Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia as a Cause of Anemia in Systemic Sclerosis

We describe a patient with systemic sclerosis (SSc) in whom chronic blood loss from gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) presented a major problem. A 69‐year‐old man, with Raynaud's phenomenon, sclerodactyly, hyperpigmentation on the forehead and nailfold capillary dilatation, required repeated transfusions but still exhibited persistent anemia due to recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding. He did not have cutaneous telangiectasias; neither hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia of Osler–Weber–Rendu disease nor any collagen disease was reported in his family. Gastroendoscopy showed an array of intensely red stripes radiating to the pylorus, resembling the stripes of a watermelon, with oozing hemorrhages. Biopsy samples were taken from this region of the distal gastric antrum and showed foveolar hyperplasia and superficial vascular ectasia, consistent with GAVE. Endoscopic treatment with a heater probe unit was effective in controlling blood loss from GAVE. The patient tolerated the procedure well and there were no resultant complications. Five sessions of treatment resulted in an eradication of almost all the vascular lesions, as well as negative fecal occult blood test results and a marked improvement of anemia without further transfusions. GAVE should be a diagnostic consideration in patients with SSc who develop recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding and anemia.     

Gastroduodenal Vascular Ectasia in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of hemorrhage due to vascular ectasia of the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients with liver cirrhosis and to assess the prevalence in cirrhotic patients without clinically overt gastrointestinal bleeding. Out of 96 cirrhotic patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding, vascular ectasia was diagnosed in 6 patients (6.3%) as the cause of bleeding. These 6 patients had numerous spotty or confluent erythemas consisting of ectatic and tortuous capillaries throughout the antrutn and 4 patients required blood transfusion before diagnostic en-doscopy. Several sessions of endoscopic electrocoagulation resulted in eradication of almost all the abnormal vascular lesions and marked improvement of their anemia without further transfusion. The procedure was well tolerated and no resultant complications were encountered. Among 206 cirrhotic patients without clinically overt gastrointestinal bleeding 25 patients (12.1%) were diagnosed with vascular ectasia. The hemoglobin level was significantly lower in patients with vascular ectasia than those without vascular ectasia but the other features did not differ between the two groups. Vascular ectasia is an important cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and anemia in patients with liver cirrhosis. Endoscopic electrocoagulation may be a safe and effective treatment for controlling blood loss from gastroduodenal vascular ectasia in this subset of patients. (Dig Endosc 1999; 11: 241–245)     

Successful Endoscopic Treatment of Diffuse Antral Vascular Ectasia and Early Gastric Carcinoma in an Aged Patient

Diffuse antral vascular ectasia and a lla type early gastric cancer were detected in an 83-year-old male patient through an endoscopy during treatment for iron deficiency anemia. Monopolar electrocoagulation was effective for eradication of red spots which represented ectatic vessels. Five sessions of the therapy resulted in the ablation of almost all of the vascular lesions, negative fecal occult blood tests and improvement of his anemia. The lla lesion was endoscopically resected from the posterior wall of the upper body. Histologic examination demonstrated well differentiated adenocarcinoma confined to the mucosal layer. Both the vascular ectasia and carcinoma did not show any sign of recurrence after a year and a half.     

Gastric Hyperplastic Polyps after Argon Plasma Coagulation for Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis: A Case Suggesting the “Gastrin Link Theory”

We herein report a case of gastric hyperplastic polyps after argon plasma coagulation (APC) for gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) in the antrum of a 65-year-old man with liver cirrhosis and hypergastrinemia induced by long-term proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use. Two years after APC therapy, endoscopy demonstrated multiple gastric polyps in the antrum and angle. A gastric polyp biopsy indicated foveolar epithelium hyperplasia, which was diagnosed as gastric hyperplastic polyps. One year after switching to an H2 blocker antagonist, endoscopy revealed that the polyps and GAVE had disappeared, with normal gastrin levels suggesting that PPI-induced hypergastrinemia had caused gastric hyperplastic polyps after APC therapy, and the polyps had disappeared after discontinuing PPIs.     

Accuracy of virtual chromoendoscopy in differentiating gastric antral vascular ectasia from portal hypertensive gastropathy: A proof of concept study

BACKGROUNDAccurate detection of gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is critical for proper management of cirrhosis-related gastrointestinal bleeding. However, endoscopic diagnosis of GAVE can be challenging when GAVE overlaps with severe portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG).AIMTo determine the added diagnostic value of virtual chromoendoscopy to high definition white light for real-time endoscopic diagnosis of GAVE and PHG.METHODSWe developed an I-scan virtual chromoendoscopy criteria for diagnosis of GAVE and PHG. We tested our criteria in a cross-sectional cohort of cirrhotic adults with GAVE and PHG when high-definition white light endoscopy (HDWLE) diagnosis was in doubt. We then compared the accuracy of I-scan vs HDWLE alone to histology.RESULTSTwenty-three patients were included in this study (65.2% Caucasians and 60.9% males). Chronic hepatitis C was the predominant cause of cirrhosis (43.5%) and seven adults (30.4%) had confirmed GAVE on histology. I-scan had higher sensitivity (100% vs 85.7%) and specificity (75% vs 62.5%) in diagnosing GAVE compared to HDWLE. This translates into a higher, albeit not statistically significant, accuracy of I-scan in detecting GAVE compared to HDWLE alone (82% vs 70%). I-scan was less likely to lead to an accurate diagnosis of GAVE in patients on dialysis (P < 0.05) and in patients with elevated creatinine (P < 0.05). I-scan had similar accuracy to HDWLE in detecting PHG.CONCLUSIONThis pilot work supports that virtual chromoendoscopy may obviate the need for biopsies when the presence of GAVE is in doubt. Larger studies are needed to assess the impact of virtual chromoendoscopy on success of endoscopic therapy for GAVE.     

肝硬化上消化道出血的时间和季节分布特征

目的了解肝硬化上消化道出血的时间和季节分布特征,为预防和治疗提供理论依据。方法对2003年1月~2005年12月肝硬化上消化道出血的312例住院病例进行回顾性分析,统计胃镜确诊的食管胃底静脉曲张破裂或门脉高压性胃病引起的上消化道出血的时间(为呕血、黑便的时间)和季节,对不同时间段和季节率的比较用χ2检验。结果夜间和晚间出血率明显高于日间(P<0.01),冬春季出血率明显高于夏秋季(P<0.05)。结论肝硬化上消化道出血的时间和季节分布呈规律性变化。     

Efficacy of argon plasma coagulation for gastric antral vascular ectasia associated with chronic liver disease.

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is a rare cause of chronic gastrointestinal bleeding. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between GAVE with cirrhotic patients and liver dysfunction, portal hypertension and the safety and efficacy of argon plasma coagulation (APC) in treating GAVE with cirrhotic patients. Eight cirrhotic patients with the characteristic endoscopic findings of GAVE were registered. In this study, APC was performed for GAVE in all eight patients. The patients-liver function was classified by Child-Pugh classification and classifications were: two class A, five class B and one class C (mean score: 7.8). Five patients had previously received prophylactic endoscopic injection sclerotherapy for esophageal varices and one had esophageal varices. Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO) for gastric varices had been performed in other one patient. Portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) was recognized in only one case. APC was performed in all eight patients and one to three treatment sessions were needed (mean: 1.8 sessions). No complications were observed in the initial treatment. During follow-up, endoscopies revealed the recurrence of GAVE in two patients requiring further treatment by APC (recurrence rate: 25%). After APC treatment, the recurrence of GAVE was not observed with endoscopy in the other six patients. The results suggest that GAVE is related to severe liver damage and portal hypertension in cirrhotic patients. APC is a safe and effective treatment against GAVE.     

Portal hypertension and portal hypertensive gastropathy in patients with liver cirrhosis: a haemodynamic study

BACKGROUND/AIM: The relationships between the levels of portal hypertension and the morphologic alterations of gastric mucosa in patients with liver cirrhosis--generally described as portal hypertensive gastropathy--are poorly defined. PATIENTS: In total, 62 patients with cirrhosis of different aetiologies, were examined by endoscopy and measurement of portal hypertension by hepatic venous pressure gradient. RESULTS: Portal hypertensive gastropathy was observed in 49 cases; six patients showed gastric antral vascular ectasia always associated with gastric lesions described as severe portal hypertensive gastropathy with different localizations. Hepatic venous pressure gradient showed severe portal hypertension in 37 cases, and averaged 17.7 +/- 4.3 mmHg. It was much higher in patients with severe lesions (p=0.0004). Hepatic venous pressure gradient in patients with endoscopic signs of isolated antral gastropathy was lower (p=0.04) than in those with isolated lesions in body-fundus. No relationship was found between hepatic function, as assessed by the Child-Pugh score, and portal hypertensive gastropathy. CONCLUSIONS: The present data suggest that the severity of portal hypertensive gastropathy is related to portal hypertension, but portal hypertension is not the sole determinant of the occurrence of endoscopic abnormalities of gastric mucosa. The derangement of liver function does not appear to play any role in the occurrence of portal hypertensive gastropathy.     

内镜下双极电止血导管治疗胃窦毛细血管扩张症的疗效观察（含视频）

探讨内镜下双极电止血导管治疗胃窦毛细血管扩张症（gastric antral vascular ectasia,GAVE）的可行性及疗效。选择6例2018年1月—2019年12月在宁波大学医学院附属医院确诊为GAVE的患者行内镜下双极电止血导管止血治疗,观察手术情况及治疗效果。6例患者均成功接受内镜下止血术,手术时间25～45 min,平均32 min。5例患者仅予1次内镜下治疗,1例患者予2次内镜下治疗,平均1.17次。无一例出现与内镜治疗相关的并发症。术后随访2～25个月,平均10.8个月,所有患者术后出血控制,血红蛋白稳定,无需反复输血,复查胃镜提示病灶消退满意。内镜下双极电止血导管治疗GAVE安全可行,具有一定的疗效。     

Mucosal miR-3677 is over-expressed in cirrhotic patients with gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE)

Abstract

Introduction: Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is a rare vasculopathy that associates several diseases, most commonly liver cirrhosis. It usually presents as an occult gastrointestinal bleeding leading to profound iron deficiency anemia. We hypothesized that GAVE is local mucosal pathology dependent on genetic mechanisms, and the purpose of the study was to characterize miRNAs expression in gastric tissue of patients with cirrhosis and GAVE.

Materials and methods: Thirteen patients with GAVE and cirrhosis and 35 healthy subjects were recruited. Microarray analysis and comparative microRNA study was done by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The microarray scores were grouped with use of the hierarchical clusterization analysis and miRNA target prediction was done with TargetScan 6.2 algorithm and Gene Ontology analysis (DIANA-miRPath).

Results: Concentration of miR-3677 in GAVE-affected mucosa was higher by 72% in comparison with GAVE-free mucosa of patients with cirrhosis (33.7 vs. 35.6 PCR cycles; p?p?ANGPTL4) gene.

Conclusion: GAVE in liver cirrhosis is associated with increased expression of miR-3667 that may be linked with ANGPTL4 gene.     

The Endoscopic Detection and Treatment of Vascular Ectasia in the Gastrointestinal Tract —A One Year Experience at Karolinska Hospital—

Abstract: Vascular ectasia of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is occasionally seen at diagnostic endoscopy. The therapeutic relevance of these lesions are not always immediately clear. The aim of this study was to review a single institution's experience in the endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of GIT vascular ectasia. In order to identify and determine the characteristics and clinical course of patients with vascular ectasia, records of all adult patients undergoing upper or lower GIT endoscopy between September 1996 and August 1997 were reviewed. During the study period 2547 gastroscopies and 1759 colonoscopies were performed. Eighteen patients (0.7%) were diagnosed with vascular ectasia of the upper GIT and 23 patients (1.6%) the lower GIT. Mean age was 72.7 years and the majority of patients were male. A large percentage of patients had coexisting systemic disease. Anemia without overt GIT bleeding was the presenting clinical sign in 67% of upper GIT and 43% of lower GIT vascular ectasia. Fourteen patients received endoscopic treatment for upper GIT and 18 for lower GIT vascular ectasia. Endoscopic treatment was effective in 12 (86%) and 14 patients (78%) with upper and lower GIT vascular ectasia, respectively. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 12 months. There was only one death in each group, both due to systemic diseases unrelated to vascular ectasia. Vascular ectasia of the GIT is a not infequent cause of upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding and might be occult. Patients are usually elderly with coexisting systemic disease. Multi-modality endoscopic management is the first line of treatment for this condition and seems both effective and safe.     

肝硬化患者胃黏膜前列腺素E2的研究

目的研究肝硬化患者胃黏膜前列腺素E2(PGE2)及意义。方法选取肝硬化患者60例及慢性胃炎、非溃疡性消化不良(NUD)患者各80例,行上消化道内镜检查,取胃窦及胃体各1块黏膜组织,用RIA法检测PGE2含量。结果(1)肝硬化组胃黏膜PGE2含量明显低于慢性胃炎及NUD组。(2)在肝硬化患者中,胃黏膜PGE2含量门脉高压胃病(PHG)组明显低于非PHG组,肝源性溃疡(HU)组亦明显低于非HU组,而与肝功能分级无关。结论(1)肝硬化胃黏膜防御机制减弱。(2)肝硬化胃黏膜PGE2的异常参与PHG及HU的形成。     

Endoscopic argon plasma coagulation for the treatment of gastric antral vascular ectasia (watermelon stomach): long-term results

INTRODUCTION: Gastric antral vascular ectasia is a rare but well-recognised cause of occult gastrointestinal bleeding. Various endoscopic treatments have been tried in this condition. We report our experience with argon plasma coagulation in the treatment of gastric antral vascular ectasia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twelve patients with endoscopically proved gastric antral vascular ectasia were included. All patients received argon plasma coagulation with power of 40 W at a median interval of 4 weeks. The pre-treatment haemoglobin and transfusion requirements were compared with the post-treatment values. RESULTS: There was a sustained increase in mean haemoglobin levels post-treatment. The mean haemoglobin levels pre- and post-treatment were 8.13 +/- 0.70 and 12.2 +/- 0.32 g/dl, respectively (P = 0.008). All patients were anaemic and 58.3% of the patients were transfusion dependent. The mean number of units of blood transfusion in the period 6 months prior to treatment was 11.3 +/- 5.68. Following argon plasma coagulation, the number of transfusions decreased significantly to 1.1 +/- 0.57 units (P = 0.018). No significant procedure-related complications were identified. CONCLUSION: Argon plasma coagulation is a safe and effective alternative to the currently available endoscopic modalities of treatment for gastric antral vascular ectasia.     

肝硬化门静脉高压无创性检测方法的认识与评价

门静脉高压是导致肝硬化患者出现严重并发症和死亡的主要原因之一。肝静脉压力梯度(HVPG)是评价门静脉高压及其严重程度最准确的方法,但因具有创伤性和不适性,故需特别关注肝硬化门静脉高压无创性检测方法。通过血液学指标、超声检查和CT以及胶囊内镜等无创性检查方法,可初步评估代偿期肝硬化患者是否存在食管胃底静脉曲张。上消化道内镜检查是确定食管胃底静脉曲张的金标准。通过上消化道内镜或超声内镜检测食管静脉曲张压力,可判断药物或分流手术降低重度食管静脉曲张压力的疗效。虽然这些无创性检测方法可有效地评估门静脉高压的严重状况,但对轻度门静脉高压评估能力有限,有待进一步完善和提高。     

门静脉高压患者胃静脉曲张的内镜识别和分类

背景：肝硬化门静脉高压的出血原因中，食管和（或）胃静脉曲张破裂出血最为常见。胃静脉曲张的发生率较食管静脉曲张低，但再出血率高，出血量大，死亡率亦较高。尽管如此，胃静脉曲张在临床诊治过程中未受到应有的重视。目的：根据内镜下对食管和胃静脉曲张的识别和分类，了解食管和胃静脉曲张的比例。方法：根据Sarin分类，在内镜直视下将114例门静脉高压患者分为单纯食管静脉曲张、胃食管静脉曲张1型（GOV1型）、胃食管静脉曲张2型（GOV2型）、孤立性胃静脉曲张1型（IGV1型）和孤立性胃静脉曲张2型（IGV2型）五种类型。结果：本组患者中单纯食管静脉曲张42例（36．8％），GOV1型40例（35．1％），GOV2型20例（17．5％），IGV1型12例（10．5％），未见IGV2型。结论：半数门静脉高压患者存在胃静脉曲张，临床工作中仅处理食管静脉曲张是很片面的。须努力开展组织黏合剂、球囊闭塞下逆行经静脉栓塞术（B．RTO）或外科分流等治疗：对有条件的患者应鼓励开展肝移植治疗。