Double balloon enteroscopy: a 3-year experience at a tertiary care center

Background/Aims: To evaluate the indications, diagnostic yield, therapeutic interventions, complications and safety of double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) in clinical practice. Methodology: The medical records of the patients who underwent DBE at the Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Hospital between October 2007 and January 2010 were examined to note the demographic data, indications for the examination, results of previous non-invasive small bowel imaging and endoscopic procedures and the results of DBE including findings, endoscopic interventions, complications and pathological reports. Results: A total of 139 procedures were performed in 118 patients. DBE was performed 81 times through mouth and 26 times through anus and additionally both approaches were used 16 times in the same patients. Panenteroscopy was successfully performed in 13 of 16 patients (87.5%) in whom it was attempted. The most common indication was obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (28.8%). DBE had an overall diagnostic and/or therapeutic contribution in 63 (53.4%) patients. The main pathologies detected on DBE were polyps (12.7%), infammation (10.7%) and vascular lesions (3.4%). Complications were recognized in four cases (3.4%) but no major complication occured. Conclusions: Our retrospective analysis showed that DBE is a useful, safe and well-tolerated method with a diagnostic and therapeutic impact for the management of small bowel diseases.     

Double balloon enteroscopy in the old: experience from China

AIM: To evaluate the safety, efficacy and management of double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) carried out in those aged individuals with suspicious small intestine diseases.METHODS: DBE is a wonderful invention of the past decade and is widely used as an examination tool for the gastrointestinal tract. From January 2003 to July 2011, data from patients who were ≥ 65 years old and underwent DBE examination in the Nanfang Hospital were included in a retrospective analysis.RESULTS: Fifty-nine individuals were found and subsequently analyzed. The mean age was 69.63 ± 3.89 years (range 65-84), 34 were males. Indications for DBE were melena/hematochezia (36 cases), abdominal pain (15 cases), diarrhea (3 cases), stool change (1 case), weight loss (1 case), vomiting (2 cases), and debilitation (1 case). The average duration of symptoms was 33.34 ± 64.24 mo. Twenty-seven patients suffered from age-related diseases. Severe complications were not found during and after DBE. Comparison between systolic and diastolic blood pressure before and after DBE was statistically significant (mean ± SD, P < 0.01, P < 0.05, respectively). Small bowel pathologies were found by DBE in 35 patients, definite diagnoses were made in 31 cases, and detection rate and diagnostic yield for DBE were 68.6% and 60.8%, respectively.CONCLUSION: DBE is a safe and effective method for gastrointestinal examination in the aged population. Aging alone is not a risk factor for elderly patients with suspicious gastrointestinal diseases and thorough preparation prior to the DBE procedure should be made for individuals with multiple diseases especially cardiopulmonary disorders.     

Double balloon enteroscopy and acute pancreatitis

Double balloon enteroscopy(DBE)is a new technique, first published and introduced into clinical practice in 2001 by Yamamoto,the inventor of this outstanding method.DBE allows complete visualization,biopsy and treatment of the small bowel.Nowadays,we have some experience of this method for evaluation of the complica- tion rate.Severe complications are described in 1%-1.7% of patients.Acute pancreatitis is a rare complication of the investigation.The incidence of acute pancreatitis after diagnostic DBE is 0....     

Double balloon enteroscopy examinations in general anesthesia

AIM:To demonstrate that the double balloon enteroscopy(DBE) can be safely performed in general anesthesia with intubation.METHODS:We performed a retrospective examination between August 2005 and November 2008 amongpatients receiving intubation narcosis due to DBE examination.The patients were grouped based on sex,age and physical status.Anesthesia records includedduration of anesthesia,quantity of medication usedand anesthesia-related complications.We determinedthe frequency of complications in the differen...     

Pheochromocytoma: a 10-year experience in a tertiary care North Indian hospital.

BACKGROUND: The study was carried out to highlight the clinical and biochemical profile of patients with pheochromocytoma in a tertiary care center of North India. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty consecutive cases of pheochromocytoma admitted over a period of 10 years to our Institute were analyzed. The chief clinical complaints of these 30 patients (17 males and 13 females, mean age 24+/-7 years) were palpitation (80%), headache (77%), sweating (60%), breathlessness (67%) and flushing (56%). The clinical triad of headache, flushing and sweating occurred in 26.7% of cases. On clinical examination, 97% of the patients were hypertensive and 16.6% presented with malignant hypertension. Laboratory measurements showed that the levels of 24-hour urinary vanillylmandelic acid were elevated in 80% of cases. Levels of plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline were raised in 78% and 79% of cases, respectively. Anatomical localization of the tumor on computerized tomographic scan showed the presence of an adrenal tumor in 80% and extra-adrenal tumor in 20%. Surgical removal of the tumor could be carried out in 28 cases following control of the blood pressure with antihypertensive drugs including alpha and beta adrenoreceptor blockers. CONCLUSIONS: Pheochromocytoma should be suspected in all young hypertensive persons. The appropriate therapy for this tumor is surgical removal preceded by adequate blood pressure control including the use of alpha and beta adrenoreceptor antagonists.     

Cholangiocarcinoma： A 7-year experience at a single center in Greece

AIM： To evaluate survival rate and clinical outcome of cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS： The medical records of 34 patients with cholangiocarcinoma, seen at a single hospital between the years 1999-2006, were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS： Thirty-four patients with a median age of 75 years were included. Seventeen （50%） had painless jaundice at presentation. Sixteen （47.1%） were perihilar, 15 （44.1%） extrahepatic and three （8.8%） intrahepatic. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography （ERCP） and/or magnetic resonance cholangiography （MRCP） were used for the diagnosis. Pathologic confirmation was obtained in seven and positive cytological examination in three. Thirteen patients had co-morbidities （38.2%）. Four cases were managed with complete surgical resection. All the rest of the cases （30） were characterized as non-resectable due to advanced stage of the disease. Palliative biliary drainage was performed in 26/30 （86.6%）. The mean follow-up was 32 mo （95% CI, 20-43 too）. Overall median survival was 8.7 mo （95% CI, 2-16 mo）. The probability of 1-year, 2-year and 3-year survival was 46%, 20% and 7%, respectively. The survival was slightly longer in patients who underwent resection compared to those who did not, but this difference failed to reach statistical significance. Patients who underwent biliary drainage had an advantage in survival compared to those who did not （probability of survival 53% vs 0% at 1 year, respectively, P = 0.038）. CONCLUSION： Patients with cholangiocarcinoma were usually elderly with co-morbidities and/oradvanced disease at presentation. Even though a slight amelioration in survival with palliative biliary drainage was observed, patients had dismal outcome without resection of the tumor.     

Double balloon enteroscopy in children:Diagnosis,treatment,and safety

AIM:To assess the feasibility and utility of double balloon enteroscopy(DBE)in the management of small bowel diseases in children. METHODS:Fourteen patients(10 males)with a median age of 12.9 years(range 8.1-16.7)underwent DBE; 5 for Peutz-Jeghers syndrome(PJ syndrome),2 for chronic abdominal pain,4 for obscure gastrointestinal (GI)bleeding,2 with angiomatous malformations(1 blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome)having persistent GI bleeding,and 1 with Cowden‘s syndrome with multiple polyps and previous intussusc...     

Double balloon enteroscopy in children:Diagnosis,treatment,and safety

AIM:To assess the feasibility and utility of double balloon enteroscopy(DBE)in the management of small bowel diseases in children. METHODS:Fourteen patients(10 males)with a median age of 12.9 years(range 8.1-16.7)underwent DBE; 5 for Peutz-Jeghers syndrome(PJ syndrome),2 for chronic abdominal pain,4 for obscure gastrointestinal (GI)bleeding,2 with angiomatous malformations(1 blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome)having persistent GI bleeding,and 1 with Cowden‘s syndrome with multiple polyps and previous intussusc...     

Nocardiosis: A 15-year experience in a tertiary medical center in Israel

ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to characterize the common risk factors, clinical presentation, imaging findings, treatment and outcome of nocardial infection.Design and settingsA retrospective cohort study. We reviewed the charts of all patients with nocardiosis in the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, a tertiary medical center in Israel, between the years 1996 and 2011.ResultsA total of 39 patients who had positive culture of Nocardia were analyzed. The majority of our patients were immunocompromised (74.5%), mostly due to corticosteroid therapy. None had HIV/AIDS. The clinical presentation was either acute or a chronic smoldering illness. The three major clinical syndromes were pleuropulmonary, neurological and skin/soft tissue infection about 20.5% each. Pathology in the lungs was seen in most of the patients by CT scan; discrete nodules and wedge shaped pleural based consolidations were the most frequent findings. Brain lesions consistent with abscesses were detected in 10 patients by brain imaging. Some cases had relapsing disease in spite of antimicrobial treatment. 25% of examined isolates were resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The duration of intravenous antimicrobial treatment ranged from one month to over a year in the severe cases. One year mortality rate was 32%.ConclusionNocardiosis requires a high clinical index of suspicion in order to diagnose and treat promptly. Disease extent and bacterial susceptibility have important implications for prognosis and treatment.     

双气囊小肠镜在诊断小肠克罗恩病中的价值

目的 探讨双气囊小肠镜在诊断小肠克罗恩病中的价值.方法 对65例临床怀疑小肠克罗恩病的患者进行检查,并与先前进行的插管法小肠钡灌肠和胶囊内镜检查结果进行对比分析.结果 65例患者行双气囊小肠镜检查诊断为小肠克罗恩病58例,并经病理和临床随访确诊.其中45例患者首选从肛门进镜行小肠镜检查,确认克罗恩病34例（75.6%）,另11例后从口腔进镜,发现病变者8例（72.7%）;20例首选经口进镜,检出克罗恩病11例（55%）,另9例患者日后经肛进镜检查中检出5例（55.6%）.先前进行的46例小肠钡灌肠检查中,24例诊断或疑似小肠克罗恩病,诊断率为52.2%,与小肠镜结果比较,符合小肠克罗恩病诊断例数为18例,诊断正确率为75%（18/24）.22例胶囊内镜检查者中,14例诊断或疑似小肠克罗恩病,诊断率为63.6%,最终经双气囊小肠镜确诊的病例数为11例,诊断准确率为78.6%（11/14）.结论 经口和经肛方式结合能使双气囊小肠镜完成对全小肠的检查;双气囊小肠镜是小肠克罗恩病诊断的较为理想的方法,并能对病变范围和严重程度作出正确判断,插管法小肠钡灌肠是一项决定小肠镜进镜方式选择上有价值的筛选性手段.     

Infective endocarditis: a five-year experience at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.

OBJECTIVES: Infective endocarditis is common and data regarding its pattern and outcome from developing countries is sparse. We therefore examined the spectrum, demographics and clinical features of infective endocarditis and sought to determine the factors affecting its clinical outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Over a five-year period at our university hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, we identified 66 patients with infective endocarditis and compared their clinicoepidemiologic features and outcomes to subjects in the West. RESULTS: The male:female ratio was 2:1; overall median age was 24 years (35.5 years for men and 13.5 years for women) (p < 0.001). Median duration of symptoms before presentation was 20.5 days. Major predisposing cardiac abnormalities included congenital (50%) and rheumatic (23%) lesions, and a history of heart surgery (17%). Causative organisms and valvular sites of infection were similar to those seen in developed countries. Blood culture-negative infective endocarditis was found in 48% of cases. Renal failure was more frequent among culture-positive patients (p = 0.055). Risk factors for mortality included neurologic (p = 0.003) and embolic (p = 0.02) complications, renal (p = 0.03) and left ventricular failure (p = 0.002), and a history of cardiac surgery (p = 0.026). Overall mortality was 27%. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with infective endocarditis in Pakistan exhibit significant differences compared to their counterparts in the West, including younger age at presentation, incidence of predisposing cardiac conditions, and gender differences reflecting sociocultural bias. Neurologic and embolic complications, renal failure and heart failure predict a worse outcome.     

Double balloon enteroscopy: a useful tool for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the pancreaticobiliary system

OBJECTIVES:  Diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in the biliary and pancreatic system in the previously operated patient by conventional endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP) are difficult and, depending on the surgical procedure, in many cases unsuccessful. We describe our experience of ERCP performed with a double balloon enteroscope (DBE) as an alternative examination technique for these patients.
METHODS:  In a retrospective analysis of all DBE procedures at our department between November 2004 and June 2007, 11 patients were identified with various anatomic variations in whom ERCP was performed using a DBE.
RESULTS:  In 72% of the patients, previous conventional ERCP examinations failed (8/11). In these patients, DBE-ERCP was successful in 63%. The overall success rate of DBE-ERCP in all patients was 64% (7/11 patients). In those patients, interventions such as papillotomy, calculus extractions, as well as stent placement could be performed even though tools for DBE-ERCP are still very limited. Despite most of the DBE-ERCPs having included therapeutic interventions, no major complications occurred in our case series and minor side effects were restricted to meteorism and mild to moderate abdominal pain.
CONCLUSIONS:  DBE-ERCP is an alternative method for diagnostic as well as therapeutic interventions in the biliary as well pancreatic system in the operated patient. However, it should be limited to selected patients, e.g. , with contraindications for PTC, as it is a time-consuming as well as a cost-intensive procedure.     

Endogenous endophthalmitis: an 18-year review of culture-positive cases at a tertiary care center

A retrospective chart review of all patients seen at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation with infectious endogenous endophthalmitis between January 1982 and August 2000 revealed 34 affected eyes in 27 patients. During this time, the median incidence of endogenous endophthalmitis was 1.8 cases/year, and 48.1% of patients presented as outpatients. Twenty-six patients presented to an ophthalmologist, and the diagnosis was initially missed in almost half the cases. Eleven patients had an unremarkable physical exam except for eye findings. We found an equal incidence of bacterial and fungal endophthalmitis and a predominance of among the fungal etiologic agents. We did not, however, note a predominance of Gramnegative organisms seen mostly in reports from Asia. The microbiologic diagnosis was based on aqueous and vitreous cultures or positive eye histopathology stains in almost two-thirds of cases. The sensitivity of the Gram stain was poor, but its specificity and positive predictive value were excellent. The vitreous cultures obtained by vitrectomy instruments were more sensitive in making the diagnosis than the vitreous needle biopsy. Aside from blood cultures and eye specimen cultures, half the patients had an additional infectious focus, most frequently a urinary tract infection, whereas infectious endocarditis was seen in a small minority. Twelve patients had visual improvement with treatment with a final visual acuity better than 20/200 in 44% of the eyes. Good visual outcome was associated with visual acuity of 20/200 or better at diagnosis and with the absence of hypopyon.     

Double balloon enteroscopy and capsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: an updated meta-analysis

Background and Aim: Uncertainty remains about the best test to evaluate patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). Previous meta‐analyses demonstrated similar diagnostic yields with capsule endoscopy (CE) and double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) but relied primarily on data from abstracts and were not limited to bleeding patients. Many studies have since been published. Therefore, we performed a new meta‐analysis comparing CE and DBE focused specifically on OGIB. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed of comparative studies using both CE and DBE in patients with OGIB. Data were extracted and analyzed to determine the weighted pooled diagnostic yields of each method and the odds ratio for the successful localization of a bleeding source. Results: Ten eligible studies were identified. The pooled diagnostic yield for CE was 62% (95% confidence interval [CI] 47.3–76.1) and for DBE was 56% (95% CI 48.9–62.1), with an odds ratio for CE compared with DBE of 1.39 (95% CI 0.88–2.20; P = 0.16). Subgroup analysis demonstrated the yield for DBE performed after a previously positive CE was 75.0% (95% CI 60.1–90.0), with the odds ratio for successful diagnosis with DBE after a positive CE compared with DBE in all patients of 1.79 (95% CI 1.09–2.96; P = 0.02). In contrast, the yield for DBE after a previously negative CE was only 27.5% (95% CI 16.7–37.8). Conclusions: Capsule endoscopy and double balloon enteroscopy provide similar diagnostic yields in patients with OGIB. However, the diagnostic yield of DBE is significantly higher when performed in patients with a positive CE.