Small bowel MRI imaging in the DGH - are you doing it yet?

The aim of this article is to illustrate the spectrum of disease visualized at small bowel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the district general hospital (DGH) setting. The advantages and disadvantages of small bowel MRI, technique, and service implementation are discussed.

Randomized trial of lidocaine vs lidocaine/bupivacaine periprostatic injection on longitudinal pain scores after prostate biopsy.

PURPOSE: Periprostatic lidocaine reduces immediate post-prostate biopsy pain but still many men will not consent to re-biopsy. We performed a randomized study to assess whether adding long acting local anesthesia to a short acting agent would further reduce pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 300 men undergoing transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy were sequentially randomized to receive either short acting local lidocaine (lid) or short and long acting lidocaine and bupivacaine (lid/bup). A 7-day questionnaire was used to study daily pain (10-point visual analog score), bleeding (hematuria, PR bleeding, hematospermia), visits to the family doctor and analgesic use, and whether they would agree to future re-biopsy. RESULTS: Of the 256 questionnaires returned 250 were suitable for analysis. Cross-sectional comparison showed no intergroup differences in mean pain scores immediately after biopsy (2.24, 95% CI 1.94-2.5 vs 2.61, 95% CI 2.3-2.9, p = 0.88 in lid and lid/bup groups, respectively). There was a significant rebound in visual analog scale at 1 hour in the lid group but not in the lid/bup group (+ 0.9 vs + 0.09, p = 0.0006). Longitudinal analysis showed the global pain experience after lid/bup was better compared to lidocaine alone, with significantly less pain every subsequent day (p = 0.0006 to 0.002). No difference was seen in morbidity, analgesia usage or number refusing future re-biopsy (9.6% vs 9.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Long and short acting local anesthetics together significantly attenuate the 1-hour rebound increase in pain scores seen after short acting anesthesia alone. Improved pain scores were sustained during the subsequent week and we advocate routine combination use for transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy.

Fast-track management of malignant superior vena cava syndrome.

We report our experience with a combined approach of endovascular biopsy followed by immediate stenting in the management of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome secondary to obstructing mediastinal masses. A diagnosis of malignancy was obtained in six of eight (75%) biopsies and symptomatic relief was accomplished in all patients. We have found this to be a rapid, safe and effective management strategy that we now consider for all patients presenting with de novo SVC syndrome.

Langerhan's cell histiocytosis complicating small bowel Crohn's disease.

Langerhan's cell histiocytosis is a rare infiltrative disorder of unknown aetiology. A variety of tissues may be affected, but clinically evident intestinal involvement is unusual. An adult patient is described with Crohn's disease of the terminal ileum who subsequently developed Langerhan's cell histiocytosis with extensive infiltration of the small bowel.

Iatrogenic arteriovenous fistula in a renal allograft: the result of a TAD guidewire injury.

A case is presented of an iatrogenic arteriovenous fistula developing in a renal allograft following guidewire manipulation during transplant renal artery angioplasty. Hyperdynamic flow through the fistula was causing a shunt of blood away from the renal cortex as demonstrated on sonography and scintigraphy. Selective embolization was performed, correcting the maldistribution of flow to the peripheral renal cortex. The diagnosis and difficulty in management of asymptomatic renal arteriovenous fistulae is also discussed.

Adult coeliac disease and cigarette smoking.

BACKGROUND: Genetic predisposition and gliadin exposure are known to be crucial factors in the development of coeliac disease. Circumstantial evidence suggests that other unidentified environmental factors may also be of pathogenetic importance. AIM: To define the relation between cigarette smoking and the risk of development of symptomatic adult onset coeliac disease. SUBJECTS: Eighty six recently diagnosed adult coeliac disease patients and 172 controls matched for age and sex. METHOD: Matched case control study, using a simple questionnaire to determine smoking history, and in particular smoking status at the time of diagnosis of coeliac disease. RESULTS: At the time of diagnosis, the proportion of current smokers was 7% in the coeliac group, and 32.6% in the control group, giving a matched odds ratio of 0.15 (95% confidence intervals 0.06, 0.38). The difference could not be accounted for by social class, nor by coeliac patients giving up smoking after the onset of symptoms as most non-smokers in the coeliac group had never smoked. CONCLUSION: Cigarette smoking, or a factor closely linked to it, seems to exert a major protective effect against the development of symptomatic adult onset coeliac disease. The implication is that gliadin exposure is not the only important environmental factor involved in the pathogenesis of this condition.