Histopathological vertical margin positivity in cold snare polypectomy and mucosal resection for sessile serrated lesions.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Evidence regarding the status of the vertical margin of sessile serrated lesions (SSLs) resected using cold snare polypectomy (CSP) is lacking, and whether a histopathologically positive vertical margin is related to recurrence remains unclear. Therefore, this preliminary study aimed to clarify the rates of positive or unevaluable vertical and horizontal margins and the rate of muscularis mucosae resection in SSLs treated using CSP compared with those treated with endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). METHODS: Histological outcomes of patients treated with CSP or EMR for SSL were evaluated in this single-center observational study. The primary outcome was the incidence of histopathologically positive vertical margins in CSP and EMR. Furthermore, the comparisons were adjusted for confounding factors using propensity score matching. RESULTS: Overall, 82 patients with SSLs were included in the CSP and EMR groups after matching. The incidence of positive histological vertical margins in the CSP and EMR groups were 67.1% and 2.4%, respectively (p<0.001). Regarding the evaluation of the presence of muscularis mucosae, 29.3% and 98.8% of the patients in the CSP and EMR groups, respectively, had a complete muscularis mucosae resection (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A rigorous histopathologic evaluation revealed that for SSLs, CSP more frequently leads to positive vertical margins than EMR.

Delayed Perforation of Colorectal Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection Treated by Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Drainage.

We report a case of a 70-year-old male with delayed perforation in the cecum treated by endoscopic ultrasonography-guided drainage for a pelvic abscess. The lesion was a 50-mm laterally spreading tumor, and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) was performed. No perforation was detected during the operation, and en bloc resection was achieved. He had fever and abdominal pain on postoperative day (POD) 2. Computed tomography (CT) revealed the intra-abdominal free air, leading to a diagnosis of delayed perforation after ESD. Vital signs were stable, the perforation was considered minor, and endoscopic closure was attempted. The colonoscopy under fluoroscopy showed no perforation in the ulcer and no leakage of the contrast medium. He was managed conservatively with antibiotics and nothing per os. Symptoms improved; however, a follow-up CT on POD 13 revealed a 65-mm pelvic abscess, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided drainage was successfully performed. The follow-up CT on POD 23 showed the reduction of abscess, and the drainage tubes were removed. Emergent surgical treatment is crucial in delayed perforation because it has a poor prognosis, and reports of conservative therapy for colonic ESD with delayed perforation are few. The present case was managed with antibiotics and EUS-guided drainage. Thus, EUS-guided drainage can be a treatment option for delayed perforation after colorectal ESD, if the abscess is localized.

Delayed Perforation after Endoscopic Detachable Snare Ligation for Colonic Diverticular Hemorrhage.

A 74-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with severe hematochezia. Abdominal enhanced computed tomography (CT) demonstrated extravasation of contrast material from the descending colon. Colonoscopy revealed recent bleeding in the descending colon diverticulum. Bleeding was stopped using detachable snare ligation. Eight days later, the patient developed abdominalgia, and CT revealed free air caused by delayed perforation. The patient underwent emergency surgery. Perforation at the ligation site was detected using intraoperative colonoscopy. This report is the first to describe a case of delayed perforation after endoscopic detachable snare ligation for colonic diverticular hemorrhage.

Neuroendocrine tumor of the ampulla of Vater treated with endoscopic papillectomy: A case report.

We report the case of a 62-year-old female with a 6.3-mm low-grade neuroendocrine tumor of the ampulla of Vater, who underwent an endoscopic papillectomy. An endoscopic papillectomy was performed without complications. In the 26 months of follow-up, no local recurrence or metastasis occurred. Endoscopic treatment of ampullary neuroendocrine tumors is controversial. However, endoscopic papillectomy may be considered a treatment option if neuroendocrine tumors are small (<10 mm), have a low grade (G1), or do not have muscle layer or bile duct invasion.

[A case of rectum metastasis of breast cancer].

A 53-year-old woman visited the hospital of this study complaining of constipation. Colonoscopy revealed a circumferential tumor with severe stenosis, and a computed tomography scan showed neoplastic lesions in the rectum and right breast area. Histology was poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, requiring differentiation between type 4 and metastatic rectal cancer. Additional immunohistochemical tests were performed and a rectal metastasis of breast cancer diagnosis was made. Hormonal therapy was effective and the tumor volume was significantly reduced. Rectal metastasis of breast cancer is said to be rare. However, in the case of patients diagnosed with breast cancer or with a history of breast cancer, considering the possibility of gastrointestinal metastasis using histopathological examination is important.

Clinical benefit of the multibending endoscope for gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a technically difficult and time-consuming procedure. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of ESD using a multibending endoscope to treat superficial gastrointestinal neoplasms. METHODS: Patients with a single early gastric cancer who met the absolute or expanded indications for ESD according to the Japanese gastric cancer treatment guidelines were enrolled and randomly assigned to undergo ESD using a conventional endoscope (C-ESD) or a multibending endoscope (M-ESD). Randomization was stratified by ESD operator experience and tumor location. The primary outcome was ESD procedure time, calculated as the time from the start of submucosal injection to complete removal of the tumor. RESULTS: 60 patients were analyzed (30 C-ESD, 30 M-ESD). The mean (standard deviation [SD]) ESD procedure times for M-ESD and C-ESD were 34.6 (SD 17.2) and 47.2 (SD 26.7) minutes, respectively (P = 0.03). Muscle layer damage occurred significantly less frequently with M-ESD (0.2 [SD 0.7] vs. 0.7 [SD 1.0]; P = 0.04). There were no significant differences between the two techniques in procedure time or damage to muscle layers for tumors located in the lower third of the stomach. CONCLUSIONS: ESD procedure time was significantly shorter with the multibending endoscope and fewer muscles were damaged. We recommend multibending endoscopy for ESD in the upper and middle thirds of the stomach to reduce procedure time and incidence of complications.

A case of complete remission of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with type III portal vein tumor thrombosis treated using transarterial chemoembolization with microspheres and radiation therapy.

Portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is an extremely locally advanced form of hepatocellular carcinoma. The natural median survival time of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with PVTT is 2.7 to 4.0 months. A 63-year-old woman visited our clinic complaining of abdominal distention and appetite loss, which she had had for 3 weeks prior to admission. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan showed double hepatocellular carcinomas with Type III PVTT and massive ascites caused by arterio-portal shunts within the PVTT. The ascites could not be treated by concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy or diuretics. Transarterial embolization using microspheres followed by radiation therapy against PVTT and five courses of transarterial chemoembolization using microspheres and cisplatin led to the maintaining of complete remission of both ascites and tumors for over 12 months after treatment. Fluoroglucose accumulation of PVTT showed 11.2 as a maximum standard uptake value on positron emission tomography before treatment. No fluoroglucose accumulation within PVTT was observed for over 12 months following treatment. Transarterial chemoembolization using microspheres followed by radiation therapy against Type III PVTT may result in drastic anti-cancer effects and improvement of both serum albumin and intractable ascites after treatment of arterio-portal shunts within the PVTT causing portal hypertension.

[A Case of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Recurrent Gastric Cancer after Chemotherapy with Arterial Infusion].

The patient was a 90-year-old male. For early gastric cancer on the posterior wall of the upper gastric body, which is not indicated for endoscope treatment, chemotherapy with arterial infusion was carried out at other facilities at the request of the patient and his family. Thereafter, he suffered a relapse during follow-up, for which our hospital carried out endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD). The outcome was a resection without cure. Taking into consideration his age and the fact that the scoring system for early gastric cancer with excised lesions without cure by ESD indicated a medium risk, we carried out no additional treatment but did conduct a follow-up. There has been no recurrence for 15 months following surgery. ESD does not provide evidence with regard to recurrence after other treatments. This patient had a scar following arterial infusion chemotherapy and a local injection solution was not infused into the submucosa right under the lesion. Although the treatment of exfoliation was difficult due to fibrosis of the submucosa, en-bloc resection was possible without any complications.

Characteristic Radiological Features of Retrospectively Diagnosed Pancreatic Cancers.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the characteristic radiological features of early-stage pancreatic cancer (PC). METHODS: Between 2009 and 2016, 510 PC patients were selected from our hospital cancer registry database based on International Classification of Diseases for Oncology-3 (C25). Among them, 64 patients (42 males and 22 females; median age, 74 [range, 59-91]) had received repeated abdominal radiological examinations before their diagnosis of PC and were retrospectively investigated for specific radiological findings. The subjects underwent the following imaging examinations: computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and fluoroglucose-positron emission tomography. RESULTS: Characteristic radiological features before diagnosis of PC were classified into the following 9 features: pancreatic duct ectasia (n = 16), focal low-density area (n = 15), change of cyst size (n = 8), localized tissue atrophy (n = 7), distal atrophy (n = 4), mass in pancreatic lipomatosis tissue (n = 2), mass concomitant with the already known cyst (n = 2), protrusion (n = 1), and parenchymal disproportion (n = 1). Fifty-three cases (84%) had more than one characteristic radiological feature before diagnosis of PC, and their median observation period until diagnosis was 24 (range, 1-120) months. CONCLUSIONS: The 9 characteristic radiological features provide an opportunity to diagnose PC at an early stage.

An elderly man with progressive focal nodular hyperplasia.

Patients with focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) develop benign hepatocellular nodules. FNH most frequently occurs in young women. There are no reports of the onset of FNH in elderly men. We report a case of FNH in an elderly man, whose nodules increased in number and size. The patient underwent surgery for carcinoma of the left renal pelvis at 69 years of age; no liver masses were noted on yearly follow-up contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). Ten years later, CECT revealed a hepatic mass, and magnetic resonance imaging suggested FNH. The nodules increased in number and size in subsequent follow-up examinations.

Efficacy of long-term rifaximin treatment for hepatic encephalopathy in the Japanese.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a complication of liver cirrhosis and can result in neuropsychological and neuromuscular dysfunctions in patients. Rifaximin, an antibiotic, has been reported to decrease the occurrence of overt HE and also improve cognitive function in studies from Europe and the United States of America. There is not enough evidence of the relationship between the long-term use of rifaximin and its clinical effects in the Japanese. AIM: To determine the clinical effects of long-term rifaximin therapy in decompensated liver cirrhosis patients, with overt HE or hyperammonemia. METHODS: In this single-center retrospective observational cohort study, we reviewed the data of 38 patients who had taken rifaximin at the dose of 1200 mg/d for more than 24 wk. The primary outcome measured was the efficacy of long-term rifaximin use, and secondary outcome measured was the safety of its long-term use as determined by its influence on portosystemic shunts as well as Escherichia coli-related infections. Moreover, we compared the prognosis between the rifaximin group and control cases, matched for hepatic elasticity assessed by magnetic resonance ela-stography, age, and Child-Pugh classification. RESULTS: Of the 38 patients included in the study, 12 (31.6%) had overt HE, 27 (71.1%) had complications of esophageal varices, and 9 (23.7%) had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The control group was matched for age, Child-Pugh classification, liver stiffness, and presence of HCC. The median of serum ammonia level before treatment was 104 µg/dL (59-297), and 2 wk after treatment, it significantly decreased to 85 µg/dL (34-153) (P = 0.002). A significantly low value of 80.5 µg/dL (44-150) was maintained 24 wk after treatment. The long-term use of rifaximin did not cause a decline in liver function. Diarrhea occurred in 2 patients, who improved with the administration of probiotics, and there were no cases of aborted rifaximin therapy owing to adverse events. In patients with Child C, the survival was short, but there was no significant difference compared with that of the control group. CONCLUSION: Rifaximin therapy improves overt HE. The long-term use of rifaximin in the Japanese is effective and safe.

Efficacy of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection of Esophageal Neoplasms under General Anesthesia.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Evidence that general anesthesia (GA) reduces the operative time of esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is currently insufficient. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of esophageal ESD under GA. METHODS: A total of 227 lesions from 198 consecutive patients with superficial esophageal neoplasms treated by ESD at 3 Japanese institutions between April 2011 and September 2017 were included in this retrospective study. For ESD, GA and deep sedation (DS) were used in 102 (51.5%, GA group) and 96 patients (48.5%, DS group), respectively. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in age, sex, or comorbidities between the groups. In the GA group, the tumor size was larger (21 [3-77] mm vs. 14 [3-63] mm, p<0.001), luminal circumference was larger (≥2/3; 13.9% vs. 5.4%, p=0.042), procedure time was shorter (28 [5-202] min vs. 40 [8-249] min, p<0.001), and submucosal dissection speed was faster (25.2 [7.8-157.2] mm2 /min vs. 16.2 [2.4-41.3] mm2 /min, p<0.001). The rates of intraoperative perforation and aspiration pneumonia were lower in the GA group, but the difference did not achieve statistical significance (p=0.242 and p=0.242). CONCLUSION: GA shortens the procedure time of esophageal ESD.

Shear wave elastography predicts hepatocellular carcinoma risk in hepatitis C patients after sustained virological response.

AIM: To evaluate the relationship between fibrosis and HCC after sustained virological response (SVR) to treatment for chronic hepatitis C (HCV). METHODS: This single-center study retrospectively evaluated 196 patients who achieved SVR after HCV infection. The associations of risk factors with HCC development after HCV eradication were evaluated using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS: Among the 196 patients, 8 patients (4.1%) developed HCC after SVR during a median follow-up of 26 months. Multivariate analyses revealed that HCC development was independently associated with age of ≥75 years (risk ratio [RR] = 35.16), α- fetoprotein levels of ≥6 ng/mL (RR = 40.30), and SWE results of ≥11 kPa (RR = 28.71). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that SWE may facilitate HCC surveillance after SVR and the identification of patients who have an increased risk of HCC after HCV clearance.

Neuroendocrine tumor of the extrahepatic bile duct: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the extrahepatic bile ducts are extremely rare neoplasms arising from endocrine cells and have variable malignant potential. They most commonly occur in young females and usually present with painless jaundice. PRESENTATION OF CASE: Here we present the case of an asymptomatic 57-year-old woman with NET of the common bile duct that was incidentally discovered on abdominal ultrasound during a medical examination. She was admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of hepatic hilar tumor. Computed tomography revealed the tumor surrounding the hepatic hilum and duodenum. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed a filling defect of the common bile duct with morphology suggestive of external compression. Endoscopic ultrasound confirmed a submucosal tumor of the duodenal bulb measuring 30×20mm in size. The patient qualified for surgery with a preoperative diagnosis of submucosal tumor of the duodenal bulb. Intraoperative examination revealed that the tumor location involved the common bile duct and/or cystic duct with no signs of invasion to other organs or metastatic lymph nodes. Excision of the biliary ducts and tumor was followed by Roux-en-Y anastomosis. Histological results showed NET grade 1. DISCUSSION: Preoperative diagnosis of NETs is difficult because of their rarity. A definitive diagnosis is usually established intraoperatively or after histopathological evaluation. CONCLUSION: For these tumors, surgical resection is currently the only treatment modality for achieving a potentially curative effect and prolonged disease-free survival.

[A liver tumor that progressed to hepatocellular carcinoma as observed on follow-up magnetic resonance images showing increased contrast medium uptake].

We present the case of a 59-year-old male with chronic hepatitis C. An ischemic low-signal intensity nodule was detected on hepatocyte-phase images at S8 obtained by gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylene-triaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) -enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The nodule remained unchanged in size but showed a high-intensity signal on hepatocyte phase images. Subsequently, the nodule increased in size, and dynamic computed tomography revealed hyperemic changes, suggestive of hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatectomy was performed, and histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed a bile-producing, moderately differentiated, hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell membrane expression of OATP1B3 was detected in the cancerous area, which was more densely stained than the noncancerous areas. We followed the clinical course of the patient, who gradually developed a green hepatoma, which presented as an ischemic low-signal intensity nodule that was detectable only on hepatocyte-phase images obtained by Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI. We observed a gradual increase in size, hyperemic changes, and a shift to a high-intensity signal on the hepatocyte-phase images.

[Successful use of danaparoid in the treatment of portal vein thrombosis that developed in a warfarin-administered hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis patient].

An 84-year-old woman with hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and atrial fibrillation, who presented with hematemesis, was initially treated with endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) for an esophageal varix hemorrhage. However, computed tomography (CT) upon admission had revealed portal vein thrombosis, despite having received warfarin for existing atrial fibrillation. We subsequently initiated a 2-week treatment with danaparoid;warfarin being discontinued in order to reduce the risk of re-hemorrhage. A follow-up CT after treatment revealed complete reduction of the portal vein thrombosis. This is the first successful report of danaparoid use in the treatment of portal vein thrombosis that developed in a patient who had received warfarin.

A randomized prospective trial comparing unsedated endoscopy via transnasal and transoral routes using 5.5-mm video endoscopy.

We performed a randomized prospective trial to compare unsedated endoscopy via transnasal and transoral routes using a small-caliber endoscope. Two hundred patients referred for diagnostic esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) were randomly allocated to two groups: those undergoing transnasal (TN) and transoral (TO) endoscopy. We examined the insertion rate, examination duration, nasal pain, pharyngeal pain, number of occurrences of pharyngeal reflex, severity of discomfort throughout the examination, and rate of adverse events. Patients were asked to rate the severity of their pain or discomfort on a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS). We identified statistically significant differences between the TN and TO groups in rate of insertion (95% versus 100%, respectively, P < 0.05) and examination duration (9.7 +/- 3.0 min versus 8.4 +/- 2.7 min, respectively, P < 0.005). Severity of discomfort throughout the examination was comparable in the TN and TO groups (3.0 +/- 1.8 versus 2.9 +/- 2.3, NS). Nasal bleeding occurred as an adverse event in 4.1% of patients in the TN group. Patients in the TO group were more likely than those in the TN group to prefer the present method in the subsequent endoscopic examination (99.0% versus 82.1%, P < 0.00005). These results indicated that transoral insertion is superior to transnasal insertion in endoscopy procedures performed with small-caliber endoscope.