In contrast to the acute leukemias, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a hematological malignancy with a generally good prognosis. Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement with CLL is unusual, and GI complications generally occur after malignant transformation to diffuse large cell lymphoma (Richter's syndrome). We present a case of CLL directly infiltrating the gastro-esophageal junction resulting in upper GI hemorrhage. This is only the second such case in the literature. We emphasize the consideration of direct leukemic infiltration in addition to Richter's syndrome in the differential diagnosis of GI bleeding in patients with CLL. Whereas the prognosis of Richter's syndrome is poor, CLL involvement of the GI tract may respond to treatment with chemo- or radiotherapy.

Aged↗

PubMed1995

Torsade de pointes complicating the treatment of bleeding esophageal varices: association with neuroleptics, vasopressin, and electrolyte imbalance.

Torsade de pointes is an unusual life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia that has been associated with vasopressin, neuroleptic drugs, and electrolyte imbalances, including hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia. Over a 9-month period, we observed torsade de pointes in three patients with cirrhosis and bleeding esophageal varices who did not have prior cardiac disease. All had received endoscopic sclerotherapy and continuous infusions of vasopressin and nitroglycerin. For sedation, two patients received haloperidol and one droperidol. In addition, two patients had either hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia. In all three patients, there was prolongation of the electrocardiographic QT interval and a "long-short" initiating sequence followed by ventricular tachycardia with torsade de pointes morphology. All were successfully cardioverted; there was one late death due to aspiration and septicemia. We conclude that cirrhotics with variceal hemorrhage may be at increased risk of developing this arrhythmia in the setting of treatment with vasopressin, sedation with neuroleptic drugs, and electrolyte abnormalities. We urge close monitoring of these patients for cardiac arrhythmia and recommend that neuroleptics be used cautiously, if at all.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Re: Gastrointestinal bleeding from a gastric plasmacytoma.

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Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The difficult-to-place feeding tube: successful endoscopic placement using a mucosal clip.

BACKGROUND: Delivery of enteral feeding beyond the ligament of Treitz is often desirable, as it diminishes enterogastric reflux and potential for pulmonary aspiration of enteral feeding solution. However, standard or fluoroscopically guided techniques often fail. We describe three such cases in which enteral feeding tube placement was achieved endoscopically and secured using an endoscopic clip-fixing device. METHODS: A standard feeding tube attached to a mucosal clip by a silk suture was advanced endoscopically into the small intestine. Using a through-the-endoscope clip-fixing device, the tube was attached to the bowel wall. RESULTS: Three patients underwent the above procedure: a postgastrectomy patient with a functionally obstructed jejunal pouch and a previously failed fluoroscopically guided placement had a nasojejunal feeding tube successfully placed beyond the obstruction: a cancer patient with duodenal obstruction due to SMA syndrome, a surgical gastrostomy, and a previously failed fluoroscopic attempt had a dual lumen pergastrostomy feeding tube placed beyond the obstruction; and a patient with a refractory benign esophageal stricture underwent esophageal dilation followed by successful feeding tube placement into the proximal jejunum. In all patients, the tube functioned well without subsequent occlusion or dislodgement. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic placement of feeding tubes using a clip-fixing device is a useful technique in patients with normal and abnormal anatomy in whom reliable delivery of enteral feeding beyond the ligament of Treitz is desired.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Realities of diagnosing Helicobacter pylori infection in clinical practice: a case for non-invasive indirect methodologies.

BACKGROUND: The current, arbitrarily defined gold standard for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection requires histologic examination of two specially stained antral biopsy specimens. However, routine histology is potentially limited in general clinical practice by both sampling and observer error. The current study was designed to examine the diagnostic performance of invasive and non-invasive H. pylori detection methods that would likely be available in general clinical practice. METHODS: The diagnostic performance of rotating clinical pathology faculty using thiazine staining was compared with that of an expert gastrointestinal pathologist in 38 patients. In situ hybridization stains of adjacent biopsy cuts were also examined by the expert pathologist for further comparison. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate whether the diagnostic performance of the expert pathologist differed depending upon the histologic method employed. A similar analysis was made to evaluate the diagnostic performance of pathology trainees relative to the expert. In the absence of an established invasive gold standard, non-invasive testing methods (rapid serum antibodies, formal Elisa antibodies and carbon-14 urea breath testing) were evaluated in 74 patients by comparison with a gold standard defined using a combination of diagnostic tests. RESULTS: Using either rapid urease testing of biopsy specimens or urea breath testing as the gold standard for comparison, the diagnostic performance of the rotating clinical pathology faculty was inferior to that of the expert gastrointestinal pathologist especially with regard to specificity (e.g., 69 percent for the former versus 88 percent, with the latter relative to rapid urease testing). Although interpretation of in situ hybridization staining by the expert appeared to have an even higher specificity, ROC analysis failed to show a difference. The mean ROC areas for thiazine and in situ hybridization staining for trainee pathologists relative to the expert were 0.88 and 0.94, respectively. In untreated patients, urea breath testing had a sensitivity and specificity of 100 percent as compared with thiazine staining with a sensitivity of 83 percent and a specificity of 97 percent. Post-therapy, breath testing had a sensitivity of 100 percent but a specificity of only 86 percent as compared with invasive testing with a sensitivity and specificity of 100 percent. Rapid serum antibody testing and formal Elisa antibody testing agreed in 93 percent of cases (Kappa 0.78) with the rapid test being correct in three of the four disagreements. CONCLUSIONS: The current study illustrates a number of realities regarding H. pylori diagnosis. There is no diagnostic gold standard in general clinical practice. Accurate interpretation of specially stained slides is a learned activity with a tendency towards overdiagnosis early on. Urea breath testing is likely to be the diagnostic method of choice for untreated patients in general clinical practice although antibody testing is almost as accurate. Rapid antibody tests are at least as accurate as formal Elisa antibody tests. Urea breath testing is useful for confirming cure after therapy, but false-positive results may occur in some patients.

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