case-control study.

AIMS: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the second most common primary liver cancer in the world. Due to the lack of effective treatments, the survival rate of CCA is low and it is usually considered difficult to diagnose early. To date, no effective strategies for the prevention of CCA have been developed. Statins are cholesterol-lowering agents which possess pleiotropic properties and the use of statins may reduce cancer risk. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of statin use on the risk of CCA. METHODS: We used nationwide insurance data to perform a case-control study including 3174 CCA patients diagnosed in 2002-2011 and 3174 propensity score matched controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to assess the association between CCA risk and statin use by type of statin and dose. RESULTS: Patients with CCA were slightly younger than controls with mean ages of 67.4 (SD 12.3) and 68.5 (SD 13.2) years (P = 0.001), respectively, and had less users of statins (22.7 vs. 26.5%, P < 0.001). The overall adjusted OR of statin use associated CCA was 0.80 (95% CI 0.71, 0.90) and lowered for those with longer medications. The OR ranged from 0.65 to 0.77. Stronger dose-response association was seen when using lovastatin. CONCLUSIONS: Statin use is associated with reduced risk of CCA and there is a dose-response relationship between the use of statins and risk of CCA.

Intractable duodenal ulcer caused by transmural migration of gossypiboma into the duodenum--a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Gossypiboma is a term used to describe a mass that forms around a cotton sponge or abdominal compress accidentally left in a patient during surgery. Transmural migration of an intra-abdominal gossypiboma has been reported to occur in the digestive tract, bladder, vagina and diaphragm. Open surgery is the most common approach in the treatment of gossypiboma. However, gossypibomas can be extracted by endoscopy while migrating into the digestive tract. We report a case of intractable duodenal ulcer caused by transmural migration of gossypiboma successfully treated by duodenorrhaphy. A systemic literature review is provided and a scheme of the therapeutic approach is proposed. CASE PRESENTATION: A 61-year-old Han Chinese man presented with intermittent epigastric pain for the last 10 months. He had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy conversion to open cholecystectomy for acute gangrenous cholecystitis 10 months ago at another hospital. Transmural migration of gossypiboma into the duodenum was found. Endoscopic intervention failed to remove the entire gauze, and duodenal ulcer caused by the gauze persisted. Surgical intervention was performed and the gauze was removed successfully. The penetrated ulcer was repaired with duodenorrhaphy. The postoperative period was uneventful.We systematically reviewed the literature on transmural migration of gossypiboma into duodenum and present an overview of published cases. Our PubMed search yielded seven reports of transmural migration of retained surgical sponge into the duodenum. Surgical interventions were necessary in two patients. CONCLUSION: Transmural migration of gossypiboma into the duodenum is a rare surgical complication. The treatment strategies include endoscopic extraction and surgical intervention. Prompt surgical intervention should be considered for emergent conditions such as active bleeding, gastrointestinal obstruction, or intra-abdominal sepsis. For non-emergent conditions, surgical intervention could be considered for intractable cases in which endoscopic extraction failed.

An Evidence-Based Approach to the Management of Functional Dyspepsia Associated With Helicobacter pylori Infection.

BACKGROUND: Functional dyspepsia is defined as at least a 3-month history of dyspepsia without structural explanation for the symptoms, and it accounts for most cases of dyspepsia. We designed this study to investigate functional dyspepsia among a Chinese population in Taiwan. METHODS: Data from the medical records of 1,143 adult patients who underwent transoral upper endoscopy for symptoms of dyspepsia in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed between January 2008 and December 2008. Exclusion criteria were structural gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary abnormalities, prior gastric surgery or history of chronic medication use. RESULTS: Patients were mainly in the third and fourth decades of life. More female patients were noted than male patients (ratio 2:1). The rate of Helicobacter pylori infection was 18.5%. The rate of response to therapeutic agents, including proton pump inhibitors, H2-receptor antagonists and prokinetic agents, ranged from 69% to 77% among all cases. Patients who underwent H. pylori eradication therapy (88.8%) had a significantly higher rate of symptom improvement than those without H. pylori infection (77.5%). CONCLUSION: Cases with functional dyspepsia have the characteristics of middle age, female predominance, a relatively lower H. pylori infection rate and a positive response to H. pylori eradication therapy.

A miniature ultrasound probe is useful in reducing rebleeding after endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection for hemorrhagic gastric varices.

OBJECTIVE: To better assess the usefulness of miniature ultrasound probe (MUP) sonography in the evaluation of the adequacy of gastric variceal injection with cyanoacrylate to decrease the risk of post injection rebleeding. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-nine patients with bleeding gastric varices were included in this study. Endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection was performed in the acute phase for variceal hemostasis. After injection, patients (n = 34) included in the MUP group prospectively received endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) with MUP during each scheduled endoscopic follow-up session. Patients (n = 35) in the control group who were included historically were followed up with the same interval with endoscopy only. RESULTS: Four (11.4%) patients in the control group received reinjection, and there were 10 episodes of rebleeding in 7 (20.0%) patients. Nine (26.5%) patients received reinjection due to inadequate obturation as judged by EUS. There were six episodes of rebleeding in three (8.8%) patients in the MUP group. The free-of-rebleeding rate for the MUP group was significantly higher than that for the control group (p < 0.05). The cumulative survival for the MUP group was slightly better than that for the control group but was not statistically significant. The patients' compliance in both groups was similar. The endosonographers considered the performance of MUP sonography to be convenient. CONCLUSIONS: MUP sonography is useful for the evaluation of the adequacy of tissue adhesive obturation of gastric varices that may reduce the probability of rebleeding.

Comparison the efficacy of intermediate dose argon plasma coagulation versus hemoclip for upper gastrointestinal non-variceal bleeding.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic argon plasma coagulation (APC) and hemoclip were used for the treatment of bleeding peptic ulcers. There are wide ranges of hemostatic doses (power and flow) of APC used in previous studies. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy and safety of "intermediate dose" APC compared to hemoclips for hemostasis from bleeding peptic ulcer. METHODOLOGY: The present study was designed as a retrospective study using historical controls. One hundred and ninety-four consecutive upper GI bleeding patients with bleeding visible vessel lesions were treated with either APC or hemoclips. There are 110 patients received APC treatment and 84 patients received hemoclip hemostasis. The main outcome measurements were one week rebleeding rate, one month rebleeding rate, surgery, morality, amount of blood transfusion and durations of hospital stay. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in 1 week rebleeding rate (1.8% vs. 2.4%, p = 1.0), 1 month rebleeding rate (0% vs. 1.2%, p = 0.433), mortality, surgery and amount of blood transfusion (2.67 +/- 3.27 vs. 3.04 +/- 2.75 units, p = 0.322). However, the hospital stay was longer in hemoclip group (5.38 +/- 6.76 vs. 8.49 +/- 11.19 days p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: APC and hemoclip are with different hemostatic mechanisms, but the hemostatic outcomes were not significantly different between the two groups. APC is an effective, safe, and easily applicable endoscopic hemostatic modality as hemoclip for patients with non-variceal bleeding.

Influence of Black and Brown Pigment Stone in Cholecystectomized Patients With Acute Biliary Pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Biliary tract stones account for the majority of cases with acute pancreatitis, and include black and brown pigment stones. The aim of the study was to compare the presentation and outcome in cholecystectomized patients with acute biliary pancreatits caused by black and brown pigment stones. METHOD: Data from patients with prior cholecystectomy and acute biliary pancreatitis were collected from January 2009 to August 2011. These cases were assigned to black or brown pigment stone groups according to the stone pattern. The general data, laboratory data, image findings and outcomes of the two groups were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 98 enrolled patients, with 30 (30.6%) and 68 cases (69.4%) assigned to the black and brown pigment stone groups, respectively. The cases with black pigment stone had higher CT Severity Index scores, bilirubin, ALP, ALT, rates of cholangitis, and positive blood culture. In those with brown pigment stone, there was a higher number of ERCP evaluations performed. CONCLUSION: Cholecystectomized cases with biliary pancreatitis due to black pigment stone had a higher prevalence of laboratory cholestasis and a higher rate of cholangitis.