Disorder of autonomic nervous system and its vulnerability to external stimulation in functional dyspepsia.

To elucidate the role of autonomic nervous system in functional dyspepsia patients, we examined 24-h heart rate variability: the basal levels, responses after lunch, cold pressor and mental arithmetic tests, and the efficacy of an autonomic drug (tofisopam). The high-frequency component (HF: 0.15-0.40 Hz) and the ratio of HF to the low-frequency component (LF: 0.04-0.15 Hz; LF/HF ratio) were used as indicators of parasympathetic and sympathetic autonomic nervous system function. The HF component in the 24-h, daytime, and nighttime was low in 86.7%, 97.8%, and 66.7% of patients (n = 45) and the LF/HF ratio was high in 51.1%, 73.3%, and 26.6% of patients. Gastrointestinal symptom tended to be severe in patients with autonomic nervous system disorder (p = 0.085). The abnormal response in HF component after lunch occurred in 38.2% (13/34) of patients who revealed a greater tendency towards in indigestion score (p = 0.061). Delays in recovery to the basal autonomic nervous system level after stimulus of the cold pressor and the mental arithmetic tests occurred in parts of patients. Tofisopam partially improved autonomic nervous system dysfunction and abdominal pain/indigestion. Imbalanced autonomic nervous system function and vulnerability for recovery from external stimuli were observed in functional dyspepsia patients, which was associated with dyspeptic symptoms.

Perfectionism underlying psychological background correlated with the symptoms of functional dyspepsia.

BACKGROUND: Early satiety, bloating, and postprandial distress are common symptoms in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and anorexia nervosa (AN). Perfectionism is known to be associated with AN, accompanied by abnormal eating behavior. We analyzed perfectionism in FD as compared with that in AN, and investigated the correlation of perfectionism with abdominal symptoms. METHODS: The study group comprised 168 patients with FD according to the Rome II criteria (65% females, mean age 47.7 years) and 101 with AN according to the DSM-IV criteria (100% females, mean age 23 years). As control, 130 healthy subjects (81% females, mean age 26.2 years) were studied. Frost's Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) was used to evaluate perfectionism. Abdominal symptoms were evaluated on the Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale (GSRS). RESULTS: All subscale scores except for organization were significantly higher in patients with AN than in controls. The parental criticism (PC) score in patients with FD was also significantly higher than that in controls, but lower than that in patients with AN. PC was significantly correlated with the total GSRS, particularly indigestion scores of FD patients (P = 0.0476 and P = 0.0294). CONCLUSIONS: Perfectionism such as PC underlying the psychological background of FD patients may be correlated with their abdominal symptoms.

Concurrent assessment of reservoir and emptying of the stomach for dyspepsia patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We simultaneously examined the reservoir function of the stomach as well as emptying by one single assessment for gastric emptying, and investigated their association in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD). Next, we examined the interaction between the association and abdominal symptoms. METHODOLOGY: Sixty-one FD patients according to the Rome III criteria were recruited for this study. We measured the radioactive changes of the proximal and the whole stomach by the scintigraphy until 120 min, and assessed the reservoir function and the respective half-emptying time. We assessed the symptoms by the previously validated questionnaires. RESULTS: Disordered emptying was seen in 55.7% (34/61) of patients, delay in 67.6% (23/34), and acceleration in 32.4% (11/34). Impaired reservoir function was found in 49.2% (30/61) of patients, which had an association with delayed (p = 0.025) and disordered (delay+acceleration) emptying (p = 0.027). Through the period, the radioactive decrease was dynamic in the normal, but virtually unchanged in the impaired reservoir function group. Symptoms in the motility disordered group tended to be more severe than in the normal group. CONCLUSIONS: Gastric reservoir function was associated with emptying in FD patients. Abdominal symptoms of FD patients were partly derived from the impairment of coordinated gastric motility.

Management of gastric fundal varices without gastro-renal shunt in 15 patients.

AIM: To examine the portal hemodynamics of gastric fundal varices (GV) without gastro-renal shunt (GRS), and to retrospectively investigate the effects of various kinds of treatment on eradication. METHODS: Ninety-four liver cirrhosis patients at high-risk of GV were treated in our hospital and enrolled in this study. We retrospectively examined their characteristics, liver function, and portal hemodynamics of GV. We performed balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) at first. If it was not technically possible to perform BRTO, endoscopic injection sclerotherapy using alpha-cyanoacrylate glue (CA) or percutaneous transhepatic obliteration (PTO) was performed. RESULTS: Among the 94 patients, a GRS was present in 79 (84.0%), and absent in the remaining 15 (16.0%). The subphrenic vein was connected to the inferior vena cava as the drainage vein in 13 (86.7%) out of the 15 cases without GRS. We performed BRTO in 6 patients, CA in 4 patients and PTO in 5 patients. The eradication rate was 100% for each procedure, but the rate of early recurrence within 6 mo was 16.7% for BRTO, 50.0% for CA and 40.0% for PTO, respectively. CONCLUSION: We should examine the hemodynamics before treatment of GV irrespective of the existence of GRS. If this hemodynamic examination reveals that the drainage vein connects directly to the inferior vena cava in GV without GRS, BRTO may be an effective treatment for GV with GRS.

A case of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma forming multiple lymphomatous polyposis in the small intestine.

A 50-year old woman suffering from diabetes had a CT scan that revealed a diffuse thickening of small intestinal wall and swollen paraaortic lymph nodes. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) confirmed multiple polypoid lesions in the duodenum and small intestine, and conventional histological testing revealed non-specific inflammatory changes. Further examinations including the immunohistochemical profiles of the biopsied specimens led us to diagnose the lesion as a marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type, forming multiple lymphomatous polyposis sequentially spreading from duodenal bulb to terminal ileum. According to Lugano's classification, its staging was clinically diagnosed as stage II. Two courses of a standard CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine sulfate, and predonisolone) regimen with rituximab reduced the lesion and the patient had a almost complete response. A 5-year follow-up EGD and histological examinations detected no recurrence of the disease.

Feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the Stretta procedure in Japanese patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease: first report from Asia.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, various endoscopic treatments have become available to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in Western countries. The Stretta procedure, which uses radiofrequency energy, is one type of safe and effective endoluminal treatment for GERD. However, the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the Stretta procedure in Japanese patients with GERD, who differ from Western peoples in their physiological characteristics, are not known. In 2006, we imported a Stretta system from the United States and investigated important clinical aspects of the system in Japanese patients with GERD. METHODS: This study was an open-label trial that enrolled patients with GERD who desired to undergo the Stretta procedure. Heartburn scores, medication use, overall satisfaction with the procedure, and adverse events were evaluated. RESULTS: Nine patients received the Stretta treatment between February and September 2006. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy just after treatment revealed a remarkable reduction in the expansion of the gastric cardia and small erosions in all patients. At 3 or 6 months after treatment, heartburn scores were significantly improved compared with pretreatment scores (5.0 +/- 1.7 pretreatment vs. 0.7 +/- 1.4 posttreatment, P=0.007). In six of nine patients (66.7%), treatment significantly (P=0.009) decreased medication use. There were no major adverse events. All patients were satisfied with this treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The Stretta procedure safely reduced GERD symptoms and decreased medication use in Japanese patients with GERD. This treatment may thus be very useful for such patients, and it is hoped that a nationwide trial will be undertaken in Japan to obtain more extensive data.

What are the risk factors for aggravation of esophageal varices in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The risk factors for aggravation of esophageal varices (EV) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of HCC on the appearance of the red color (RC) sign on EV and also investigate whether risk factors for the appearance of the RC sign differed between patients with and without HCC. METHODS: A total of 243 patients with cirrhosis (127 with HCC, 116 without HCC) without the RC sign, with no previous variceal hemorrhage, and not on prophylactic treatment for EV were enrolled. The endpoint was defined as being either when the RC sign was first noted, or when variceal bleeding occurred. In patients without HCC, follow-up was discontinued if HCC was discovered. The risk factors were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: In patients with HCC, portal vein tumor thrombus was a statistically independent risk factor (risk ratio [RR] 4.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-15.86), although the presence of HCC was not. A large HCC (> or =50 mm) tended to be a risk factor, but this was not statistically significant (RR 2.50, 95%CI 0.98-6.39). Child-Pugh classification and low platelet count were common risk factors regardless of whether HCC was present or not. CONCLUSIONS: Portal vein tumor thrombus, but not the presence of HCC, was a significant risk factor for aggravation of EV in patients with HCC. Cirrhotic patients with portal vein tumor thrombus should receive more aggressive management of portal hypertension to prevent aggravation of EV.

Successful treatment of giant rectal varices by modified percutaneous transhepatic obliteration with sclerosant: Report of a case.

We present a female patient with continuous melena, diagnosed with rectal variceal bleeding. She had a history of esophageal varices, which were treated with endoscopic therapy. Five years after the treatment of esophageal varices, continuous melena occurred. Since colonoscopy showed that the melena was caused by giant rectal varices, we thought that they were not suitable to receive endoscopic treatment. We chose the modified percutaneous transhepatic obliteration with sclerosant, which is one of the interventional radiology techniques but a new clinical procedure for rectal varices. After the patient received this therapy, her condition of rectal varices was markedly improved.

Risk factors for bleeding after endoscopic mucosal resection.

AIM: To clarify the risk factors for bleeding after endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). METHODS: A total of 297 consecutive patients who underwent EMR were enrolled. Some of the patients had multiple lesions. Bleeding requiring endoscopic treatment was defined as bleeding after EMR. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), calculated by logistic regression with multivariate adjustments for covariates, were the measures of association. RESULTS: Of the 297 patients, 57 (19.2%) patients with bleeding after EMR were confirmed. With multivariate adjustment, the cutting method of EMR, diameter, and endoscopic pattern of the tumor were associated with the risk of bleeding after EMR. The multivariate-adjusted OR for bleeding after EMR using endoscopic aspiration mucosectomy was 3.07 (95%CI, 1.59-5.92) compared with strip biopsy. The multiple-adjusted OR for bleeding after EMR for the highest quartile (16-50 mm) of tumor diameter was 5.63 (95%CI, 1.84-17.23) compared with that for the lowest (4-7 mm). The multiple-adjusted OR for bleeding after EMR for depressed type of tumor was 4.21 (95%CI, 1.75-10.10) compared with elevated type. CONCLUSION: It is important to take tumor characteristics (tumor size and endoscopic pattern) and cutting method of EMR into consideration in predicting bleeding after EMR.