Bowel Perforation Caused by Biliary Stent Migration After ERCP: A Systematic Review.

GOALS: This systematic review aims to evaluate the risk factors, clinical features, and outcomes of bowel perforation caused by stent migration after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). BACKGROUND: Distal migration of biliary stents can occur after ERCP. Upon migration, most stents pass through the intestine without adverse events; however, bowel perforation has been reported. STUDY: A comprehensive literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases was conducted through October 2023 for articles that reported bowel perforation because of stent migration. Cases of incomplete stent migration and proximal stent migration were excluded. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines to identify full-length articles in English reporting. RESULTS: Of 2041 articles retrieved on the initial search, 92 met the inclusion criteria. A total of 132 cases of bowel perforation occurred due to stent migration after ERCP (56.1% female; average age: 66 y). The median time from initial ERCP to perforation was 44.5 days (IQR 12.5-125.5). Most cases of perforation occurred in the small bowel (64.4%) compared with the colon (34.8%). Stents were mostly plastic (87.1%) with a median diameter of 10 Fr (IQR 8.5-10) and median length of 10.3 cm (IQR 715). Surgical management was pursued in 52.3% and endoscopic management in 42.4%. Bowel resection was required for 25.8% of patients. The overall mortality rate was 17.4%. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study demonstrates that bowel perforation after ERCP stent migration primarily occurs within 44.5 days and most frequently with a 10 Fr plastic biliary stent. The overall mortality rate was 17.4%. It is important for endoscopists to be mindful of this rare but serious adverse event.

Development of American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy standards for training in advanced endoscopy within dedicated advanced endoscopy fellowship programs.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Training in interventional endoscopy is offered by nonaccredited advanced endoscopy fellowship programs (AEFPs). The number of these programs has increased dramatically with a concurrent increase in the breadth and complexity of interventional endoscopy procedures. Accreditation is governed by competency-based education, yet what constitutes a "high-quality" nonaccredited AEFP has not been defined. Using an evidence-based consensus process, we aimed to establish standards for AEFPs. METHODS: The RAND UCLA appropriateness method, a well-described modified Delphi process to develop quality indicators, was used. A task force established by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy drafted potential quality indicators (structure, process, and outcome) in 6 categories: activity preceding training; structure of AEFPs; training in ERCP, EUS, and EMR; and luminal stent placement. Three rounds of iterative feedback from 20 experts were conducted. Round 0 involved discussion of project details. In round 1, experts independently ranked proposed quality indicators on a 9-point interval scale ranging from highly inappropriate (1) to highly appropriate (9). Next, proposed quality indicators were discussed and reworded in a group meeting followed by round 2, in which experts independently reranked proposed quality indicators and provided benchmarks (when applicable). The median score for each quality indicator was calculated. Mean absolute deviation from the median was calculated, and appropriateness of potential quality indicators was assessed using the BIOMED concerted action on appropriateness definition, P value method, and interpercentile range adjusted for symmetry definition. A quality indicator was deemed appropriate if the median score was ≥7 and met criteria for appropriateness using all 3 defined statistical methods. RESULTS: Of 89 proposed quality indicators, 37 statements met criteria as appropriate for a quality indicator (activity preceding training, 2; structure of AEFPs, 10; training in ERCP, 7; training in EUS, 8; training in EMR, 7; luminal stent placement, 3). Minimum thresholds were defined for 19 relevant quality indicators for number of trainers, procedures during fellowship, and procedures before assessment of competence. Among the final appropriate quality indicators were that all trainees should undergo qualitative and quantitative competence assessments using validated tools at least quarterly with documented feedback throughout the training period and that trainees should track outcomes and relevant quality metrics for specific procedures. CONCLUSIONS: This consensus process using validated methodology established standards for an AEFP in an effort to ensure adequate training in the most commonly taught interventional endoscopic procedures (ERCP, EUS, EMR, and luminal stent placement) during fellowship. An important component of an AEFP is the use of competency-based assessments that are compliant with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Next Accreditation System, with the goal of ensuring that trainees achieve specific milestones in their progression to achieving cognitive and technical competency.

Sessile serrated polyp detection rates after fecal immunochemical test or multitarget stool DNA test: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background and study aims Published studies report a higher adenoma detection rate (ADR) for FIT-DNA as compared with FIT. Data are less replete about the performance of stool-based tests for sessile serrated polyp (SSP) detection. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the performance of FIT and FIT-DNA testing for SSP detection rate (SSPDR) in patients undergoing colonoscopy for follow up of positive noninvasive tests. Methods A comprehensive literature search of multiple databases (until September 2022) was performed to identify studies reporting SSPDR in patients with positive FIT or FIT-DNA tests. The outcome was overall colonoscopy detection of any SSPs and advanced serrated polyps (ASP: SSP ≥ 10 mm and/or dysplasia). Results Included were 482,405 patients (52.4% females) with a mean age of 62.3 ± 4.4 years from 23 studies. The pooled SSPDR for all positive stool-based tests was 5.3% and higher for FIT-DNA (15.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 8.3-25.7) versus FIT (4.1%, 95% CI 3.0-5.6; P = 0.0002). The overall pooled ASP detection rate was 1.4% (95% CI 0.81-2.3) and higher for FIT-DNA (3.8 %, 95% CI 1.7-8.6) compared with FIT (0.71%, 95% CI 0.36-1.4; P <0.01). SSPDR with FIT-DNA was also significantly higher than FIT when the FIT cutoff was >10 ug/g and in FIT-positive patients in studies conducted in North America ( P <0.05). Conclusions FIT-DNA outperformed FIT in both SSP and ASP detection including FIT with a lower threshold cutoff of >10 ug/g. Further comparative studies are needed to assess the impact of our findings on colorectal cancer reduction.

Diagnosis and management of pancreatic cystic lesions for the non-gastroenterologist.

Although most pancreatic cystic lesions do not progress to cancer, they create concern for patients and their primary care physicians. The lack of consensus guidelines on diagnosis and surveillance of these lesions can lead to a management conundrum. We review current guidelines on diagnosis and management.

Prevalence of endoscopy-related injuries and their impact on clinical practice: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopy-related musculoskeletal injuries (ERIs) are commonly reported but their exact prevalence and clinical impact remain obscure. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the current literature aiming to answer these questions. METHODS: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases were searched for studies evaluating ERIs in gastroenterologists and surgeons. The co-primary outcome was the prevalence of ERIs (i.e. carpal tunnel syndrome, de Quervain's tenosynovitis, and hand numbness). The second co-primary outcome was the prevalence of endoscopy-related pain syndromes. RESULTS: 12 studies, including 4563 respondents, were included. The majority of respondents were men (n = 3321; 72.8%) and most were right-handed (86.2%). The career prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome (pooled from 10 studies) was 5.3% (95%CI 1.5%-8.9%; I 2 = 97.1%), while the prevalence of de Quervain's tenosynovitis (five studies) was 8.5% (95%CI 0.1%-17.0%). The pooled prevalences of thumb pain, neck pain, and back pain were 25.4%, 23.1%, and 19.7%, respectively, but the prevalence varied according to the type of questionnaire used. Only 341/864 respondents (39.5%) had received prior training in ergonomics, while 623/889 respondents (70.1%) expressed a desire for further training in ergonomics. Overall, there is a moderate risk of bias in the present literature. CONCLUSION: ERIs, including carpal tunnel syndrome, de Quervain's tenosynovitis, and endoscopy-related pain, are very common. These injuries can be severe, requiring surgery, and lead to loss of productivity. Most gastroenterologists report an unmet need for training in the proper ergonomics of endoscopy.

Wire-traction device-assisted papillectomy of retracted papilla.

Video 1Wire-traction-associated papillectomy of retracted papilla.

Global prospective case series of ERCPs using a single-use duodenoscope.

BACKGROUND: The first commercialized single-use duodenoscope was cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration in December 2019. Data regarding endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) using a single-use duodenoscope are needed on a broader range of cases conducted by endoscopists with varying levels of experience in a wide range of geographic areas. METHODS: 61 endoscopists at 22 academic centers in 11 countries performed ERCP procedures in adult patients aged ≥ 18. Outcomes included ERCP completion for the intended indication, rate of crossover to a reusable endoscope, device performance ratings, and serious adverse events (SAEs). RESULTS: Among 551 patients, 236 (42.8 %) were aged > 65, 281 (51.0 %) were men, and 256 (46.5 %) had their procedure as an inpatient. ERCPs included 196 (35.6 %) with American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy complexity of grades 3-4. A total of 529 ERCPs (96.0 %) were completed: 503 (91.3 %) using only the single-use duodenoscope, and 26 (4.7 %) with crossover to a reusable endoscope. There were 22 ERCPs (4.0 %) that were not completed, of which 11 (2.0 %) included a crossover and 11 (2.0 %) were aborted cases (no crossover). Median ERCP completion time was 24.0 minutes. Median overall satisfaction with the single-use duodenoscope was 8.0 (scale of 1 to 10 [best]). SAEs were reported in 43 patients (7.8 %), including 17 (3.1 %) who developed post-ERCP pancreatitis. CONCLUSIONS: In academic medical centers over a wide geographic distribution, endoscopists with varying levels of experience using the first marketed single-use duodenoscope had good ERCP procedural success and reported high performance ratings for this device.

NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Biliary Tract Cancers, Version 2.2023.

In 2023, the NCCN Guidelines for Hepatobiliary Cancers were divided into 2 separate guidelines: Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Biliary Tract Cancers. The NCCN Guidelines for Biliary Tract Cancers provide recommendations for the evaluation and comprehensive care of patients with gallbladder cancer, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The multidisciplinary panel of experts meets at least on an annual basis to review requests from internal and external entities as well as to evaluate new data on current and emerging therapies. These Guidelines Insights focus on some of the recent updates to the NCCN Guidelines for Biliary Tract Cancers as well as the newly published section on principles of molecular testing.

Transjejunal ERCP, EUS-guided gallbladder drainage, and cholecystoscopy with direct electrohydraulic lithotripsy with large gallstone removal in Roux-en-Y anatomy.

Video 1Transjejunal ERCP, EUS-guided gallbladder drainage, and cholecystoscopy with direct electrohydraulic lithotripsy with large gallstone removal in Roux-en-Y anatomy.

Long-term recurrence after endoscopic versus surgical ampullectomy of sporadic ampullary adenomas: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ampullary adenomas are treated both surgically and endoscopically, however, data comparing both techniques are lacking. We aimed to compare long-term recurrence of benign sporadic adenomas after endoscopic (EA) and surgical ampullectomy (SA). METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of multiple databases (until December 29, 2020) was performed to identify studies reporting outcomes of EA or SA of benign sporadic ampullary adenomas. The outcome was recurrence rate at 1 year, 2-year, 3 year and 5 years after EA and SA. RESULTS: A total of 39 studies with 1753 patients (1468 EA [age 61.1 ± 4.0 years, size 16.1 ± 4.0 mm], 285 SA [mean age 61.6 ± 4.48 years, size 22.7 ± 5.4 mm]) were included in the analysis. At year 1, pooled recurrence rate of EA was 13.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 10.5-15.9], I2 = 31%) as compared to SA 14.1% (95% CI 9.5-20.3 I2 = 15.8%) (p = 0.82). Two (12.5%, [95% CI, 8.9-17.2] vs. 14.3 [95% CI, 9.1-21.6], p = 0.63), three (13.3%, [95% CI, 7.3-21.6] vs. 12.9 [95% CI, 7.3-21.6], p = 0.94) and 5 years (15.7%, [95% CI, 7.8-29.1] vs. 17.6% [95% CI, 6.2-40.8], p = 0.85) recurrence rate were comparable after EA and SA. On meta-regression, age, size of lesion or enbloc and complete resection were not significant predictors of recurrence. CONCLUSION: EA and SA of sporadic adenomas have similar recurrence rates at 1, 2, 3 and 5 years of follow up.

Synchronous Pancreatic Masses.

Any mass lesion in the pancreas usually raises the possibility of undiagnosed pancreatic cancer. With the advancement of imaging modalities, we are seeing an increasing number of incidental findings, some of which may be clinically significant. When dealing with incidental pancreatic findings, it is critical to keep a broad differential in mind in addition to ruling out pancreatic malignancy. We present 3 rare cases of patients with 2 or more synchronous solid masses in the pancreas caused by pancreatic cancer, type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis, and sarcoidosis.

Microbiomic profiles of bile in patients with benign and malignant pancreaticobiliary disease.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic and pathophysiologic significance of the biliary microbiota in pancreaticobiliary malignancies is little understood. Our goal was to find malignancy-related microbiomic fingerprints in bile samples taken from patients with benign and malignant pancreaticobiliary diseases. METHODS: Bile specimens were collected from consenting patients during routine endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. We used PowerViral RNA/DNA Isolation kit to extract DNA from bile specimens. The Illumina 16S Metagenomic Sequencing Library Preparation guide was used to amplify the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and create libraries. QIIME (Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology), Bioconductor phyloseq, microbiomeSeq, and mixMC packages were used for post-sequencing analysis. RESULTS: Of 46 enrolled patients, 32 patients had pancreatic cancers, 6 had cholangiocarcinoma and 1 had gallbladder cancer. Rest of the patients had benign diseases including gallstones, and acute and chronic pancreatitis. We used multivariate approach in mixMC to classify Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). Doing this, we found a predominance of genera Dickeya (p = 0.00008), [Eubacterium] hallii group (p = 0.0004), Bacteroides (p = 0.0006), Faecalibacterium (p = 0.006), Escherichia-Shigella (p = 0.008), and Ruminococcus 1 (p = 0.008) in bile samples from pancreaticobiliary cancers as compared to benign diseases. Additionally, bile samples from patients with pancreatic cancer exhibited a predominance of genus Rothia (p = 0.008) as compared to those with cholangiocarcinoma, whereas bile samples from patients with cholangiocarcinoma exhibited a predominance of genera Akkermansia (p = 0.031) and Achromobacter (p = 0.031) as compared to those with pancreatic cancers. CONCLUSIONS: Both benign and malignant pancreaticobiliary diseases have distinct microbiomic fingerprints. The relative abundance of OTUs in bile samples varies between patients with benign and malignant pancreaticobiliary diseases, as well as between cholangiocarcinoma and pancreatic cancer. Our data suggest that either these OTUs play a role in carcinogenesis or that benign disease-specific microenvironmental changes differ from cancer-specific microenvironmental changes, resulting to a clear separation of OTU clusters. We need more research to confirm and expand on our findings.

Utility of endoscopic ultrasound for assessment of locoregional recurrence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma after surgical resection.

Background and study aims Up to 80 % of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma develop locoregional recurrence after primary resection. However, the detection of recurrent pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (RPDAC) after pancreatic surgery can be challenging because of difficulty distinguishing locoregional recurrence from normal postoperative or post-radiation changes. We sought to evaluate the utility of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), in detecting pancreatic adenocarcinoma recurrence after surgical resection and its impact on the clinical management of patients. Patients and methods This was a retrospective study of all pancreatic cancer patients who underwent EUS post-resection at two tertiary care centers between January 2004 and June 2019. Results Sixty-seven patients were identified. Of these, 57 (85 %) were diagnosed with RPDAC, resulting in change in clinical management of 46 (72 %) patients. EUS identified masses not seen on computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or positron emission tomography in seven (14 %). Conclusions EUS is useful in detecting RPDAC after pancreatic surgery and can lead to significant impact on clinical management.

Mortality Trends, Outcomes, and Predictors of Portal Vein Thrombosis in Acute Pancreatitis Patients: A Propensity-Matched National Study.

BACKGROUND: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a rare complication of acute pancreatitis (AP) and might be associated with worse outcomes. We aimed to study trends, outcomes, and predictors of PVT in AP patients. METHODS: The National Inpatient Sample database was utilized to identify the adult patients (≥ 18 years) with primary diagnosis of AP from 2004 to 2013 using International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision. Patients with and without PVT were entered into propensity matching model based on baseline variables. Outcomes were compared between both groups and predictors of PVT in AP were identified. RESULTS: Among the total of 2,389,337 AP cases, 7046 (0.3%) had associated PVT. The overall mortality of AP decreased throughout the study period (p trend ≤ 0.0001), whereas mortality of AP with PVT remained stable (1-5.7%, p trend = 0.3). After propensity matching, AP patients with PVT patients had significantly higher in-hospital mortality (3.3% vs. 1.2%), AKI (13.4% vs. 7.7%), shock (6.9% vs. 2.5%), and need for mechanical ventilation (9.2% vs. 2.5%) along with mean higher cost of hospitalization and length of stay (p < 0.001 for all). Lower age (Odd ratio [OR] 0.99), female (OR 0.75), and gallstone pancreatitis (OR 0.79) were negative predictors, whereas alcoholic pancreatitis (OR 1.51), cirrhosis (OR 2.19), CCI > 2 (OR 1.81), and chronic pancreatitis (OR 2.28) were positive predictors of PVT (p < 0.001 for all) in AP patients. CONCLUSION: PVT in AP is associated with significantly higher risk of death, AKI, shock, and need for mechanical ventilation. Chronic and alcoholic pancreatitis is associated with higher risk of PVT in AP.

Cognitive ERCP: decision making during successful retrieval of proximally migrated biliary stent.

Video 1Cognitive ERCP: decision making during successful retrieval of proximally migrated biliary stent.