Hilar tumors have proven to be a challenge to treat and manage because of their poor sensitivity to conventional therapies and our inability to prevent or to detect early tumor formation. Endoscopic stent drainage has...Hilar tumors have proven to be a challenge to treat and manage because of their poor sensitivity to conventional therapies and our inability to prevent or to detect early tumor formation. Endoscopic stent drainage has been proposed as an alternative to biliary-enteric bypass surgery and percutaneous drainage to palliate malignant biliary obstruction. Prosthetic palliation of patients with malignant hilar stenoses poses particular difficulties, especially in advanced lesions (type Ⅱ lesions or higher). The risk of cholangitis after contrast injection into the biliary tree in cases where incomplete drainage is achieved is well known. The success rate of plastic stent insertion is around 80% in patients with proximal tumors. Relief of symptoms can be achieved in nearly all patients successfully stented.展开更多
AIM: To evaluate the clinical and endoscopic patterns in a large series of patients with metastatic tumors in the stomach. METHODS: A total of 64 patients with gastric meta- stases from solid malignant tumors were ret...AIM: To evaluate the clinical and endoscopic patterns in a large series of patients with metastatic tumors in the stomach. METHODS: A total of 64 patients with gastric meta- stases from solid malignant tumors were retros- pectively examined between 1990 and 2005. The clinicopathological findings were reviewed along with tumor characteristics such as endoscopic pattern, location, size and origin of the primary sites. RESULTS: Common indications for endoscopy were anemia, bleeding and epigastric pain. Metastases presented as solitary (62.5%) or multiple (37.5%) tumors were mainly located in the middle or upper third of stomach. The main primary metastatic tumors were from breast and lung cancer and malignant melanoma. CONCLUSION: As the prognosis of cancer patients has been improving gradually, gastrointestinal (GI) metastases will be encountered more often. Endoscopic examinations should be conducted carefully in patients with malignancies, and endoscopic biopsies and information on the patient’s clinical history are useful for correct diagnosis of gastric metastases.展开更多
AIM: To accurately differentiate the adenomatous from the non-adenomatous polyps by colonoscopy. METHODS: All lesions detected by colonoscopy were first diagnosed using the conventional view followed by chromoendosc...AIM: To accurately differentiate the adenomatous from the non-adenomatous polyps by colonoscopy. METHODS: All lesions detected by colonoscopy were first diagnosed using the conventional view followed by chromoendoscopy with magnification. The diagnosis at each step was recorded consecutively. All polyps were completely removed endoscopically for histological evaluation. The accuracy rate of each type of endoscopic diagnosis was evaluated, using histological findings as gold standard. RESULTS: A total of 240 lesions were identified, of which 158 (65.8%) were non-neoplastic and 82 (34.2%) were adenomatous. The overall diagnostic accuracy of conventional view, and chromoendoscopy with magnification was 76.3% (183/240) and 95.4% (229/240), respectively (P〈 0.001) CONCLUSION: The combination of colonoscopy and magnified chromoendoscopy is the most reliable nonbiopsy method for distinguishing the non-neoplastic from the neoplastic lesions.展开更多
AIM: To present a case series of MRCP-guided endoscopic biliary stent placement, performed entirely without contrast injection. METHODS: Contrast-free endoscopic biliary drainage was attempted in 20 patients with ma...AIM: To present a case series of MRCP-guided endoscopic biliary stent placement, performed entirely without contrast injection. METHODS: Contrast-free endoscopic biliary drainage was attempted in 20 patients with malignant obstruction, unsuitable for resection on the basis of tumor extent or medical illness. MRCP images were used to confirm the diagnosis of tumor, to exclude other biliary diseases and to demonstrate the stenoses as well as dilation of proximal liver segments. The procedure was carried out under conscious sedation. Patients were placed in the left lateral decubitus position. The endoscope was inserted, the papilla identified and cannulated by a papiUotome. A guide wire was inserted and guided deeply into the biliary tree, above the stenosis, by fluoroscopy. A papillotomy approximately 1 cm. long was performed and the papillotome was exchanged with a guiding-catheter. A 10 Fr' Amsterdam-type plastic stent, 7 to 15 cm long, was finally inserted over the guide wire/ guiding catheter by a pusher tube system. RESULTS: Successful stent insertion was achieved in all patients. There were no major complications. Successful drainage, with substantial reduction in bilirubin levels, was achieved in all patients. CONCLUSION: This new method of contrast-free endoscopic stenting in malignant biliary obstruction is a safe and effective method of palliation. However' a larger, randomized study comparing this new approach with the standard procedure is needed to confirm the findings of the present study.展开更多
Dieulafoy's lesion is an unusual cause of recurrent GI bleeding. This report describes a case of actively bleeding Dieulafoy's lesion of the small bowel in which the diagnosis was made by capsule endoscopy, followed...Dieulafoy's lesion is an unusual cause of recurrent GI bleeding. This report describes a case of actively bleeding Dieulafoy's lesion of the small bowel in which the diagnosis was made by capsule endoscopy, followed by treatment with the use of push enteroscopy. The case illustrates that capsule endoscopy and enteroscopy are highly complementary in patients with small bowel diseases.展开更多
Pancreatic vipoma is an extremely rare tumor accounting for less than 2% of endocrine pancreatic neoplasms with a reported incidence of 0.1-0.6 per million. While cross-sectional imaging findings are usually not speci...Pancreatic vipoma is an extremely rare tumor accounting for less than 2% of endocrine pancreatic neoplasms with a reported incidence of 0.1-0.6 per million. While cross-sectional imaging findings are usually not specific, exact localization of the tumor by means of either computed tomography(CT) or magnetic resonance(MR) is pivotal for surgical planning. However, cross-sectional imaging findings are usually not specific and further characterization of the tumor may only be achieved bysomatostatin-receptor scintigraphy(SRS). We report the case of a 70 years old female with a two years history of watery diarrhoea who was found to have a solid, inhomogeneously enhancing lesion at the level of the pancreatic tail at Gadolinium-enhanced MR(Somatom Trio 3T, Siemens, Germany). The tumor had been prospectively overlooked at a contrast-enhanced multi-detector CT(Aquilion 64, Toshiba, Japan) performed after i.v. bolus injection of only 100 cc of iodinated non ionic contrast media because of a chronic renal failure(3.4 mg/mL) but it was subsequently confirmed by SRS. The patient first underwent a successful symptomatic treatment with somatostatin analogues and was then submitted to a distal pancreasectomy with splenectomy to remove a capsulated whitish tumor which turned out to be a well-differentiated vipoma at histological and immuno-histochemical analysis.展开更多
The occurrence of leiomyoma of the rectum is uncommon. Most of these lesions are clinically silent and are found incidentally during laparotomy or endoscopic procedures for unrelated conditions. Symptomatic leiomyomas...The occurrence of leiomyoma of the rectum is uncommon. Most of these lesions are clinically silent and are found incidentally during laparotomy or endoscopic procedures for unrelated conditions. Symptomatic leiomyomas of the rectum are encountered less frequently, with only sporadic reports in the literature. We describe a case of a leiomyoma of the rectum presenting as recurrent lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage and secondary anemia.展开更多
AIM:To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of confocal laser endomicroscopy(CLE) for the detection of dysplasia in long-standing ulcerative colitis(UC).METHODS:We prospectively performed a surveillance colonoscopy in 51 ...AIM:To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of confocal laser endomicroscopy(CLE) for the detection of dysplasia in long-standing ulcerative colitis(UC).METHODS:We prospectively performed a surveillance colonoscopy in 51 patients affected by long-standing UC.Also,in the presence of macroscopic areas with suspected dysplasia,both targeted contrasted indigo carmine endoscopic assessment and probe-based CLE were performed.Colic mucosal biopsies and histology,utilised as the gold standard,were assessed randomly and on visible lesions,in accordance with current guidelines.RESULTS:Fourteen of the 51 patients(27%) showed macroscopic mucosal alterations with the suspected presence of dysplasia,needing chromoendoscopic and CLE evaluation.In 5 macroscopically suspected cases,the presence of dysplasia was confirmed by histology(3 flat dysplasia;2 DALMs).No dysplasia/cancer was found on any of the outstanding random biopsies.The diagnostic accuracy of CLE for the detection of dysplasia compared to standard histology was sensitivity 100%,specificity 90%,positive predictive value 83% and negative predictive value 100%.CONCLUSION:CLE is an accurate tool for the detection of dysplasia in long-standing UC and shows optimal values of sensitivity and negative predictivity.The scheduled combined application of chromoendoscopy and CLE could maximize the endoscopic diagnostic accuracy for diagnosis of dysplasia in UC patients,thus limiting the need for biopsies.展开更多
The involvement of the small bowel in systemic forms of amyloidosis may be diffuse or very rarely focal.Some cases of focal amyloidomas of the duodenum and jejunum without extraintestinal manifestations have been repo...The involvement of the small bowel in systemic forms of amyloidosis may be diffuse or very rarely focal.Some cases of focal amyloidomas of the duodenum and jejunum without extraintestinal manifestations have been reported.The focal amyloidomas consisted of extensive amyloid infiltration of the entire intestinal wall thickness.Radiological barium studies,ultrasound and computed tomography(CT)patterns of diffuse small bowel amyloidosis have been described:the signs are non-specific and may include small-bowel dilatation,symmetric bowel wall thickening,mesenteric infiltration,and mesenteric adenopathy.No data are available about the positron emission tomography (PET)/CT and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)patterns of intestinal amyloidosis.We report two cases of small bowel amyloidosis:the former characterized by focal deposition of amyloid proteins exclusively within blood vessel walls of the terminal ileum,the latter characterized by diffuse intestinal involvement observed on MRI and PET/CT studies.展开更多
Colonic volvulus is a relatively uncommon cause of large bowel obstruction usually involving mobile,intraperitoneal,colonic segments.Congenital or acquired anatomic variation may be associated with an increased risk o...Colonic volvulus is a relatively uncommon cause of large bowel obstruction usually involving mobile,intraperitoneal,colonic segments.Congenital or acquired anatomic variation may be associated with an increased risk of colonic volvulus which can occasionally involve retro-peritoneal segments.We report a case of 54-year-old female who presented to our Institution to perform a plain abdominal film series for acute onset of cramping abdominal pain.Both the upright and supine films showed signs of acute colonic obstruction which was thought to be due to an internal hernia of the transverse colon into the lesser sac.The patient was therefore submitted to a multi-detector contrast-enhanced computed tomography(CT).CT findings were initially thought to be consistent with the presumed diagnosis of internal hernia but further evaluation and coronal reformatting clearly depicted the presence of a colonic volvulus possibly resulting from a retro-gastric colon.At surgery,a volvulus of the ascending colon was found and a right hemi-colectomy had to be performed.However,a non rotated midgut with a right-sided duodeno-jejunal flexure and a left sided colon was also found at laparotomy and over-looked in the pre-operative CT.Retrospective evaluation of CT images was therefore performed and a number of CT signs of intestinal malrotation could be identified.展开更多
Transomental hernias are among the rarest type of all internal hernias which overall account for less than 6% of small bowel obstructions. Most transomental hernias occurring in adults are either iatrogenic or post-tr...Transomental hernias are among the rarest type of all internal hernias which overall account for less than 6% of small bowel obstructions. Most transomental hernias occurring in adults are either iatrogenic or post-traumatic. More rarely, a spontaneous herniation of small bowel loops may result from senile atrophy of the omentum. We report a case of an 86-year-old male who presented with signs and symptoms of small bowel obstruction but had no past surgical or traumatic abdominal history. At contrast-enhanced multi-detector row computed tomography(CT), a cluster of fluid-filled dilated small bowel loops could be appreciated in the left flank, with associated signs of bowel wall ischemia. Swirling of the mesenteric vessels could also be appreciated and CT findings were prospectively considered consistent with a strangulated small bowel volvulus. At laparotomy, no derotation had to be performed but up to 100 cm of gangrenous small bowel loops had to be resected because of a transomental hernia through a small defect in the left part of the greater omentum. Retrospective reading of CT images was performed and findings suggestive of transomental herniation could then be appreciated.展开更多
文摘Hilar tumors have proven to be a challenge to treat and manage because of their poor sensitivity to conventional therapies and our inability to prevent or to detect early tumor formation. Endoscopic stent drainage has been proposed as an alternative to biliary-enteric bypass surgery and percutaneous drainage to palliate malignant biliary obstruction. Prosthetic palliation of patients with malignant hilar stenoses poses particular difficulties, especially in advanced lesions (type Ⅱ lesions or higher). The risk of cholangitis after contrast injection into the biliary tree in cases where incomplete drainage is achieved is well known. The success rate of plastic stent insertion is around 80% in patients with proximal tumors. Relief of symptoms can be achieved in nearly all patients successfully stented.
文摘AIM: To evaluate the clinical and endoscopic patterns in a large series of patients with metastatic tumors in the stomach. METHODS: A total of 64 patients with gastric meta- stases from solid malignant tumors were retros- pectively examined between 1990 and 2005. The clinicopathological findings were reviewed along with tumor characteristics such as endoscopic pattern, location, size and origin of the primary sites. RESULTS: Common indications for endoscopy were anemia, bleeding and epigastric pain. Metastases presented as solitary (62.5%) or multiple (37.5%) tumors were mainly located in the middle or upper third of stomach. The main primary metastatic tumors were from breast and lung cancer and malignant melanoma. CONCLUSION: As the prognosis of cancer patients has been improving gradually, gastrointestinal (GI) metastases will be encountered more often. Endoscopic examinations should be conducted carefully in patients with malignancies, and endoscopic biopsies and information on the patient’s clinical history are useful for correct diagnosis of gastric metastases.
文摘AIM: To accurately differentiate the adenomatous from the non-adenomatous polyps by colonoscopy. METHODS: All lesions detected by colonoscopy were first diagnosed using the conventional view followed by chromoendoscopy with magnification. The diagnosis at each step was recorded consecutively. All polyps were completely removed endoscopically for histological evaluation. The accuracy rate of each type of endoscopic diagnosis was evaluated, using histological findings as gold standard. RESULTS: A total of 240 lesions were identified, of which 158 (65.8%) were non-neoplastic and 82 (34.2%) were adenomatous. The overall diagnostic accuracy of conventional view, and chromoendoscopy with magnification was 76.3% (183/240) and 95.4% (229/240), respectively (P〈 0.001) CONCLUSION: The combination of colonoscopy and magnified chromoendoscopy is the most reliable nonbiopsy method for distinguishing the non-neoplastic from the neoplastic lesions.
文摘AIM: To present a case series of MRCP-guided endoscopic biliary stent placement, performed entirely without contrast injection. METHODS: Contrast-free endoscopic biliary drainage was attempted in 20 patients with malignant obstruction, unsuitable for resection on the basis of tumor extent or medical illness. MRCP images were used to confirm the diagnosis of tumor, to exclude other biliary diseases and to demonstrate the stenoses as well as dilation of proximal liver segments. The procedure was carried out under conscious sedation. Patients were placed in the left lateral decubitus position. The endoscope was inserted, the papilla identified and cannulated by a papiUotome. A guide wire was inserted and guided deeply into the biliary tree, above the stenosis, by fluoroscopy. A papillotomy approximately 1 cm. long was performed and the papillotome was exchanged with a guiding-catheter. A 10 Fr' Amsterdam-type plastic stent, 7 to 15 cm long, was finally inserted over the guide wire/ guiding catheter by a pusher tube system. RESULTS: Successful stent insertion was achieved in all patients. There were no major complications. Successful drainage, with substantial reduction in bilirubin levels, was achieved in all patients. CONCLUSION: This new method of contrast-free endoscopic stenting in malignant biliary obstruction is a safe and effective method of palliation. However' a larger, randomized study comparing this new approach with the standard procedure is needed to confirm the findings of the present study.
文摘Dieulafoy's lesion is an unusual cause of recurrent GI bleeding. This report describes a case of actively bleeding Dieulafoy's lesion of the small bowel in which the diagnosis was made by capsule endoscopy, followed by treatment with the use of push enteroscopy. The case illustrates that capsule endoscopy and enteroscopy are highly complementary in patients with small bowel diseases.
文摘Pancreatic vipoma is an extremely rare tumor accounting for less than 2% of endocrine pancreatic neoplasms with a reported incidence of 0.1-0.6 per million. While cross-sectional imaging findings are usually not specific, exact localization of the tumor by means of either computed tomography(CT) or magnetic resonance(MR) is pivotal for surgical planning. However, cross-sectional imaging findings are usually not specific and further characterization of the tumor may only be achieved bysomatostatin-receptor scintigraphy(SRS). We report the case of a 70 years old female with a two years history of watery diarrhoea who was found to have a solid, inhomogeneously enhancing lesion at the level of the pancreatic tail at Gadolinium-enhanced MR(Somatom Trio 3T, Siemens, Germany). The tumor had been prospectively overlooked at a contrast-enhanced multi-detector CT(Aquilion 64, Toshiba, Japan) performed after i.v. bolus injection of only 100 cc of iodinated non ionic contrast media because of a chronic renal failure(3.4 mg/mL) but it was subsequently confirmed by SRS. The patient first underwent a successful symptomatic treatment with somatostatin analogues and was then submitted to a distal pancreasectomy with splenectomy to remove a capsulated whitish tumor which turned out to be a well-differentiated vipoma at histological and immuno-histochemical analysis.
文摘The occurrence of leiomyoma of the rectum is uncommon. Most of these lesions are clinically silent and are found incidentally during laparotomy or endoscopic procedures for unrelated conditions. Symptomatic leiomyomas of the rectum are encountered less frequently, with only sporadic reports in the literature. We describe a case of a leiomyoma of the rectum presenting as recurrent lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage and secondary anemia.
文摘AIM:To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of confocal laser endomicroscopy(CLE) for the detection of dysplasia in long-standing ulcerative colitis(UC).METHODS:We prospectively performed a surveillance colonoscopy in 51 patients affected by long-standing UC.Also,in the presence of macroscopic areas with suspected dysplasia,both targeted contrasted indigo carmine endoscopic assessment and probe-based CLE were performed.Colic mucosal biopsies and histology,utilised as the gold standard,were assessed randomly and on visible lesions,in accordance with current guidelines.RESULTS:Fourteen of the 51 patients(27%) showed macroscopic mucosal alterations with the suspected presence of dysplasia,needing chromoendoscopic and CLE evaluation.In 5 macroscopically suspected cases,the presence of dysplasia was confirmed by histology(3 flat dysplasia;2 DALMs).No dysplasia/cancer was found on any of the outstanding random biopsies.The diagnostic accuracy of CLE for the detection of dysplasia compared to standard histology was sensitivity 100%,specificity 90%,positive predictive value 83% and negative predictive value 100%.CONCLUSION:CLE is an accurate tool for the detection of dysplasia in long-standing UC and shows optimal values of sensitivity and negative predictivity.The scheduled combined application of chromoendoscopy and CLE could maximize the endoscopic diagnostic accuracy for diagnosis of dysplasia in UC patients,thus limiting the need for biopsies.
文摘The involvement of the small bowel in systemic forms of amyloidosis may be diffuse or very rarely focal.Some cases of focal amyloidomas of the duodenum and jejunum without extraintestinal manifestations have been reported.The focal amyloidomas consisted of extensive amyloid infiltration of the entire intestinal wall thickness.Radiological barium studies,ultrasound and computed tomography(CT)patterns of diffuse small bowel amyloidosis have been described:the signs are non-specific and may include small-bowel dilatation,symmetric bowel wall thickening,mesenteric infiltration,and mesenteric adenopathy.No data are available about the positron emission tomography (PET)/CT and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)patterns of intestinal amyloidosis.We report two cases of small bowel amyloidosis:the former characterized by focal deposition of amyloid proteins exclusively within blood vessel walls of the terminal ileum,the latter characterized by diffuse intestinal involvement observed on MRI and PET/CT studies.
文摘Colonic volvulus is a relatively uncommon cause of large bowel obstruction usually involving mobile,intraperitoneal,colonic segments.Congenital or acquired anatomic variation may be associated with an increased risk of colonic volvulus which can occasionally involve retro-peritoneal segments.We report a case of 54-year-old female who presented to our Institution to perform a plain abdominal film series for acute onset of cramping abdominal pain.Both the upright and supine films showed signs of acute colonic obstruction which was thought to be due to an internal hernia of the transverse colon into the lesser sac.The patient was therefore submitted to a multi-detector contrast-enhanced computed tomography(CT).CT findings were initially thought to be consistent with the presumed diagnosis of internal hernia but further evaluation and coronal reformatting clearly depicted the presence of a colonic volvulus possibly resulting from a retro-gastric colon.At surgery,a volvulus of the ascending colon was found and a right hemi-colectomy had to be performed.However,a non rotated midgut with a right-sided duodeno-jejunal flexure and a left sided colon was also found at laparotomy and over-looked in the pre-operative CT.Retrospective evaluation of CT images was therefore performed and a number of CT signs of intestinal malrotation could be identified.
文摘Transomental hernias are among the rarest type of all internal hernias which overall account for less than 6% of small bowel obstructions. Most transomental hernias occurring in adults are either iatrogenic or post-traumatic. More rarely, a spontaneous herniation of small bowel loops may result from senile atrophy of the omentum. We report a case of an 86-year-old male who presented with signs and symptoms of small bowel obstruction but had no past surgical or traumatic abdominal history. At contrast-enhanced multi-detector row computed tomography(CT), a cluster of fluid-filled dilated small bowel loops could be appreciated in the left flank, with associated signs of bowel wall ischemia. Swirling of the mesenteric vessels could also be appreciated and CT findings were prospectively considered consistent with a strangulated small bowel volvulus. At laparotomy, no derotation had to be performed but up to 100 cm of gangrenous small bowel loops had to be resected because of a transomental hernia through a small defect in the left part of the greater omentum. Retrospective reading of CT images was performed and findings suggestive of transomental herniation could then be appreciated.