Clinical utility of wireless motility capsule in patients with suspected multiregional gastrointestinal dysmotility.

BACKGROUND: Patients with gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotility often experience overlapping upper and lower GI symptoms suggestive of multiregional involvement. Wireless motility capsule (WMC) provides a full GI tract transit profile and may be able to detect and diagnose multiregional dysmotility. AIM: To determine the clinical utility and diagnostic yield of WMC in patients with upper and lower GI symptoms suggestive of multiregional GI dysmotility. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of all patients who had undergone WMC testing for suspected multiregional GI dysmotility from January 2009 to December 2012 at our institution was performed. Information regarding demographics, symptoms, medication use, prior diagnostic studies, and results of WMC testing was collected. RESULTS: A total of 161 patients were included in the analysis. Mean age was 43 ± 15 years, and 83 % were female. WMC was abnormal in 109 (67.7 %) subjects. Of these, 17 (15.6 %) patients had isolated delayed gastric emptying, 13 (11.9 %) patients had isolated delayed small bowel transit, and 25 (22.9 %) patients had isolated delayed large bowel transit. Multiregional dysmotility was diagnosed in 54 (49.5 %) patients. There was no significant difference in past medical or past surgical history between patients with isolated regional versus multiregional involvement. The presence or absence of various patient-reported symptoms by history did not predict an abnormal WMC study. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' symptoms are poor predictors of GI dysmotility and its anatomical extent. WMC can be a useful diagnostic test in these patients as it provides a comprehensive evaluation of the motility profile of the entire GI tract and provides objective evidence of multiregional involvement.

Conservative management of razor blade ingestion.

A 30-year-old woman presented to the emergency department complaining of abdominal discomfort. An abdominal radiograph was done, revealing ten rectangular razor blades measuring 5 × 2 cm. The patient was taken to the operating room and a flexible esophago-gastroduodenoscopy was performed. Attempts at retrieval, using both a gastric overtube and an inverted hood, were unsuccessful due to the shape and size of the blades. She was transferred to a regular medical floor and managed conservatively with serial abdominal radiographs. Over the next week, she passed the razor blades transanally without further event-all were still wrapped in paper and chewing gum-and was cleared to be discharged home.

[Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in Iceland over 10 year period: a retrospective study of indications, complications and ethical issues]. / Magaraufun um húd med hjálp speglunar á Íslandi 2000-2009: Ábendingar, fylgikvillar og sidferdileg álitamál.

OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the preferred method for long term enteral feeding. No nationwide study has reported on the experience and outcome of PEG procedure. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency, indications, complications, mortality and ethical issues related to PEG procedures in Iceland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on all adult patients who had PEG procedures in Iceland between 2000-2009. Medical charts from patients found were reviewed and data regarding demographics, indications, complications, mortality and ethically controversial cases was obtained. RESULTS: A total of 278 patients had PEG procedures during the 10 year study period. There were 163 men and 115 women with a median age of 70 years. The mean annual incidence of PEG procedures was 12.8/100.000. Sufficient medical data for evaluation was obtained from 263 patients. The most common indications were neurological disorders (61%) and malignancies (13%). Dementia accounted for only 0.8% of the indications. Total complication rate was 6.5% with 1.9% being major and 4.6% minor complications. Peritonitis was the most common (2.7%) complication followed by peristomal skin infection (1.9%). Operative mortality was 0.8% and 30 day mortality rate was 13%. In seven (2.7%) cases the PEG procedure was considered to be ethically and medically controversial. CONCLUSION: This is the first published nationwide study on the experience of PEG procedures. The complication and mortality rates in Iceland are among the lowest reported. The indications reported here are in agreement with national guidelines with the rate of PEG procedures in ethically controversial cases being very rare.

Clinical features of microscopic colitis in a nation-wide follow-up study in Iceland.

OBJECTIVE: The long-term natural history of collagenous colitis (CC) and lymphocytic colitis (LC) is not well known. The few reports available that address these issues have a limited follow-up. The aims of this study were to evaluate the natural history of microscopic colitis (MC), to describe the treatment medications prescribed and to assess the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in MC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study is based on an earlier epidemiological study conducted in Iceland where 125 patients with MC (71 with CC and 54 with LC) were diagnosed in the period 1995-99. All patients still alive and available were questioned about symptoms, treatment and NSAID use in the 3 months preceding the interview. RESULTS: In a mean follow-up time of 6.4 years from diagnosis, 15% of the patients had diarrhoeal symptoms more than once a week, 30% less than once a week and 55% had no diarrhoea. Abdominal pain was reported in 18% of the patients. There was no statistically significant difference in symptoms of CC and LC patients. Forty-eight patients (50%) were receiving medication for MC, 16% used aminosalicylates and 14% corticosteroids. Patients using medication for MC had significantly more diarrhoeal symptoms compared with those who did not (p = 0.002). Patients using NSAIDs regularly or as required, statistically did not have more symptoms related to MC than non-NSAID users. CONCLUSIONS: Only a minority of patients with MC had diarrhoea more than once a week in a long-term follow-up and the symptom pattern was similar between CC and LC patients. The use of NSAIDs was not associated with more diarrhoeal symptoms.

[Microscopic colitis - review]. / Smásae ristilbólga - yfirlit.

Microscopic colitis (MC) is an encompassing term for two diseases; collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis. The colon appears normal by colonoscopy and a diagnosis is only obtained with a biopsy. The histopathology of collagenous colitis is mainly characterized by a thickening of the subepithelial basement membrane of the colonic mucosa with a band of collagen. Lymphocytic colitis is mainly characterized by an intraepithelial lymphocytosis without the collagen thickening. Even though the two diseases have a distinctive pathology their clinical symptoms are characterized by chronic watery diarrhea without bleeding. Microscopic colitis is thought to cause about 4-13% of all chronic diarrhea but their relative frequency is much higher among older people. The mean annual incidence for collagenous and lymphocytic colitis has been increasing. Steroids are the most effective treatment for microscopic colitis and budesonide is the most studied and effective therapy for MC. The aim of this paper is to give a review of two relatively new diseases which are among the most common cause of chronic diarrhea, especially among older people.

Long-term effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and cyclooxygenase-2 selective agents on the small bowel: a cross-sectional capsule enteroscopy study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) gastropathy is sufficiently important as to warrant co-administration of misoprostol or proton pump inhibitors or a switch to selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors. However, the serious ulcer outcome studies suggested that 40% of the clinically significant gastrointestinal bleeding originated more distally, presumably from NSAID enteropathy. We used capsule enteroscopy to study small-bowel damage in patients on long-term NSAIDs and COX-2-selective agents. METHODS: Sixty healthy volunteers acted as controls. One hundred twenty and 40 patients on long-term NSAIDs and COX-2 selective agents, respectively, underwent a capsule enteroscopy study. Small-bowel damage was categorized and quantitated. RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of patients on conventional NSAIDs were abnormal, which differed significantly (P < .001) from controls. The main pathology related to reddened folds (13%), denuded areas (39%), and mucosal breaks (29%). Two percent had diaphragm-like strictures and 3% had bleeding without an identifiable lesion. The damage, seen in 50% of patients on selective COX-2 inhibitors (reddened folds, 8%; denuded areas, 18%; and mucosal breaks, 22%), did not differ significantly (P > .5) from that seen with NSAIDs. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term NSAIDs and COX-2-selective agents cause comparable small-bowel damage. This suggests an important role for COX-2 in the maintenance of small-bowel integrity. The results have implications for strategies that aim to minimize the gastrointestinal damage in patients requiring anti-inflammatory analgesics.

Achalasia in Iceland, 1952-2002: an epidemiologic study.

Limited epidemiologic information is available on achalasia in Northern European countries and worldwide. Achalasia has never been studied in Iceland. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology of achalasia in Iceland and compare the findings to other studies. All patients diagnosed with achalasia in Iceland from 1952 to 2002 were identified and patients demographic and clinical history was reviewed. The incidence and prevalence of achalasia were obtained. Sixty-two achalasia patients were diagnosed during the 51-year study period, 33 males and 29 females. The mean age at diagnosis was 45.2 years (range, 13.2-85.4 years). The median duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 2.0 years. The mean prevalence was 8.7 cases/100,000 and the overall incidence was 0.55 case/100,000/year. This is the first national epidemiological study of achalasia in a genetically homogeneous population, spanning over half a century. The epidemiology of achalasia in Iceland is similar to that in most other reported studies.

Collagenous and lymphocytic colitis in Iceland.

The aim of this study was to determine the nationwide incidence of collagenous and lymphocytic colitis in Iceland and the location of histopathological changes in the large bowel. All pathology reports of patients diagnosed with or suspected of having collagenous colitis or lymphocytic colitis in the period 1995-1999 were identified. All pathology samples were reevaluated using strict diagnostic criteria. After reevaluation 125 patients fulfilled our diagnostic criteria, 71 as collagenous colitis and 54 as lymphocytic colitis. The mean annual incidence for collagenous colitis was 5.2/100,000 inhabitants, and the mean age at diagnosis was 66.1 years. The mean annual incidence for lymphocytic colitis was 4.0/100,000 inhabitants, the mean age at diagnosis was 68.7 years. Both diseases more commonly involved the colon than the rectum. The incidence of collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis is high in Iceland. The mean annual incidence of collagenous colitis is much higher in Iceland than hitherto reported elsewhere.