Multifocal angiosarcoma of the gastrointestinal tract:a case report.

An 80-year-old man presented to our hospital with complaints of tarry stool and shortness of breath. A blood test confirmed marked anemia. On abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography, neither hemorrhagic lesions nor tumorous lesions could be pointed out. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed multiple erythematous flat elevated lesions, which were about 10mm in diameter, located between the stomach and the horizontal part of the duodenum. Colonoscopy revealed similar lesions throughout the entire colon. Pathological examination of biopsy specimens demonstrated the proliferation of neoplastic cells positive for immunostaining of factor VIII-related antigen, CD31, and CD34. Accordingly, the patient was diagnosed with angiosarcoma of the gastrointestinal tract. Although the patient was transferred to another hospital for chemotherapy, he died shortly after the transfer because of deterioration of his bleeding symptoms. Angiosarcoma is a soft-tissue neoplasm of vascular endothelium origin, accounting for less than 2% of all sarcomas. It usually occurs in the skin of the head and neck and in soft tissues. Angiosarcoma of the gastrointestinal tract is rare and is described only in case reports and small series. These tumors are characterized by an extremely aggressive course, with a high tendency to metastasize, leaving patients with a poor prognosis. When angiosarcoma is found in multiple sites of the gastrointestinal tract, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between primary and metastatic occurrences. We analyzed reported cases of multifocal angiosarcoma of the digestive tract, of which there are 43 so far. In 24 cases, the angiosarcoma was thought to originate from the gastrointestinal tract (primary angiosarcoma). In 13 cases, angiosarcoma of other organs metastasized to the digestive tract (metastatic angiosarcoma). In the remaining 6 cases, whether the multifocal angiosarcoma of the digestive tract was primary or metastatic was unclear. In the current case, no primary lesion was found outside the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, he was diagnosed with primary multifocal angiosarcoma.

[Neuroendocrine tumor of the terminal ileum observed by magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging: a case report].

We report the case of an 88-year-old woman with localized intestinal obstruction caused by a midgut neuroendocrine tumor (NET) without endocrine symptoms. She was referred to our hospital for lower abdominal pain. Abdominal enhanced computed tomography revealed a thickened wall in the terminal ileum with dilated small bowel and multiple hepatic metastases upstream. Although the presenting symptoms resolved with short-term fasting and defecation, we performed further investigation. Colonoscopy confirmed the presence of submucosal tumors in the terminal ileum with a yellow-discolored surface but without ulceration or erosion. Magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging clearly showed extended and dilated vessels, with the existing vessels maintained under the epithelium. Biopsies from these lesions were immunohistochemically positive for all neuroendocrine markers, and the Ki-67 index was 10%. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with NET, and she underwent laparoscopic surgery to relieve the intestinal obstruction. Pathological examination of the resected specimen confirmed grade 2 NET with intramural metastasis and dissemination. After follow-up for a month, octreotide long-acting repeatable therapy was initiated and the patient was free of symptoms at the 6-month follow-up. This is the first report of midgut NET observed by magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging.

[Obstructive colitis following the ingestion of laxatives during bowel preparation for colonoscopy: a report of two cases].

The first case of obstructive colitis (OC) was observed in a 71-year-old man who presented to our hospital complaining of frank blood in the stool. After receiving a laxative for bowel preparation, he complained of lower abdominal pain. Colonoscopy revealed a circumferential tumor at the rectosigmoid junction. Diffuse erythema with erosion and ulceration was observed 5cm proximal to the tumor. The second case of OC was observed in a 73-year-old man. He was admitted to our hospital for endoscopic resection of a colonic polyp. After receiving a laxative for bowel preparation, he complained of lower abdominal pain. Colonoscopy revealed that the rectum was filled with feces. Diffuse erythema with ulceration was observed in the part beyond the feces. In both cases, although the cause of the obstruction differed, the obstructing lesions were located at the rectum, and the OC appeared to be induced by laxative ingestion.

A novel endoscopic papillectomy after a pancreatic stent placement above the pancreatic duct orifice: inside pancreatic stenting papillectomy.

BACKGROUND: Although pancreatic stenting is recommended for the prevention of postprocedure pancreatitis during endoscopic papillectomy (EP), in some patients it is technically difficult to perform postprocedure insertion of a pancreatic stent after endoscopic resection. GOALS: This study assessed the feasibility of a novel EP for the purpose of reliable post-EP pancreatic stenting. STUDY: We conducted a prospective pilot study involving 10 consecutive patients with tumor of the major duodenal papilla. We developed a novel pancreatic stent, which is attached to a suture, and devised a method by which the stent is first placed at an upstream migration into the major pancreatic duct above the orifice before resection and then placed at an appropriate location after endoscopic resection by pulling the suture attached to the stent [inside pancreatic stenting papillectomy (IPSP)]. RESULTS: The pancreatic stent was successfully placed at an upstream migration into the pancreatic duct above the orifice in 9 of the 10 patients. For the 9 patients with successful pancreatic stent placement, IPSP was performed. Although the suture was cut in 1 patient, pancreatic stents could be placed appropriately across the orifice by pulling the suture in all patients. Although bleeding occurred in 3 patients, there was no pos-procedure pancreatitis. CONCLUSIONS: IPSP is a practicable method allowing reliable post-EP pancreatic stenting and can contribute to pancreatitis prevention. However, larger studies need to be performed before its use can be recommended.

Use of antithrombin and thrombomodulin in the management of disseminated intravascular coagulation in patients with acute cholangitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate the usefulness and safety of treating disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) complicating cholangitis primarily with antithrombin (AT) and thrombomodulin (rTM). METHODS: A DIC treatment algorithm was determined on the basis of plasma AT III levels at the time of DIC diagnosis and DIC score changes on treatment day 3. Laboratory data and DIC scores were assessed prospectively at 2-day intervals. RESULTS: DIC reversal rates >75% were attained on day 7. In the DIC reversal group, statistically significant differences from baseline were observed in interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein levels within 5 days. Patients with no DIC score improvements after treatment with AT alone experienced slow improvement on a subsequent combination therapy with rTM. Although a subgroup with biliary drainage showed greater improvement in DIC scores than did the nondrainage subgroup, the mean DIC score showed improvement even in the nondrainage subgroup alone. Gastric cancer bleeding that was treated conservatively occurred in one patient. As for day 28 outcomes, three patients died from concurrent malignancies. CONCLUSIONS: Although this algorithm was found to be useful and safe for DIC patients with cholangitis, it may be better to administer rTM and AT simultaneously from day 1 if the plasma AT III level is less than 70%.

Late Migration of Covered Metal Stent to the Stomach Through a Spontaneous Choledochoduodenal Fistula in a Patient With Malignant Biliary Obstruction.

We report a case in which a spontaneous choledochoduodenal fistula occurred after biliary covered self-expanding metal stent (SEMS) placement and a late transfistula migration of the stent in a patient with malignant distal biliary obstruction. A partially covered WallFlex biliary stent (Boston Scientific) was appropriately implanted in the common bile duct. Subsequently the patient received chemotherapy with gemcitabine. After 7 months of the SEMS insertion, the patient presented with frequent vomiting. Abdominal computed tomography revealed the obstruction of the duodenal descending part and the migrated stent in the stomach. A choledochoduodenal fistula was observed endoscopically at the proximal point of the duodenal obstruction. These findings can cleanly account for the SEMS migration through the fistula. The mechanism of formation of the fistula is mostly associated with a mechanical contact between the bile duct wall and the SEMS edge, which is pushed up in the direction of the duodenum because of the enlargement of the primary tumor, finally penetrating through the duodenal wall. To our knowledge, this is an extreme unusual case, which has been unreported previously. Therefore, we emphasize the necessity of being alert to the potential for such complications in cases involving placement of SEMS for malignant biliary obstruction.

[Gemcitabine therapy for unresectable pancreatic cancer in elderly patients].

We evaluated the therapeutic effect of gemcitabine (GEM) therapy in 153 unresectable pancreatic cancer (UPC) patients, divided into younger patients (under 65), early-stage elderly patients (age 65-74) and advanced-stage elderly patients (age 75 and over). Among those patients who received only best supportive care (BSC), the most common reasons to be selected for BSC were family requests in the advanced-stage elderly patients, and poor general condition in the rest. Among the patients who received GEM therapy, there were no significant differences in response rate, or adverse events including the rate of dose reduction, postponement or cessation of GEM administration due to toxicity. Multivariate analysis using patient backgrounds and response to GEM therapy showed that CA 19-9 response and performance status did not change with age. GEM therapy for both early-stage and advanced-stage elderly UPC patients was as safe and useful as in younger patients.