Virtual colonoscopy.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Gregory G Ginsberg.
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BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of agreement among endosonographers for EUS diagnosis of neoplastic versus non-neoplastic pancreatic cystic lesions and the specific type of cystic lesion. METHODS: Videotapes of EUS procedures from 31 consecutive cases of a range of histopathologically proven lesions, including mucinous cystic neoplasm, serous cystadenoma, neuroendocrine tumor, intraductal papillary mucinous tumor, and pseudocyst, were used to make a study videotape, which was reviewed by 8 experienced endosonographers. The reviewers, blinded to clinical and surgical histopathology results, reviewed each case for the presence or absence of the following features: abnormality of pancreatic duct and parenchyma, margins, solid component, debris, and septations. They were asked to identify each lesion as neoplastic or non-neoplastic and to give a specific diagnosis for each lesion. RESULTS: There was fair agreement between endosonographers for diagnosis of neoplastic versus non-neoplastic lesions (kappa = 0.24). Agreement for individual types of lesions was moderately good for serous cystadenomas (kappa = 0.46) but fair for the remainder. Agreement was moderately good for presence or absence of solid component (kappa = 0.43); fair for presence or absence of abnormal pancreatic duct (kappa = 0.29), debris (kappa = 0.21), and septations (kappa = 0.30); and slight for presence or absence of margins (kappa = 0.01) and abnormal pancreatic parenchyma (kappa = 0.01). Accuracy rates of EUS for the diagnosis of neoplastic versus non-neoplastic lesions ranged from 40% to 93%. CONCLUSIONS: There is little more than chance interobserver agreement among experienced endosonographers for diagnosis of neoplastic versus non-neoplastic, specific type, and EUS features of pancreatic cystic lesions.
OBJECTIVES: Biliary casts develop in up to 18% of liver transplant recipients. Casts are associated with morbidity, graft failure, need for retransplantation, and mortality. Proposed etiological mechanisms include acute cellular rejection, ischemia, infection, and biliary obstruction. We aimed to identify clinical features associated with biliary cast formation, review treatments, and analyze the biochemical composition of casts at a single, large, liver transplant center. METHODS: Patient records were reviewed retrospectively to identify patients who developed casts. Data were collected with attention to ischemia, rejection, obstruction, infection, immunosuppression, postoperative biliary drain use, and cast-directed management, and were compared with data from controls. Cast specimens, retrieved at cholangiography, were analyzed with chromatography techniques. RESULTS: Ischemic factors were noted in 70% (7/10) of cast patients versus 15% (6/40) of controls (OR = 13.2; 95% CI = 2.7-66.0; p = 0.001). Biliary strictures were present in 50% of cast patients versus 10% of controls (OR = 9.0; 95% CI = 1.8-45.2; p = 0.01). Differences in cold ischemia time, acute cellular rejection, cyclosporin use, infection, and postoperative biliary drain use were not significant. Casts were successfully treated by endoscopic and percutaneous methods in 60% of patients. One patient died of cast-related complications (mortality 10%). Four casts were in satisfactory condition for biochemical analysis. Bilirubin was the main component ( approximately 10-50%). Bile acid synthesis products and cholesterol comprised smaller percentages, and protein comprised only 5-10%. CONCLUSIONS: Biliary casts are more likely to develop in the setting of hepatic ischemia and biliary strictures. Endoscopic and percutaneous cast extraction might achieve favorable results and should be attempted before surgical therapy.
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EUS is the most accurate tool for local staging of rectal carcinoma. In addition to providing accurate T- and N-stages, EUS allows assessment of the internal and external anal sphincters. Accurate endosonographic staging directs the optimal method of management of rectal carcinoma, type of resection, and candidacy for neoadjuvant therapy. EMR may be applied to large rectal adenomas as an alternative to surgical resection in selected patients. EUS is important in discriminating lesions suitable for EMR.
Ultrasonography has been applied to the diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease for over 20 years. The combination of endoscopy with ultrasound has resulted in the application of intraluminal sonographic imaging to multiple diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease. Initial efforts were focused on the sonographic assessment of disease severity as based on bowel wall thickness, but this has been inconsistently demonstrated. Furthermore, disease severity is a clinical assessment that is based on both clinical and imaging studies. Recognizing that Crohn's disease tends to be transmural and ulcerative colitis a superficial mucosal inflammatory process, hopes were raised that endosonography would be effective in discriminating cases of otherwise indeterminate colitis. Efforts to demonstrate this, however, have been largely disappointing, and EUS plays a limited role in discriminating ulcerative colitis from Crohn's disease. On a more positive note, EUS evaluation of perirectal and perianal complications of Crohn's disease has been demonstrated to be superior to fistulography, CT, and equal to or superior to MRI. Because accurate anatomic information is required to guide surgical therapy of these lesions, EUS has the potential to emerge as a powerful imaging tool in the management of perianorectal Crohn's disease.
BACKGROUND: Premature stent clogging is the major limitation with plastic stents used in the treatment of malignant biliary structures. A pilot study suggested improved duration of patency of the Tannenbaum stent compared with polyethylene stents. The aim of this prospective, multicenter randomized trial was to compare the Tannenbaum Teflon stent with a conventional polyethylene endoprosthesis (Cotton-Leung biliary stent set) for the treatment of malignant biliary strictures. METHODS: Patients over age 18 years with symptoms caused by nonhilar malignant biliary strictures were enrolled. Patients were randomized to receive a 10F Tannenbaum or polyethylene stent after a guidewire was passed beyond the stricture. One hundred six patients (mean age 72 years and 71 years, respectively) were enrolled (54 Tannenbaum, mean age 72 years; 52 polyethylene, mean age 71 years). RESULTS: Tannenbaum and polyethylene stent placement was successful in, respectively, 100% and 96% of procedures without complications. The mean (SD) 90-day stent patency of the Tannenbaum stent was 67% (7%) compared with 73% (7%) for the polyethylene stents. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated no difference in ease of implantation or stent patency between Tannenbaum and polyethylene stents.
BACKGROUND: Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is an alternative to surgery for removal of superficial neoplastic lesions of the GI tract. The aim of this study was to assess the safety, efficacy, and clinical outcomes of EMR. METHODS: Data from consecutive EMR procedures performed by using suction cap-assisted and/or saline solution-assisted snare resection techniques over a 45-month period were reviewed retrospectively. EUS was performed before EMR in the majority of cases. Immediate and delayed complications were recorded. Survival was assessed in patients with carcinoma or high-grade dysplasia on final histopathology in whom EMR achieved complete resection. RESULTS: One hundred one lesions were removed by EMR in 92 patients. Indications were adenoma (67%), high-grade dysplasia (13%), intramucosal carcinoma (11%), and lesions of uncertain histopathology (10%). Locations were esophagus 19%, stomach 14%, duodenum 27%, rectum 12%, and colon 29%. Suction cap-assisted technique was used in 26% and saline solution-assisted polypectomy in 74% of cases. Complete resection was achieved in 89%. For complete resection, 17% required more than 1 session. Post-EMR histopathology was adenoma 47%, high-grade dysplasia 13%, carcinoma 16%, carcinoid 3%, benign 19%, and low-grade dysplasia 3%. EMR resulted in upgrading of histopathologic staging to carcinoma or high-grade dysplasia in 44%. Bleeding was the only complication (early 16, delayed 6). The median cancer-free survival in patients with adenocarcinoma who underwent complete resection by EMR was 27 months (interquartile range: 17-28 months). CONCLUSION: EMR achieves complete resection in a majority of patients but is associated with a higher risk of bleeding compared with standard polypectomy. EMR changes pathologic stage in a significant number of patients. Survival data are encouraging, but long-term follow-up studies are needed.
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BACKGROUND: EUS determination of lymph nodal spread of intestinal cancer based on imaging alone is problematic. A noninvasive, reliable means of determining tumor spread to lymph nodes is desirable. This study investigated the feasibility of a computer-assisted evaluation of lymph nodes detected by EUS in patients with esophageal carcinoma. METHODS: Images were obtained during EUS of esophageal lesions and correlated with histopathologic findings after esophagectomy. Sonographic features of echogenicity, whole-node heterogeneity, and regional variability were assessed by computerized image analysis in patients with benign versus malignant lymphadenopathy. RESULTS: Malignant lymph nodes were hypoechoic compared with benign lymph nodes (p < 0.04). Whole lymph node heterogeneity was increased in malignant lymph nodes (p < 0.004). Regional variability was greater for benign lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the feasibility of a computer-assisted system for analysis of lymph node metastasis in patients with esophageal carcinoma. Further refinements of such a system could increase the accuracy of EUS staging of tumors.
PURPOSE: To determine the diagnostic yield of barium enema examination for neoplastic lesions larger than 1 cm in diameter in the nonvisualized portion of the colon after incomplete colonoscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of computerized gastroenterology and radiology databases identified 355 patients who underwent incomplete colonoscopy; 158 (44.5%) underwent subsequent barium enema examination (125 double-contrast and 33 single-contrast barium enema examinations). The radiographic reports were reviewed and compared with the endoscopic reports by one author to identify neoplastic lesions larger than 1 cm in the nonvisualized colon after incomplete colonoscopy. Six such lesions were found. In all six cases, the images from the barium enema examinations were reviewed together by two authors to determine the size, location, and morphologic features (polypoid, ulcerated, or annular) of the lesions. Medical, endoscopic, and surgical records were subsequently reviewed by one author to determine whether these represented true- or false-positive radiographic findings. RESULTS: Barium enema examination depicted six possible lesions in the nonvisualized colon after incomplete colonoscopy; five were found to be true-positive radiographic findings, and one was found to be a false-positive finding. The five true-positive findings included two annular lesions (both adenocarcinomas) and three polypoid lesions (all tubulovillous adenomas, with high-grade dysplasia in one). Thus, neoplastic lesions larger than 1 cm were found on barium enema images in the nonvisualized colon in five (3.2%) of 158 patients after incomplete colonoscopy. CONCLUSION: Barium enema examination had a diagnostic yield of 3.2% for neoplastic lesions larger than 1 cm in the nonvisualized colon after incomplete colonoscopy.