A New Paradigm Shift in Gastroparesis Management

Gastroparesis, once regarded as a rare disease, is difficult to diagnose and challenging to treat; there were many breakthrough advances in the 2010s, shifting the paradigm of the understanding of this complex entity and its management. Similar to diabetes, its increasing prevalence reflects increased accessibility to diagnostic modalities and suggests that gastroparesis was underacknowledged in the past. Major developments in the three main aspects of the disease include the discovery of smooth muscle cells, interstitial cells of Cajal, PDGFRα⁺ cells syncytium, rather than interstitial cells of Cajal alone, as the main gastric pacemaker unit; the development of validated point-of-care diagnostic modalities such as a wireless motility capsule, the carbon 13-labeled breath test, and impedance planimetry; and the introduction of novel minimally invasive therapeutic options such as newer pharmacologic agents and gastric peroral endoscopic pyloromyotomy. All aspects of these advances will be discussed further in this review.     

Bleeding gastric varices： Results of endoscopic injection with cyanoacrylate at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of gastric varices injection with cyanoacrylate in patients with gastric variceal bleeding. METHODS: Twenty-four patients (15 males, 9 females) with gastric variceal bleeding underwent endoscopic treatment with cyanoacrylate injection. Successful hemostasis, rebleeding rate, and complications were retrospectively reviewed. Followed up endoscopy was performed and repeat cyanoacrylate injection was given until gastric varices were obliterated. RESULTS: Seventeen patients achieved definite hemostasis. Of these, 14 patients had primary success after initial endoscopic therapy. Ten patients developed recurrent bleeding. Repeated cyanoacrylate injection stopped rebleeding in three patients. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) was performed to control rebleeding in one patient which occured after repeat endoscopic therapy. Six patients died (three from uncontrolled bleeding, two from sepsis, and one from mesenteric vein thrombosis). Minor complications occurred in 11 patients (six epigastric discomfort and five post injection ulcers). Cyanoacrylate embolism developed in two patients. One of these patients died from mesenteric vein thrombosis. The other had pulmonary embolism which resolved spontaneously. Advanced cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were major risk factors for uncontrolled bleeding. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic treatment for bleeding gastric varices with cyanoacrylate injection is effective for immediate hemostasis. Repeat cyanoacrylate injection has a lower success rate than the initial injection. Cyanoacrylate embolism is not a common serious complication.     

Result of endoscopic biliary drainage in hilar cholangiocarcinoma

Patients with hilar obstruction usually require bilateral biliary drainage. The prognosis of patients who fail bilateral biliary drainage after contrast injection into both intrahepatic ducts is poor due to a high infection rate in the undrained segments. The incidence of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography cholangitis in those with successful bilateral biliary drainage was less, but still significant. Incomplete subsegmental intrahepatic duct drainage is suggested to be responsible for post-biliary drainage cholangitis in cases of advanced hilar tumors. This study was undertaken to determine the incidence of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography cholangitis, jaundice resolution, and stent clogging in different types of malignant biliary obstruction after biliary drainage. From our endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography database, there were 63 patients who underwent endoscopic biliary drainage between September 2000 and November 2001, for malignant biliary obstruction. Sixty-one endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies had biliary drainage performed (2 patients who failed biliary drainage were excluded). We divided our patients into 3 groups: Group 1 = Bismuth I, Group 2 = Bismuth II, and Group 3 = Bismuth III and IV. All but 2 Group 1 patients had successful biliary endoprosthesis (plastic [n = 13], metallic [n = 12], failed [n = 2]) placement into an extrahepatic duct. All patients from Group 2 (n = 10) and 20 patients from Group 3 (n = 26) had successful bilateral biliary drainage. Unilateral biliary drainage was performed in 6 patients from Group 3, each with a plastic endoprosthesis. The incidence of post-biliary drainage cholangitis (new onset of fever >38.5 degrees C with leukocytosis), jaundice resolution (normal bilirubin level), and the duration of endoprosthesis patency were compared among the 3 groups. The incidences of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography cholangitis, jaundice resolution, and the duration of endoprosthesis patency were: Group 1 (4%, 96%, and 87.2 days, respectively), Group 2 (10%, 100%, and 69.1 days, respectively) and Group 3 (57.7%, 73.1%, and 41.3 days, respectively). Of those patients who did not undergo surgery, patients from Group 3 required endoprosthesis exchange sooner than others. The outcome of biliary drainage in patients with advanced hilar tumors (Bismuth III or IV) was poorer than hilar tumor at earlier stages (Bismuth I or II).     

Success rate and cannulation time between precut sphincterotomy and double-guidewire technique in truly difficult biliary cannulation

Background and Aim: Precut sphincterotomy (PS) is usually indicated in failed standard biliary cannulation (BC). PS requires experienced endoscopists, and contains significant risk. Double‐guidewire (DG) cannulation seems to be easier, and might be useful after failed standard BC. We aimed to compare cannulation time, success rate, and complication rates between the two techniques. Methods: Patients who failed standard BC within 10 min by the expert were defined as truly difficult BC and randomized into both groups. In the DG group, the first guidewire was left in the pancreatic duct, and then a catheter, pre‐inserted with another guidewire, was used for the BC. In the PS group, a fistulotomy technique was used. Results: From June 2008 to October 2009, 534 patients underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Forty‐four patients (8.2%) who failed standard BC were randomized into the DG group (n = 23) and the PS group (n = 21). Median cannulation times and success rates in the DG and PS groups were 172 versus 394 s (P < 0.001), and 73.9% versus 80.9% (P = 0.724), respectively. The pancreatitis rate and serum amylase at 24 h in the DG and PS groups were 21.7% versus 14.3% (P = 0.701) and 937 versus 195 mg/dL (P = 0.020), respectively. Two from each group developed mild bleeding. No perforation occurred. Conclusion: In truly difficult BC, the DG technique requires a significant shorter duration for BC, with a comparable success rate to the PS technique. The post‐procedure serum amylase level in the DG group was significantly higher, and there was a trend of more pancreatitis.     

Outcome of second interventions for occluded metallic stents in patients with malignant biliary obstruction

Background  

Although self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) has a longer patency than plastic stent (PS) for malignant biliary obstruction, stent occlusion can occur and drainage has to be reestablished in a patient with expected long survival. However, the choices are still controversial among restenting with SEMS, PS, and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). This study was designed to determine the efficacy and outcome of PS, SEMS, and PTBD for patients with occluded SEMS.     

Topic controversies in the endoscopic management of malignant hilar strictures using metal stent: side‐by‐side versus stent‐in‐stent techniques

Endoscopic management of unresectable hilar malignant biliary stricture (MBS) is currently challenging, and the best approach is still controversial. Liver volume is the key to adequate biliary drainage in hilar MBS and multiple stenting is mandatory to drain over 50% of liver volume in most cases. The self‐expandable metallic stent (SEMS) has shown superior patency to plastic stents in recent reports. There are two methods of multiple stenting for hilar MBS: stent‐in‐stent (SIS) and side‐by‐side (SBS). Advantages of SIS include multiple SEMS placement in one stent caliber at the common bile duct (CBD), which is considered physiologically ideal. The through‐the‐mesh (TTM) technique with guidewires and the SEMS delivery system can be technically difficult in SIS, although the recent development of dedicated SEMSs having a loose portion facilitating the TTM technique makes SIS technically feasible both at stent deployment and re‐interventions. Conversely, the SBS technique, if placed across the papilla, is technically simple at initial placement and re‐intervention at stent occlusion. However, SBS has potential disadvantages of overexpansion of the CBD because of parallel placement of multiple SEMS, which can lead to portal vein thrombosis. Given the limited evidence available, a well‐designed randomized controlled trial comparing these two techniques is warranted.