Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma Presenting as a Necrotic Duodenocolic Fistulizing Mass.

A 79-year-old female was referred for endoscopic evaluation after a positive fecal occult blood test. There was a long-standing history of iron deficiency anemia, weight loss with intermittent touts of intractable vomiting, and nausea. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a secondary lumen between the duodenum and transverse colon with necrotic mucosa and a blind opening. Subsequent colonoscopy revealed similar necrotic mucosa at the transverse colon and fistula formation with communication into the duodenum. Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) was evident in histologic analysis. SRCC carries a poorer prognosis than other variants of colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Proposed mechanisms of increased mucin production can lead to mucosal wall destruction and have profound manifestations, such as in our patient with duodenocolic fistula.

Helicobacter pylori-Negative MALT Lymphoma Presenting as a Massive Recurrent Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage.

Primary gastric lymphoma is rare, representing 5% of all primary gastric neoplasms. The presenting complaints of gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma are usually nonspecific. However, life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding from the stomach is unusual and sparsely reported. While studies reveal an indolent course, we present a case that presented with massive and recurrent hematemesis leading to hypovolemic shock secondary to endoscopically confirmed MALT lymphoma, which was treated with radiotherapy to achieve remission. She had no autoimmune diseases and tested negative for Helicobacter pylori. Our case emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and timely intensive radiotherapy of a localized but aggressive gastric MALT lymphoma.

Patient Satisfaction and Understanding of Moderate Sedation During Endoscopy.

Millions of endoscopic procedures are performed in the US every year and the use of procedural sedation analgesia (PSA) is increasing with more procedures being performed outside the operating theater and gaining popularity due to reduced costs. Patients having endoscopic procedures usually expect that they would be deeply sedated during the procedure despite verbal counseling during pre-procedure clinic visits and are often dissatisfied with procedural awareness and discomfort. In order to better educate patients, written supplementary reading material was provided to the patients, which stated a clear goal of comfort during the procedure rather than deep sedation. The results showed that the written supplementary material did not improve the patient's understanding or remembrance of being counseled about moderate sedation. We emphasize that there is no substitute for a physician's repetitive verbal counseling.

Outcomes of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding Based on Time to Endoscopy: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction Non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a major burden on the health care system. The timing of endoscopy has been an ongoing debate and data on the association of early endoscopy with a better or worse clinical outcome are conflicting. In our study, we aimed to identify the benefits versus the risks of performing an urgent endoscopy in regards to the number of endoscopic interventions, length of hospital stay, number of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) transfused, and mortality.  Methodology This is a retrospective record-based study. A total of 806 charts were reviewed and 251 patients with the signs and symptoms of UGIB on presentation were included in the study. Patients with variceal bleeding, lower gastrointestinal bleeding, insignificant bleeds with no drop in H/H, GI bleed not being the presenting complaint on admission, and patients on anticoagulation were excluded. Results Out of the patients who underwent an urgent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), 26.2% needed a second-look EGD 48 hours after the first EGD when compared to 4% and 2% in the early (12-24 hours) and late (>24 hours) endoscopy groups, respectively. In patients who underwent urgent EGD, 23% had active bleeding and it was statistically significant when compared to the other groups. The active bleeding limited the visualization during the endoscopy, which led to a repeat EGD in the urgent EGD group. If an endoscopic intervention was received, patients having EGD >24 hours received a smaller number of interventions. There was no statistical difference in the Blatchford scores between the three groups, indicating that the groups were similar in morbidity. No difference in mortality, hospital length of stay, or number of blood transfusions received, surgical or interventional radiology-guided interventions was found between the three groups. Conclusion Patients who underwent urgent endoscopy had more procedures, with no difference in mortality, number of units of blood transfused, or length of hospitalization when compared to the early or late endoscopy groups.

Role of Endoscopic Resection Versus Surgical Resection in Management of Malignant Colon Polyps: a National Cancer Database Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic resection (polypectomy) or surgery, are the main approaches in management of malignant colon polyps. There are very few large population-based studies comparing outcomes between the two. METHODS: Using the National Cancer Database, we identified patients ≥ 18 years with the first diagnosis of T1N0M0 malignant polyp from 2004 to 2015. Patients with a positive resection margin were excluded. Outcomes were compared between those who had surgery versus those who had polypectomy. Overall survival was compared using Kaplan-Meier curves. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to generate hazard ratios, adjusted for patient, demographic, and tumor factors. RESULTS: A total of 31,062 patients met the inclusion criteria, out of which 2593 (8.3%) underwent polypectomy alone and 28,469 (91.7%) had surgery. Overall survival was significantly better in the surgical group compared with the polypectomy group. One-year and 5-year survival for surgery were 95.8% and 86.1% respectively compared with 94.2% and 80.6% for polypectomy (p < .0001). Hazard ratio for surgery after adjusting for various clinical-, demographic-, and tumor-level factors was 0.53 (p < .0001). CONCLUSION: Our study is the largest population-based analysis of patients with T1N0M0 malignant colon polyps. Overall survival was higher in patients who underwent surgery compared with polypectomy. This remained consistent even after adjusting for multiple patient and tumor factors between the two groups.

Intramural Esophageal Hematoma Secondary to Food Ingestion.

Intramural esophageal hematoma (IEH) is a rare cause of submucosal esophageal bleeding and it is on the spectrum of esophageal wall injury along with mucosal tears (Mallory-Weiss syndrome) and full thickness perforation (Boerhaave's syndrome). Its risk factors include coagulopathy, trauma (foreign body ingestion or esophageal instrumentation) or it can happen spontaneously. It presents with a triad of chest pain, dysphagia, and hematemesis; however, the triad is only present in 35% of patients. We are presenting a case of IEH secondary to food ingestion that was managed successfully by conservative measures.

Isolated Intestinal Ganglioneuroma Mimicking Small Bowel Crohn's Disease.

Ganglioneuromas (GNs) are hamartomatous tumors derived from the autonomic nervous system. GNs are frequently associated with neurofibromatosis-1 and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2b and commonly present with constipation, abdominal pain, weight loss, obstruction, and gastrointestinal bleeding. We report a 40-year-old man with symptoms of chronic abdominal pain, weight loss, and diarrhea for 1 year. Imaging was suggestive of thickening of ileal wall with a stricture, and subsequent biopsy revealed intestinal GN. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of an isolated intestinal GN masquerading as Crohn's disease.

Hunt for the Shunt: An Unusual Case of Late-onset Hydrothorax in a Patient on Peritoneal Dialysis.

Hydrothorax is a rare complication of peritoneal dialysis occurring in about 2% of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. These effusions occur soon after the onset of dialysis and are usually right-sided. We describe an unusual case of late-onset, left-sided, and recurrent effusions in the setting of CAPD. A 67-year-old patient with end-stage renal disease on CAPD for the last three years was admitted to our hospital with acute hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to a left-sided effusion. Although previously asymptomatic, he had three admissions for bilateral (left predominant) effusions in the last year, all of which were found to be transudative on analysis. Therapeutic thoracentesis once again revealed a transudative effusion with an elevated pleural fluid-serum glucose gradient. On this occasion, pleuro-peritoneal scintigraphy with technetium-99m was performed, uncovering a communication between the peritoneal cavity and the left pleural cavity. The peritoneal dialysis was substituted with hemodialysis, and the patient showed an eventual resolution of left-sided effusions within 18 months. Hydrothorax in peritoneal dialysis is due to the transudation of fluid across congenital or acquired pleuro-peritoneal communications. Pleural fluid with protein content less than 3 g/dl, high glucose, and low lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) relative to blood, and the presence of both D and L isomers of lactic acid suggest a transdiaphragmatic leak. Early diagnosis via peritoneal scintigraphy and appropriate management can prevent significant morbidity and mortality.

Autoimmune hepatitis: Appraisal of current treatment guidelines.

Autoimmune hepatitis affects patients of all ages and gender, across all geographic regions. Although still rare, its incidence and prevalence are increasing. Genetic predisposition conveyed by human leucocyte antigen is a strong risk factor for the disease and may be responsible in part for the wide variation in presentation in different geographic regions. Our understanding of the underlying pathogenic mechanisms is evolving and may lead to development of more targeted immunotherapies. Diagnosis is based on elevated levels of serum aminotransferases, gamma globulins, autoantibodies and characteristic findings on histology. Exclusion of other causes of chronic hepatitis is important. Although undiagnosed disease is associated with poor outcomes, it is readily treatable with timely immunosuppressive therapy in the majority of patients. International guidelines are available to guide management but there exists a disparity in the standard treatment regimens. This minireview aims to review the available guidelines and summarize the key recommendations involved in management of this complex autoimmune disease.

Colorectal Cancer Associated with Streptococcus anginosus Bacteremia and Liver Abscesses.

Streptococcus anginosus is part of the normal flora of the human gastrointestinal tract. Their ability to cause abscesses is very unique and sets them apart from the rest of the streptococci groups. While an association of group D streptococcus bacteremia and endocarditis with colorectal carcinoma is well established, S. anginosus infections are rarely implicated with colonic malignancy. We present a case of a 62-year-old male who presented to the hospital with fatigue and generalized abdominal pain. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed multiple liver abscesses and rectal thickening. Blood cultures were found to grow S. anginosus bacteria. Colonoscopy revealed a rectal mass which was later confirmed to be rectal adenocarcinoma. This case presents an association between S. anginosus bacteremia and presence of colorectal cancer which has been highlighted in only a few case reports in literature. This should prompt clinicians to screen for colorectal cancer in patients with S. anginosus bacteremia.