Randomized trial of 2-L polyethylene glycol + ascorbic acid versus 4-L polyethylene glycol as bowel cleansing for colonoscopy in an optimal setting.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Prior studies have reported 2-L polyethylene glycol (PEG) plus ascorbic acid (PEG + Asc) is an effective alternative to standard 4-L PEG for bowel preparation before colonoscopy, but they are limited because of some confounders. Therefore, we compared the efficacy, patient compliance, satisfaction, and safety of 2-L PEG + Asc versus 4-L PEG for bowel cleansing in optimal preparation strategies. METHODS: In this prospective, randomized, single-blind trial, consenting outpatients were randomly assigned to one of two arms. All colonoscopies were scheduled in the morning and cleansing solutions were administered as a split-dose regimen. Bowel-cleansing efficacy in three different segments was measured on a five-point scale with four-point overall grading. Patients' opinions of the preparation regimens were obtained by questionnaire. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the 2-L PEG + Asc (159/163; 97.5%) and 4-L PEG (162/164; 98.8%) with respect to the overall success of bowel cleansing (mean difference = -1.3 [-4.1-∞]). Patient compliance, acceptability, and satisfaction were better in the 2-L PEG + Asc arm than the 4-L PEG arm (P < 0.05). Additionally, the incidence of side effects was lower in the 2-L PEG + Asc than the 4-L PEG (overall, 57.7% vs 73.2%, P < 0.05). However, no significant difference was seen in patients' rating of taste. CONCLUSIONS: In an optimal preparation setting, 2-L PEG + Asc has equal efficacy as a bowel cleanser prior to colonoscopy as 4-L PEG, with the advantages of better patient compliance, satisfaction, and safety.

Efficacy of bispectral index monitoring during balanced propofol sedation for colonoscopy: a prospective, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Appropriate use of propofol is necessary, and objective monitoring of sedation with propofol may be helpful. Studies on the efficacy of bispectral index (BIS) monitoring in deep sedation have been conducted, but its efficacy in colonoscopy with moderate sedation is unknown. In this study, the efficacy of BIS monitoring during colonoscopy with moderate level sedation via balanced propofol sedation was investigated. METHODS: To determine the cut-off value of BIS before the test, an optimal BIS value was determined. Patients who were scheduled to undergo outpatient colonoscopy were prospectively randomized to either a BIS or control group. Finally, a total of 115 patients were selected for this study. The satisfaction level, the complication, and the dosage of the administered propofol were compared. RESULTS: The BIS values and the modified observer's assessment of alertness/sedation scores (MOAA/S) were positively correlated (r=0.66 and p<0.001). The optimal cut-off value of BIS for maintaining moderate sedation was 81, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.88 (95% CI 0.82-0.93), indicating high prediction accuracy. However, there was no difference between the BIS group and the control group in levels of satisfaction of either patients or endoscopists. In addition, there was no difference in the complication and the required dose of propofol between both groups. CONCLUSIONS: BIS and clinical sedation scores, MOAA/S scores, showed a high level of correlation. However, no significant efficacy was observed in the BIS group who underwent outpatient colonoscopy.

Gastric emptying in migraine: a comparison with functional dyspepsia.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastric stasis in migraineurs remains controversial. The aim of this study is to investigate gastric emptying (GE) time, and any associations between GE parameters and dyspeptic symptoms among patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and migraine without any gastrointestinal symptoms during the interictal period. METHODS: We enrolled 27 migraine patients, 32 FD patients and 12 healthy people as controls, and performed GE scintigraphy as gastric function test. Gastrointestinal symptoms were evaluated in the FD and migraine. RESULTS: The age-adjusted mean gastric half-emptying time in FD (125.51 ± 52.55 minutes) patients was longer than in migraineurs (100.82 ± 23.94 minutes, P = 0.035) and controls (95.25 ± 23.29 minutes, P = 0.021). The percentage of gastric retention was higher in FD than in migraine. However, migraineurs did not show an obvious delayed gastric emptying or an increase of gastric retention when compared to the normal controls. The association between each dyspeptic symptom and GE parameters was not significant, but postprandial fullness and early satiety showed a tendency of delayed GE. In migraineurs, GE time did not show significant association with nausea and vomiting during interictal periods. CONCLUSIONS: Delayed GE does not appear to be a mechanism that patients with FD and migraine have in common. Migraineurs without dyspepsia during interictal period had normal GE, and further study for association with FD should be investigated.

Is use of PPIs related to increased intraepithelial lymphocytes in the colon?

BACKGROUND: The use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) is thought to increase the incidence of microscopic colitis (MC), although the exact mechanisms are not fully understood. Increased infiltration of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) is a pathologic finding of MC (including collagenous or lymphocytic colitis). AIMS: We investigated whether PPI use is associated with increased IEL infiltration and inflammation in the lamina propria. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and histological reports of 78 patients receiving PPIs who had no symptoms of diarrhea, and their age- and gender- matched controls. The levels of IELs and inflammation in the lamina propria were assessed independently by two pathologists using H&E and immunohistochemical staining for CD3 and CD8. RESULTS: The IEL count was significantly higher in the PPI group than in controls (12.92 ± 6.27 vs. 8.10 ± 4.21 per 100 epithelial cells, p < 0.001), as was the extent of inflammation (1.74 ± 0.90 vs. 0.86 ± 0.78, p < 0.001). PPI use was associated with increased IEL infiltration in a multivariate analysis (OR, 3.232; 95 % CI, 1.631-6.404, p < 0.001). Within the PPI group, however, the IEL count was not significantly associated with gender, age, type of PPI, or duration of PPI use. CONCLUSIONS: The use of PPIs has a significant association with increased IEL infiltration for subjects without symptoms of diarrhea. This finding suggests that changes such histological alterations seen in the early phage seen in MC possibly represent the stage of the disease even before the onset of symptoms.

Does submucosal fibrosis affect the results of endoscopic submucosal dissection of early gastric tumors?

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an effective treatment of early gastric tumors, but submucosal fibrosis can be an obstacle to successful ESD. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between endoscopic and pathologic factors and submucosal fibrosis in early gastric tumors, and to measure the association between degree of submucosal fibrosis and outcomes of ESD. DESIGN: A retrospective study. SETTING: An academic medical center. PATIENTS: From November 2006 to April 2011, 161 patients with 167 early gastric tumors treated by ESD. INTERVENTION: ESD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Endoscopic and pathologic factors related to submucosal fibrosis. Procedure time, en bloc resection rate, and complications according to degree of submucosal fibrosis. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, the presence of endoscopic submucosal fibrosis was significantly related to tumor size, location, ulceration, histologic findings, and submucosal invasion. Multivariate analysis for these factors showed that endoscopic submucosal fibrosis was independently associated with lesions in tumor size greater than 30 mm, in the proximal portion of the stomach, and more common in adenocarcinomas than in adenomas. After correction for multiple testing, only the middle of the stomach as a locational risk factor retains statistical significance. Also, the more advanced the endoscopic submucosal fibrosis, the longer the time required for ESD (P < .0001). The severity of endoscopic submucosal fibrosis was associated with a lower en bloc resection rate and with abundant immediate bleeding. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective, single-center study. CONCLUSION: Submucosal fibrosis of early gastric tumors is closely related to tumor size, location, ulceration, histologic findings, and submucosal invasion. Moreover, the greater the degree of submucosal fibrosis the longer the time taken for the ESD procedure and the higher the frequency of complications such as perforation and immediate bleeding.

Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm caused by acute idiopathic pancreatitis.

Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm (HAP) is a very rare disease but in cases of complication, there is a very high mortality. The most common cause of HAP is iatrogenic trauma such as liver biopsy, transhepatic biliary drainage, cholecystectomy and hepatectomy. HAP may also occur with complications such as infections or inflammation associated with septic emboli. HAP has been reported rarely in patients with acute pancreatitis. As far as we are aware, there is no report of a case caused by acute idiopathic pancreatitis, particularly. We report a case of HAP caused by acute idiopathic pancreatitis which developed in a 61-year-old woman. The woman initially presented with acute pancreatitis due to unknown cause. After conservative management, her symptoms seemed to have improved. But eight days after admission, abdominal pain abruptly became worse again. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) was rechecked and it detected a new HAP that was not seen in a previous abdominal CT. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was performed because of a suspicion of hemobilia as a cause of aggravated abdominal pain. ERCP confirmed hemobilia by observing fresh blood clots at the opening of the ampulla and several filling defects in the distal common bile duct on cholangiogram. Without any particular treatment such as embolization or surgical ligation, HAP thrombosed spontaneously. Three months after discharge, abdominal CT demonstrated that HAP in the left lateral segment had disappeared.

[Esophageal sinus formation due to cyanoacrylate injection for esophageal variceal ligation-induced ulcer bleeding in a cirrhotic patient].

Intravariceal injection of N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate is widely used for the hemostasis of bleeding gastric varices, but not routinely for esophageal variceal hemorrhage because of various complications such as pyrexia, bacteremia, deep ulceration, and pulmonary embolization. We report a rare case of esophageal sinus formation after cyanoacrylate obliteration therapy for uncontrolled bleeding from post-endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) ulcer. A 50-year-old man with alcoholic liver cirrhosis presented with hematemesis. Emergent esophagogastroscopy revealed bleeding from large esophageal varices with ruptured erosion, and bleeding was initially controlled by EVL, but rebleeding from the post-EVL ulcer occurred at 17th day later. Although we tried again EVL and the injections of 5% ethanolamine oleate at paraesophageal varices, bleeding was not controlled. Therefore, we administered 1 mL cyanoacrylate diluted with lipiodol and bleeding was controlled. Three months after the endoscopic therapy, follow-up endoscopy showed medium to large-sized esophageal varices and sinus at lower esophagus. Barium esophagography revealed an outpouching in esophageal wall and endoscopic ultrasonography demonstrated an ostium with sinus. It is noteworthy that esophageal sinus can be developed as a rare late complication of endoscopic cyanoacrylate obliteration therapy.

[A case of renal vein thrombosis in a patient with ulcerative colitis].

Venous thrombosis and thromboembolism appear to occur more often in patient with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The cause of thrombotic complications in IBD is generally considered to be associated with hypercoagulable conditions. Its prevalence rate ranges from 1% to 8% in clinical studies and rises to 39% in autopsy, but the renal vein thrombosis is very rare complication in ulcerative colitis patient. A 24-year-old man presented with intermittent abdominal pain and hematochezia for 6 months and recently developed pitting edema for few weeks. He was diagnosed as severe ulcerative colitis involving whole colon combined with thrombosis in both renal veins by colonoscopy and computed tomography scan of abdomen. We used steroid for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and both intravenous lower molecular weight heparin and warfarin for renal vein thrombosis. His symptoms were improved after treatment and maintained with mesalazine and warfarin. Follow-up abdominal CT scan showed complete resolution of both renal vein thrombosis. Currently he has been followed up for 2 years with oral mesalazine.

[Sialadenosis in a patient with alcoholic fatty liver developing after heavy alcohol drinking].

Sialadenosis is a unique form of non-inflammatory, non-neoplastic bilateral salivary gland disorder characterized by recurrent painless swelling which usually occurs in parotid glands. Alcoholism is one of the main causes of sialadenosis along with diabetes, bulimia, and other idiopathic causes. The prognosis is verified according to the degree of liver function. We present a case of a 46 year-old man who had alcoholic fatty liver disease diagnosed as alcoholic sialadenosis based on clinical points of recurrent bilateral parotid swelling after heavy alcohol drinking, computed tomography, and fine-needle aspiration biopsy. After stopping alcohol drinking and treated with conservative treatment, he got improved without specific sequela.

[A case of desmoid tumor presenting as intra-abdominal abscess].

Desmoid tumor is a rare benign tumor derived from fibrous sheath or musculoaponeurotic structure. The tumor is benign histologically but considered as malignant clinically because it has high propensity on infiltrative growth with local invasion and tendency to recurrence after local excision. Especially, when this tumor happens to be in the intra-abdomen, the prognosis is worse because it can cause intestinal obstruction, ureter obstruction and, fistula formation. It also can invade major vessels in abdomen. This tumor occurs more frequently in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), in post-partume women, and at old surgical incision site. However, in this case, the patient had neither previous surgery nor a FAP history. We report a rare case of the young male patient who presented with an acute abdomen and underwent laparotomy and was found to have an intra-abdominal desmoid tumor with abscess formation.