Double Balloon Enteroscopy Detects Small Bowel Mass Lesions Missed by Capsule Endoscopy

BACKGROUND: Small bowel mass lesions (SBML) are a relatively common cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). Their detection has been limited by the inability to endoscopically examine the entire small intestine. This has changed with the introduction of capsule endoscopy (CE) and double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) into clinical practice. STUDY AIM: To evaluate the detection of SBML by DBE and CE in patients with OGIB who were found to have SBML by DBE and underwent both procedures. METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively collected database of all patients undergoing DBE for OGIB at seven North American tertiary centers was performed. Those patients who were found to have SBML as a cause of their OGIB were further analyzed. RESULTS: During an 18 month period, 183 patients underwent DBE for OGIB. A small bowel mass lesion was identified in 18 patients. Of these, 15 patients had prior CE. Capsule endoscopy identified the mass lesion in five patients; fresh luminal blood with no underlying lesion in seven patients, and non-specific erythema in three patients. Capsule endoscopy failed to identify all four cases of primary small bowel adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Double balloon enteroscopy detects small bowel mass lesions responsible for OGIB that are missed by CE. Additional endoscopic evaluation of the small bowel by DBE or intraoperative enteroscopy should be performed in patients with ongoing OGIB and negative or non-specific findings on CE.     

Detection of Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Small Bowel by Double Balloon Enteroscopy

Background Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) account for one-third of all small bowel neoplasms. The search for the primary tumor in NET is important, even though it is difficult to localize, as its surgical excision leads to a better prognosis, even in metastasized stages of the disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) for the detection of the primary tumor in patients with NET. Methods Twelve consecutive patients (eight women, four men) with suspected carcinoid syndrome, either metastatic to the liver (n = 5), symptoms of a neuroendocrine tumor with elevated tumor markers (n = 5), or obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 2) underwent DBE for the search of the primary tumor or the source of bleeding. All patients underwent abdominal sonography and a computed tomography (CT) scan, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), ileocolonoscopy, and octreotide scintigraphy prior to DBE. Capsule endoscopy was performed in four patients. Results A total of 17 DBE were performed in the 12 patients. The CT scan and sonography of the abdomen as well as EGD and ileocolonoscopy were unable to detect the primary tumor in any patient. A submucosal tumor of the ileum or the jejunum could be detected by DBE was detected in seven patients (58%) (anal route, n = 4; oral route, n = 3). In four of these patients (33%) this finding could be confirmed by the surgical resection of a NET. In two patients (17%) with a submucosal ileum protrusion suspicious for NET, laparotomy and intraoperative endoscopy did not confirm the tumor. Conclusions In this study, the diagnostic yield of DBE for primary tumor search in patients with metastatic or suspected NET was 33%. Although endoscopic small bowel investigation by DBE seems to enrich the diagnostic possibilities for the diagnosis of small bowel-NET, at the present time DBE should only be performed in selected cases, possibly based on a positive previous work-up. Michael Bellutti and Lucia C. Fry contributed equally to this paper.     

Clinical Utility of Double-Balloon Enteroscopy for Small Intestinal Bleeding

Until the development of wireless capsule endoscopy (CE) and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE), it was extremely difficult to examine the entire small intestine. To assess the usefulness of DBE for diagnosing suspected small intestinal bleeding, we retrospectively compared the diagnoses and treatments of cases before and after its introduction at one hospital. Between September 2003 and December 2005, 21 consecutive patients with suspected small intestinal bleeding underwent DBE at Tokai University Hospital (group A), and subsequently 2 were excluded from the study after being diagnosed with bleeding from a diverticulum and an angiodysplasia in the ascending colon, respectively. For comparison, inpatients who were negative for gastrointestinal bleeding on colonoscopy and gastroscopy between May 1998 and August 2003 were reviewed and 27 consecutive patients who had not undergone DBE were selected as the control group (group B). All patients had been diagnosed negative for a source of bleeding on more than one colonoscopy and gastroscopy. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, gender, history of blood transfusion, blood hemoglobin value on admission, or symptoms. The diagnostic yield of DBE in identifying the source of bleeding was 78.9%: six cases of small intestinal ulcers, five cases of angiodysplasia, two cases of hard submucosal tumor (SMT), one case of small pulsating SMT, and one case of small intestinal cancer. DBE was also used to successfully treat three cases of angiodysplasia with argon plasma coagulation. In the control group, conventional investigations, including enteroclysis, angiography, Meckel scan, scintigraphy with technetium-labeled red blood cells, and/or push enteroscopy, were performed in 88.9%, 29.6%, 29.6%, 55.6%, and 25.9%, respectively. The overall diagnostic yield of the conventional approaches was only 11.1% (P < 0.01), comprising a Meckel's diverticulum, a polyp, and an angiodysplasia. We conclude that DBE can be used to diagnose suspected small intestinal bleeding and to treat some cases, such as angiodysplasia.     

IgG4-Related Disease and Hypertrophic Pachymeningitis

Hypertrophic pachymeningitis (HP) is an inflammatory condition in which the dura mater of the cranium or spine becomes thickened, leading to symptoms that result from mass effect, nerve compression, or vascular compromise. The differential diagnosis of HP includes immune-mediated conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and vasculitis, malignancies, and infections. Many times, no diagnosis is reached; in such cases, the disease has been described as idiopathic HP. IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently described inflammatory condition known to cause tumefactive lesions at myriad anatomical locations. Both IgG4-RD and idiopathic HP share similar demographics, histopathology, and natural history. We hypothesized that IgG4-RD is a common cause of idiopathic HP.To investigate this hypothesis, we identified all pathology specimens diagnosed as noninfectious HP during 25 years at our institution. Fourteen cases had stained slides and paraffin blocks to permit review of the original hematoxylin and eosin stained slides as well as immunostaining of cell blocks. Recently published consensus guidelines describing characteristic histopathology and the necessary quantity of IgG4+ plasma cell infiltrate were used to diagnose IgG4-RD.Four cases (66.6%) that had been regarded previously as representing idiopathic HP were diagnosed as IgG4-RD; of all the reviewed cases, IgG4-RD represented 29% of cases. Of the remaining cases, 3 cases were associated with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), 2 with lymphoma, and 1 each with rheumatoid arthritis, giant cell arteritis, and sarcoidosis. Two of the cases could not be diagnosed more precisely and were classified as undifferentiated HP. Clinical history, serologic tests, cerebrospinal fluid studies, and radiology alone could not identify the cause of HP. Rather, biopsy with histopathology and immunostaining was necessary to reach an accurate diagnosis. Significant IgG4+ plasma cell infiltrates were observed in rheumatoid arthritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and lymphoma, underscoring the importance of histopathology in making the diagnosis of IgG4-RD.This case series demonstrates that IgG4-RD may be the most common etiology of noninfectious HP and highlights the necessity of biopsy for accurate diagnosis.Abbreviations: ANCA = antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, CNS = central nervous system, CSF = cerebrospinal fluid, CT = computed tomography, GPA = granulomatosis with polyangiitis, HP = hypertrophic pachymeningitis, HPF = high-power field, IgG4-RD = IgG4-related disease, MRI = magnetic resonance imaging, WBC = white blood cell     

双气囊小肠镜对小肠疾病的诊断价值

目的评价双气囊小肠镜对小肠疾病的诊断价值。方法使用Fujinon双气囊小肠镜对我院2011年1月～2012年7月间拟诊小肠疾病的186例患者进行检查。43例患者经口进镜检查,69例患者经肛进镜检查,36例患者经口+经肛进镜检查。镜下可疑病变常规进行组织病理活检。结果 186例双气囊小肠镜检查共发现小肠病变164例,阳性率达88.2%。发现小肠肿瘤性病变28例(炎性息肉14例,间质瘤5例,黄色瘤5例,错构瘤1例,小肠腺癌1例,十二指肠恶性淋巴瘤1例,胃肠息肉病1例)。小肠炎症性病变108例,其中小肠克罗恩病17例,小肠非特异性炎症91例。小肠寄生虫病5例(包括钩虫、鞭虫)。小肠憩室13例,其中确诊小肠Meckels憩室出血1例。小肠外压性狭窄8例。小肠异物2例,均通过小肠镜异物钳成功取出异物。成功行回盲部溃疡出血小肠镜下钛夹止血治疗1例。尚未发生出血、穿孔、胰腺炎等并发症。结论双气囊小肠镜能安全、准确地检查全段小肠,并能对可疑病变取活检,明显提高了诊断的准确性及阳性率,对小肠疾病的诊断有很大应用价值。     

单气囊小肠镜在小肠疾病诊断中的临床应用

背景:小肠镜的应用使观察完整的小肠成为可能,但目前关于单气囊小肠镜诊断小肠疾病的研究尚较少。目的:评价单气囊小肠镜对小肠疾病的诊断价值、安全性和患者耐受性。方法:对2009年2～9月上海新华医院收治的28例疑似小肠疾病患者行单气囊小肠镜检查,分析疾病检出率、操作相关并发症以及患者的耐受性。结果:本组经口进镜者9例,经肛门进镜17例,分别从两端进镜2例。检查操作时间40～100 min,平均(65.0±25.7)min。插管成功率96.4%。20例患者发现阳性病灶,检出率71.4%。所有患者均未发生操作相关并发症,耐受性良好。结论:单气囊小肠镜是一种对小肠疾病诊断价值较高、安全可靠的检查手段。     

Diagnostic Performance of Serum IgG4 Levels in Patients With IgG4-Related Disease

The aim of this study is to study the clinical features and diagnostic performance of IgG4 in Chinese populations with IgG4-related diseases (IgG4-RDs).The medical records of 2901 adult subjects who underwent serum IgG4 level tests conducted between December 2007 and May 2014 were reviewed.Serum concentrations of IgG4 were measured in 2901 cases, including 161 (5.6%) patients with IgG4-RD and 2740 (94.4%) patients without IgG4-RD (non-IgG4-RD group). The mean age of the IgG4-RD patients was 58.4 ± 16.1 years (range: 21–87), and 48 (29.8%) were women. The mean serum IgG4 level was significantly much higher in IgG4-RD patients than in non-IgG4-RD (1062.6 vs 104.3 mg/dL, P < 0.001) participants. For IgG4 >135 mg/dL, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), likelihood ratio (LR)+, and LR− were 86%, 77%, 18%, 99%, 3.70, and 0.19, respectively. When the upper limit of normal was doubled for an IgG4 >270 mg/dL, the corresponding data were 75%, 94%, 43%, 98%, 12.79, and 0.26, respectively. For IgG4 >405 mg/dL (tripling the upper limit of normal), the corresponding data were 62%, 98%, 68%, 98%, 37.00, and 0.39, respectively. When calculated according to the manufacturer''s package insert cutoff (>201 mg/dL) for the diagnosis of IgG4-RD, the corresponding sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, LR+, and LR− were 80%, 89%, 29%, 99%, 7.00, and 0.23, respectively. For IgG4 >402 mg/dL (>2× the upper limit of the normal range), the corresponding data were 62%, 98%, 68%, 98%, 36.21, and 0.39, respectively. For IgG4 >603 mg/dL (>3× the upper limit of the normal range), the corresponding data were 50%, 99%, 84%, 97%, 90.77 and 0.51, respectively. The optimal cutoff value of serum IgG4 (measured by nephelometry using a Siemens BN ProSpec instrument and Siemens reagent) for the diagnosis of IgG4-RD was 248 mg/dL, the sensitivity and specificity were 77.6% and 92.8%, respectively.The present study demonstrated that 2 or 3 times the upper limit of the manufacturer''s reference range of the IgG4 level was a useful marker for the diagnosis of various types of IgG4-RD and the optimal cutoff level was 248 mg/dL.     

Coronary Arteritis and Periaortitis in IgG4-Related Disease

We report an interesting case of coronary arteritis and periaortitis in a 62-year-old man with a history of biopsy-proven IgG4-related pulmonary disease. After 2 years of immune-suppressive therapy, the perivascular tissue surrounding all coronary arteries and the abdominal aorta was significantly attenuated, except that the luminal stenosis was aggravated to 70% in the left anterior descending coronary artery. Treatment with aspirin, atorvastatin, and ezetimibe was added. The patient was discharged under strict lesion surveillance at follow-up.     

双气囊小肠镜诊断小肠克罗恩病的作用

目的 探讨双气囊小肠镜在小肠克罗恩病诊断中的作用.方法 对28例疑有小肠疾病者行双气囊小肠镜检查,分析双气囊小肠镜检查对小肠疾病,尤其是小肠克罗恩病的检出率、诊断准确性、患者依从性和不良反应发生率等.结果 28例中,小肠病变总检出率为71.43%(20/28),小肠克罗恩病检出率为21.43%(6/28),占所有检出病变的30%(6/20).6例双气囊小肠镜检查判断为克罗恩病者中,结合病理、治疗效果和临床随访,6例均确诊为克罗恩病,诊断准确率为100%(6/6).结论 双气囊小肠镜检查是一项针对小肠疾病安全、有效的检查方法 ,是诊断小肠克罗恩病较为理想的方法 .