Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C J Mulder

Publications and source records attributed to C J Mulder.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Argon plasma coagulation in flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy: pilot experiences.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: In argon plasma coagulation (APC), high-frequency energy is transmitted to tissue by ionized gas, thus reducing contact with the tissue to a minimum. Successful endoscopic APC was initially reported in the palliative treatment of gastrointestinal neoplasms. The main objectives in this pilot study were to evaluate the treatment indications, efficacy and safety of the use of APC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between September 1994 and January 1996, APC was used to treat 125 patients with various forms of gastrointestinal pathology. RESULTS: For local palliative treatment, APC was successfully used alongside snare loop coagulation, dilation, stenting and/or radiotherapy to treat the following conditions: carcinoma of the esophagus: 15 patients, mean number of treatment sessions (MTS) 3.3; gastric carcinoma: 10 patients, MTS 4.9; rectosigmoid carcinoma: seven patients, MTS 2.7; carcinoma of the papilla of Vater: two patients, MTS 1.5. Repeated treatment was also effective for tubulovillous adenoma of the rectum (20 patients, MTS 2.5), stomach (three patients, MTS 2.0), duodenum (two patients, MTS 1.5) and papilla of Vater (two patients, MTS 3.0). In addition, APC proved helpful in coagulating the remaining tissue and achieving hemostasis after polypectomy in the colon (18 patients, MTS 1.2) and in endoscopic treatment of Zenker's diverticulum, for coagulation of the tissue bridge and hemostasis (31 patients, MTS 2.5). Finally, APC was helpful in coagulation of multiple gastric polyps (one patient, one session), hemostasis in superficial ulceration of the duodenal bulb (one patient, one session), after dilation of benign stenoses of anastomoses in the esophagus (one patient, one session) and colon (one patient, one session) and for vascular malformations in the colon (three patients, MTS 1.3), duodenum (one patient, one session), antrum (one patient, two sessions), and watermelon stomach (six patients, MTS 2.8). We recognized signs of perforation in six patients after treatment of Zenker's diverticulum (n = 3), polypectomy in the colon (n = 2) and coagulation of angiodysplasia in the cecum. Laparotomy was carried out in two patients; in one, a perforation was sutured, and in the other no focus of leakage was seen. All six patients recovered without further complications. No complications were observed in any other patients. CONCLUSIONS: These initial experiences indicate that APC seems to be effective in a number of indications, and relatively safe. Objective evaluation, a longer follow-up period, and comparative trials with other treatment modalities should follow.

Adenoma, Villous↗

Dynamic rectal examination: its significant clinical value.

The aim of the present study was to carry out a proper correlation between patients' clinical symptoms and the radiological findings obtained by dynamic rectal examination (DRE). At DRE, the small bowel and in females the vagina are routinely opacified in addition to defecography. A prospective study of 248 consecutive patients (193 women and 55 men, ratio 3.5:1) and 14 control subjects was conducted. The parameters assessed included the anorectal angle, the position of the anorectal junction, and the total movement of the pelvic floor during squeezing and defecation. Anatomical changes as rectoceles, enteroceles and intussusceptions were also observed. Based on the findings, the following conclusions can be drawn. There is no indication for measurement of the central or posterior anorectal angle. There is no indication for measurement of the perineal ascent, perineal descent, and anorectal junction level. Anterior rectoceles occur very frequently in females, and are only of clinical relevance if the patients need digital vaginal support to facilitate defecation. DRE is a sensitive method for diagnosing enteroceles and intussusceptions.

Anal Canal↗

The daily gluten intake in relatives of patients with coeliac disease compared with that of the general Dutch population.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that the amount of gluten intake in populations offers an explanation for differences in the epidemiology of coeliac disease. Investigations into first-degree relatives of coeliac disease patients have often shown that relatives exhibit intermediate features of coeliac disease, possibly due to a low gluten intake. AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of gluten consumption in the general Dutch population for different age and sex groups and for different product groups, and to investigate the daily gluten intake of first-degree relatives of coeliac disease patients. METHODS: Questionnaires concerning the gluten intake of 55 first-degree relatives of coeliac disease patients were analysed. To determine the gluten intake of the general Dutch population, the results of a mass investigation were used. The amount of gluten in the gluten-rich products was estimated by multiplying the amount of vegetable proteins by 0.8. RESULTS: The median daily gluten intake of the relatives was 12.9 g (range: 3.8-31.3). The mean daily gluten intake of the study population in the Netherlands was 1 3.1 g. CONCLUSION: The gluten intake of first-degree relatives of coeliac disease patients was the same as that of the general population. Thus, a low gluten intake apparently does not explain the aspecific presentation and prevalence of coeliac disease in first-degree relatives of coeliac disease patients.

Adolescent↗

No additional value of bismuth subcitrate to combination omeprazole/amoxicillin therapy in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori.

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether addition of bismuth subcitrate (BSC, 4 x 120 mg) to a two week therapy scheme of omeprazole (OME, 2 x 40 mg)/amoxicillin (AMO, 4 x 500 mg) increases Helicobacter pylori eradication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with dyspepsia underwent upper endoscopy. H. pylori positive patients were randomized to treatment A (OME/AMO, 83 patients) or treatment B (OME/AMO/BSC, 84 patients). RESULTS: In 65 patients of group A (78%) H. pylori was eradicated as determined from the histological assessment (Sydney classification) of antrum and corpus biopsies. In comparison, in 68 patients of group B (81%) H. pylori was eradicated (p = NS between groups). H. pylori eradication in both groups was associated similarly with a decrease of inflammation and activity whereas atrophy and intestinal metaplasia were not affected. A positive association was revealed between the decrease of H. pylori score and the decrease of both inflammation and activity scores for antrum as well as corpus biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of BSC to OME/AMO does not increase H. pylori eradication in patients with dyspepsia. Eradication of H. pylori is associated with disappearance of epithelial damage (inflammation and activity) in antral and corpus mucosa.

Adult↗

Hysterectomy: the anorectal pitfall. A guideline for evaluation.

Constipation following routine hysterectomy seems to occur more frequently than originally thought. Treatment depends on whether the patient is referred and to whom. Physical examination seems of limited value. Proper protocols for evaluation of complaints after hysterectomy are mandatory. Colonic transit studies and dynamic rectal examination could be useful. We found an overrepresentation of enteroceles in the hysterectomy group. Management of these abnormalities seems much more complicated than was previously thought. Prospective studies are needed to investigate anorectal disorders after hysterectomy.

Anal Canal↗

Clinical implications of the sugar absorption test: intestinal permeability test to assess mucosal barrier function.

BACKGROUND: Functional integrity as an aspect of the mucosal barrier function of the small bowel can be estimated by the intestinal permeability for macromolecules. In the first part of this paper, an overview of intestinal permeability and its measurement is given. METHODS: In the second part of the paper our own experience with the Sugar Absorption Test using lactulose and mannitol to assess mucosal barrier function of gastric, small and large bowel, respectively, is described. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The Sugar Absorption Test is not recommended as a predictor of NSAID-related upper gastrointestinal damage nor as a marker of disease activity in inflammatory bowel diseases. The Sugar Absorption Test is very useful in screening for small intestinal disease, in assessing the response to treatment, and in predicting the prognosis, especially in coeliac disease. In our opinion, the D-xylose test is obsolete.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗

The value of the D-xylose test compared with the differential sugar absorption test in recognizing coeliac disease.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the value of the differential sugar absorption test (SAT) with the blood and urine D-xylose tests (DXTs and DXTu) in diagnosing coeliac disease (CD) the SAT and the standard DXTs and DXTu were performed in 14 coeliacs with abnormal small bowel histology and in 12 patients with aspecific gastrointestinal complaints. METHODS: In the SAT a solution of lactulose (L) and mannitol (M) was given to the fasting patient after which the L/M ratio was measured in 5 h urine by gas chromatography. In the DXTs and DXTu a solution of 25 g D-xylose was given to the fasting patient and blood was drawn at 0, 30 and 120 min and urine was collected for 5 h, respectively. RESULTS: To measure the power in diagnosing CD of the SAT, DXTs 30 min, DXTs 120 min and DXTu, the test results were plotted in ROC curves and the areas under the curves (AUCs) were calculated. The AUCs were 0.97, 0.77, 0.78 and 0.63, respectively. CONCLUSION: In our opinion, the DXTs and DXTu are no longer useful in the investigation of mucosal function of the small bowel.

Adult↗

Heterogeneous Helicobacter pylori isolates from members of a family with a history of peptic ulcer disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Duodenal ulcer formation in persons infected with Helicobacter pylori correlates with the expression of the cytotoxin-associated gene A (cagA) and the vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA). The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of cagA and VacA variants among H. pylori isolates. METHODS: H. pylori was isolated from 8 members of one family with a history of peptic ulcer disease (PUD). Each strain was characterized by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting. cagA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Southern blotting, and colony hybridization. Viable H. pylori was added to mammalian cells to assess their cytotoxin activity. RESULTS: The RAPD patterns of the 8 patients' strains were similar. Analysis of 10 single colonies from the primary culture plates showed that all but 1 subject harbored multiple H. pylori subtypes. The proportion of cagA-positive colonies on the primary culture plates ranged from 0% to 90% between the isolates from all patients. In addition, the different H. pylori subtypes showed no cytotoxin activity in mammalian cells. CONCLUSIONS: Genotypic comparison of H. pylori isolated from different patients requires analysis of multiple colonies selected from the primary culture plate. In addition, infection by cagA-positive H. pylori in the family members with PUD (subjects 2-8) is consistent with the observed association between cagA positivity and PUD.

Adult↗

Follow-up of treated coeliac patients: sugar absorption test and intestinal biopsies compared.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the sugar absorption test (SAT) during follow-up of patients with coeliac disease on a gluten-free diet (GFD) correlates with improvement of the villous architecture of the small intestine. METHODS: The SAT was performed in coeliacs at diagnosis and during follow-up with GFD. For the SAT, a solution of lactulose (L) and mannitol (M) was given to the fasting patient and the L-M ratio calculated in a 5-hour urine sample by gas chromatography: ratios > 0.089 are considered abnormal. The solution was made hyperosmolar by adding sucrose (1560 mmol/l). RESULTS: The L-M ratio was 2-3 times higher at diagnosis than either at 8 months to 2 years gluten free, or beyond 2 years gluten free, consecutively. The L-M ratio (mean, range) was significantly higher in cases of biopsies with (sub)total villous atrophy (VA) (0.388, 0.062-0.804, n = 28), partial VA (0.240, 0.062-0.841, n = 18) and villous irregularity (0.143, 0.017-0.322, n = 29) than in case of normalized histology after GFD (0.085, 0.021-0.230, n = 19). The rate of normalization of functional integrity was slower in adults than in children, demonstrated by a combination of histology and SAT. CONCLUSION: The SAT correlates well with the degree of VA. It is important for daily clinical practice that the simple and non-invasive SAT can be used as an indicator of intestinal damage, thus influencing need for and timing of intestinal biopsies.

Adolescent↗

Beclomethasone dipropionate (3 mg) versus 5-aminosalicylic acid (2 g) versus the combination of both (3 mg/2 g) as retention enemas in active ulcerative proctitis.

Sixty patients with active distal ulcerative colitis participated in a multicentre randomized double-blind trial to compare the effect of a beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) enema (3 mg/100 ml) with 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) enemas (2 g/ 100 ml) and enemas with a combination of BDP/5-ASA (3 mg/2 g/100 ml). The patients were treated for 4 weeks and the efficacy of the drugs was evaluated by sigmoidoscopy, histology and subjective symptoms after that time. The overall results after 28 days of treatment were: clinical improvement 100% (BDP/5-ASA) vs. 70% (BDP) and 76% (5-ASA); endoscopic improvement 100% (BDP/5-ASA) vs. 75% (BDP) and 71% (5-ASA); histological improvement 95% (BDP/5-ASA) vs. 50% (BDP) and 48% (5-ASA). After 4 weeks of treatment seven of 19 patients (37%) receiving BDP/5-ASA had healed endoscopically, compared with six of 20 receiving BDP (30%) and two of 21 receiving 5-ASA (10%). Two patients on 5-ASA and three on BDP had a marked deterioration during treatment. The combination of BDP and 5-ASA was significantly superior to single-agent therapy in terms of both improved sigmoidoscopic and improved histological score. No differences in improvement between the 5-ASA vs. BDP-treated patients were noticed. No side effects were seen. The results of the study show that topical treatment of active distal ulcerative colitis with either 5-ASA or BDP is equally efficacious. So far, no data on topical combination therapy have been described. However, combination therapy with BDP/5-ASA seems superior to single-agent therapy and causes no adverse reactions.

Adult↗

Lansoprazole 30 mg versus omeprazole 40 mg in the treatment of reflux oesophagitis grade II, III and IVa (a Dutch multicentre trial). Dutch Study Group.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy and safety of lansoprazole 30 mg daily (LAN30) and omeprazole 40 mg daily (OME40) in the treatment of moderate (Savary-Miller grade II) as well as severe reflux oesophagitis (grade III/IVa). DESIGN: A double-blind, randomized, multicentre study, involving 211 patients at 29 Dutch hospitals. METHODS: Healing was assessed by endoscopy, performed on admission, after 4 weeks and after 8 weeks if the patient was not healed after 4 weeks. Symptom relief was determined by symptom assessments at the same time points. Safety was evaluated by determining the incidence of adverse events. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in intention-to-treat (ITT) healing rates after 4 weeks (LAN30 87.5%, OME40 80.6%; 95% CI (-4.0; +17.8)) and in the ITT overall healing (LAN30 96.1%, OME40 93.1%; 95% CI (-4.2; +10.2)) rates between the LAN30 and the OME40 group. Relief of reflux-related symptoms at 4 weeks as well as 8 weeks did not differ significantly between the treatment groups. No difference in the incidence of adverse events was observed between the groups. CONCLUSION: Treatment of patients with reflux oesophagitis grade II, III or IVa with LAN30 was as effective as with OME40 with respect to healing as well as symptom relief.

2-Pyridinylmethylsulfinylbenzimidazoles↗

Intestinal permeability in exocrine pancreatic insufficiency due to cystic fibrosis or chronic pancreatitis.

Disturbances of the intestinal integrity, reflected by an increased intestinal permeability, are reported in cystic fibrosis (CF). Controversy exists whether the increased intestinal permeability is due to CF itself or a consequence of the concomitant exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (PI). We measured intestinal permeability by the sugar absorption test in 32 PI patients: 20 CF-PI, 12 nonCF-PI with chronic pancreatitis, and 50 controls. In the sugar absorption test, the lactulose/mannitol ratio is measured in 5-h urine samples after oral ingestion of a solution of lactulose and mannitol, hyperosmolar by the addition of sucrose. The lactulose/mannitol ratio was increased in both CF-PI and nonCF-PI versus controls (p < 0.0001). In CF, the L/M ratio and permeability for lactulose and mannitol did not change by increasing pancreatic enzyme supplementation by 30-50% for 2 wk (p = 0.74, p = 0.97, p = 0.74, respectively) nor by decreasing the osmolarity of the test solution by 75% (p = 0.24, p = 0.10, p = 0.39, respectively). We conclude that an increased intestinal permeability in CF is probably a consequence of PI and is not related to the dose of pancreatic enzyme supplementation nor the osmolarity of the test solution. The increase is due to an increased permeability for lactulose which might point toward a defect in the tight junctions of the villi and/or crypts. The cause of the increased intestinal permeability in the presence of PI is still unclear. An increased intestinal permeability points toward an impaired functional integrity of the small bowel, which may contribute to gastrointestinal dysfunction in CF.

Adolescent↗

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG): comparison of push and pull methods and evaluation of antibiotic prophylaxis.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Infection of the gastrostomy opening after placement of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) catheter has been reported to occur quite often, especially when the pull method is used. We therefore compared complications occurring with the pull and push methods, and evaluated the role of antibiotic prophylaxis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective study, 100 consecutive patients were randomly assigned to group A (pull plus antibiotic prophylaxis: amoxycillin-clavulanic acid 3 x 1.2 g i.v. over 24 hours; 37 patients), group B (pull without antibiotic prophylaxis; 34 patients) and group C (push without antibiotic prophylaxis; 29 patients). The indications for PEG placement were dysphagia due to oropharyngeal tumors (56%), neurological disease (32%), or other (12%). Patients were evaluated twice weekly for one month after the PEG placement. RESULTS: PEG catheters were successfully placed in 96% of the patients. The total procedure-related complication rate was significantly lower in group A than in groups B and C (28%, 58%, and 70%, respectively; p < 0.01). Major complications occurred in one patient in group A (seeding metastasis of a hypopharyngeal carcinoma in the gastrostomy tract), and in four patients in group B (three cases of peritonitis and one aspiration, resulting in two deaths), but in none of the group C patients. Group A patients experienced fewer peristomal infections than the other two groups (14%, 30%, and 41%, respectively: p = 0.05). The risk of peristomal pain was similar (11%, 15%, and 11%, respectively; p = n.s.). In three patients in group C, the PEG catheter had to be replaced by the pull method, due to repeated dislocation of the balloon catheter. CONCLUSIONS: The complication rate with PEG placement is high with both the push and pull methods. The complication rate with the pull method is significantly reduced when antibiotic prophylaxis is used.

Aged↗

Flexible endoscopic treatment of Zenker's diverticulum: a new approach.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: In the past, a number of treatment modalities have been used for the management of a Zenker's diverticulum. These include transcervical diverticulectomy, myotomy, or laser or diathermy treatment via rigid endoscopes. Up to the present, no reports of the treatment of a Zenker's diverticulum with a flexible endoscope have been published. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, we present the results of our first 20 patients (13 male; mean age 82 years) prospectively treated with a flexible endoscope applied through diathermy. All patients had significant symptoms such as dysphagia, recurrent aspiration pneumonia and/or weight loss. RESULTS: Treatment using a mean of three sessions per patient was successful, with a good symptomatic response in all subjects. There were no severe complications associated with the therapy. Four patients complained about a sore throat for a few days. During follow-up (mean 6-7 months), three patients died due to unrelated causes, and 17 remained asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: An important advantage is that it is possible to perform the treatment without general anesthesia, and therefore also in patients whose general health is poor. The technique can easily be performed in an interventional endoscopy unit. Our first experiences show that flexible endoscopic treatment is an effective and relatively safe method.

Aged↗