Hepatocellular carcinoma with tumoral extension to the inferior vena cava and right atrium.

This case report describes an 81-year-old male with Child-Pugh B chronic liver disease presenting with dyspnea and atypical precordial pain. Evaluation revealed a third-degree atrioventricular block, necessitating temporary pacemaker placement. Portable cardiac ultrasound identified an intracavitary mass in the right atrium. A triphasic abdominal CT scan unveiled a solid lesion in hepatic segments VII and VIII, displaying arterial phase enhancement and late-phase washout. The neoplastic lesion, measuring 9.3 x 8.3 cm, exhibited lobulated, poorly defined borders, with extension into the right suprahepatic vein, inferior vena cava, and right atrium.

Comparing fine needle biopsy techniques in solid pancreatic lesions: A prospective randomized study.

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsies (EUS-FNB) are the best technique for sampling solid pancreatic lesions. However, the most appropriate biopsy technique has not been standardized using Fine Needle Biopsy (FNB) needles. The aim of this work was to identify the best biopsy technique to achieve the best tissue integrity and cause the least blood contamination. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients ≥18 years of age with solid pancreatic lesions who underwent EUS-FNB at our institution from January 2020 to May 2021 were consecutively selected. Three passes were performed with each of the threee techniques to obtain tissue: suction with 10 ml of vacuum, capillary, and wet. An independent pathologist evaluated the received tissue integrity and the degree of blood contamination of each sample according to scales. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients were recruited for our study. A superior tissue integrity was observed using the wet-suction technique in lesions located in the body and/or tail of the pancreas, and an average score of 4.40 (p = 0.027) was assigned for this technique. Regarding the contamination of the sample in the whole cohort, the simple-suction technique shown a higher contamination, 1.55 (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference among the techniques when evaluating tissue integrity or contamination in lesions larger or smaller than 3 cm. CONCLUSION: When performing EUS-FNB for solid pancreatic lesions located in the head/uncinated process, the three methods provided similar diagnostic yields. The wet-suction technique had a higher score in tissue integrity when lesions were located in the body and/or tail of the pancreas.

Endoscopic stent placement after spontaneous esophageal perforation associated with chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer.

A 38-year-old male with established diagnosis of stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus treated with chemoradiotherapy (25 sessions of 50 Gy), presented with acute aphagia, thoracic pain, productive cough, and mild hemoptysis. Upon physical examination the right hemithorax presented with crepitations. An initial CT scan showed an esophageal perforation. An upper endoscopy was performed, visualizing the esophageal perforation in the mid third of the esophagus at 26 cm of the dental arcade. It was possible to bypass and intubate the stomach, enabling the placement of a guide wire under endoscopic visualization. Afterwards, a partially covered, self-expandable, metal stent (Wallflex esophageal stent 10 cm/18/23; Boston Scientific) was placed in the esophagus restoring continuity, visualized by fluoroscopy.

Glanzmann thrombasthenia: an uncommon cause of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

The major function of platelets is to contribute to hemostasis. If an impairment in their production and/or function occurs, abnormal bleeding can develop. An 18-year-old male presented to our hospital after four episodes of hematemesis. His medical history was relevant for Glanzmann thrombasthenia diagnosed during early childhood. On initial examination, he appeared pale and with normal blood pressure. His complete blood count included a hemoglobin concentration of 11.0 g/dL, additional laboratory tests were within the normal ranges. The initial approach consisted of a high dose of proton pump inhibitors. Hours later, esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed diffuse oozing bleeding from gastric mucosa with no other visible lesions such as peptic ulcers or varices.

Primary pancreatic lymphoma: thinking beyond pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Primary pancreatic lymphoma is one of the rare primary pancreatic tumors with a low incidence compared to adenocarcinoma, which is the most frequent. Currently there are diagnostic tools such as percutaneous biopsy and endoscopic ultrasound to reach its diagnosis. Primary lymphoma of the pancreas has defined therapeutic targets as well as a better prognosis compared to other tumors.

Multiple lymphomatous polyposis: rectal prolapse as an atypical presentation of the disease.

Multiple lymphomatous polyposis is a rare entity that can involve different types of both B-cell and T-cell lymphomas, including mantle cell lymphoma. A 57-year-old male patient is presented with prolapse of the rectal canal associated with data of lower digestive tract bleeding. A colonoscopy and subsequent upper endoscopy were performed with findings compatible with lymphomatous polyposis. After a biopsy study, mantle cell lymphoma was diagnosed and chemotherapy treatment was started. The endoscopic finding of multiple lymphomatous polypoposis associated with an adequate histopathological diagnosis improves the treatment success rate in patients with different types of gastrointestinal lymphomas.

Crack cocaine abuse as an undescribed cause of gastric outlet obstruction.

A 32-year-old male with crack-cocaine abuse for 10 years, 300 g/day. He started with epigastric abdominal pain, intensity 10/10, he went to another hospital where a perforated peptic ulcer was suspected and a laparotomy was performed, with no findings. Subsequently, he started with vomiting and weight loss, on admission, a gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) was suspected and CT scan showed a concentric duodenal growth. An upper endoscopy identified a duodenal bulb stenosis with a Forrest-III ulcer. Roux-en-Y gastrojejunal anastomosis was performed, identifying duodenal thickening, without malignancy.

Outcomes of transitional care programs on adolescent chronic inflammatory systemic diseases: systematic review and meta-analyses.

BACKGROUND: Patients with juvenile chronic inflammatory systemic diseases (jCID) are vulnerable to many circumstances when transitioning to adult-centered healthcare; this increases the burden of disease and worsen their quality of life. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus were searched from inception to March 16th, 2021. We included observational, randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies that evaluated a transitional care program for adolescents and young adults with jCIDs. We extracted information regarding health-related quality of life, disease activity, drop-out rates, clinical attendance rates, hospital admission rates, disease-related knowledge, surgeries performed, drug toxicity and satisfaction rates. RESULTS: Fifteen studies met our inclusion criteria. The implementation of transition programs showed a reduction on hospital admission rates for those with transition program (OR 0.28; 95% CI 0.13 to 0.61; I 2 = 0%; p = 0.97), rates of surgeries performed (OR 0.26; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.59; I 2 = 0%; p = 0.50) and drop-out rates from the adult clinic (OR 0.23; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.46; I 2 = 0%; p = 0.88). No differences were found in other outcomes. CONCLUSION: The available body of evidence supports the implementation of transition programs as it could be a determining factor to prevent hospital admission rates, surgeries needed and adult clinic attendance rates.

Gruber-Frantz tumor: a rare pancreatic neoplasm.

We present the case of a 37-year-old female with abdominal pain in the epigastrium radiating to the right flank of a month of evolution. On physical examination, the epigastric mass was palpated, firm and painless. Computed tomography (CT) showed a cystic tumor in the body and tail of the pancreas with solid areas and defined borders (12 x 10 cm), which displaced structures. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine needle biopsy was performed, with a cytology consistent with solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT). Subsequently, a distal pancreatectomy with tumor resection and nodal dissection were performed. Cytology reported discohesive cells, some arranged around capillaries, with small nuclei with clefts, CK7 negative and ß-catenin positive. After four years of follow-up, there is no evidence of recurrence.

Evaluation and Validation of a New Score to Measure the Severity of Small Bowel Angiodysplasia on Video Capsule Endoscopy.

INTRODUCTION: Angiodysplasias are responsible of 50% of small bowel bleeding. An endoscopic method that allows measuring its severity is not available. AIMS: The aim of the study was to validate a new endoscopic score with VCE to measure the severity of small bowel angiodysplasias (SBAD). METHODS: Four endoscopists independently reviewed VCE videos of 22 patients with SBAD. The score graded 3 variables: A - extent of lesions: E1, located in one half of the intestine and E2, in both halves; B - number of lesions: N1, <5; N2, 5-10; and N3, >10 lesions; C - probability of bleeding: P1, pale red spots; P2, bright red spots; P3, bleeding stigmata; and P4, active bleeding. Capsule Endoscopy Small Bowel Angiodysplasia Activity Index (CESBAI) was calculated as follows: E × 1 + N × 2 + P × 3. Interobserver variability was analyzed by Spearman's correlation and agreement Kappa statistic tests. RESULTS: The mean CESBAI scores by observers were O1= 11.6 ± 4.1; O2 = 11.3 ± 4.8; O3 = 11.1 ± 4.9; and O4 = 11.8 ± 4.2 (p > 0.05). Spearman's correlation values of CESBAI between every 2 observers were from 0.61 to 0.94 (p < 0.001) with a global correlation of 0.73 among all observers. Kappa values of CESBAI between every 2 observers ranged from 0.42 to 0.87 (p < 0.001) with a global agreement of 0.57 among all observers. All evaluators stated that the method was easy to use. CONCLUSIONS: CESBAI is a reliable and reproducible score. Nevertheless, these results must be validated in other studies with larger population before assessing its power for predicting bleeding recurrence.

Risk factors for mortality in patients with acute bacterial cholangitis - Type-2 diabetes is a significant clinical predictor.

Acute cholangitis is a life-threatening infection, and several features are associated with a worse prognosis if prompt treatment is not started. Eighty-six subjects with acute cholangitis were included in a retrospective analysis. Patients had a median age of 53 years (range: 34.5 to 70 years) and 55 (64.0 %) were female. Of the entire cohort, 16 patients had a history of diabetes mellitus. Regarding acute cholangitis severity, 17 (19.8 %) cases were classified as severe, 41 (47.7 %) as moderate, and 28 (32.6 %) as mild.

Liver dysfunction and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection is the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which predominantly affects the respiratory system; it also causes systemic and multi-organic disease. Liver damage is among the main extrapulmonary manifestations. COVID-19-associated liver injury is defined as any liver damage occurring during the disease course and treatment of COVID-19 in patients with or without pre-existing liver disease, and occurs in approximately one in five patients. Abnormal liver test results have been associated with a more severe course of COVID-19 and other complications, including death. Mechanisms linking COVID-19 to liver injury are diverse. Particular consideration should be made for patients with pre-existing liver disease, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease, chronic liver disease due to viral or autoimmune disease, liver transplant carriers, or cirrhosis, given the risk for more severe outcomes. This manuscript summarizes the current lines of evidence on COVID-19-associated liver injury regarding pathophysiology, clinical significance, and management in both patients with or without pre-existing liver disease, to facilitate clinicians' access to updated information and patient care. Finally, we mention the ideas and recommendations to be considered for future research.