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Biomedical subjects

H Neuhaus

Publications and source records attributed to H Neuhaus.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Endoscopic treatment of chronic pancreatitis: a multicenter study of 1000 patients with long-term follow-up.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Endoscopic ductal decompression therapy has become an established method of treating patients with painful obstructive chronic pancreatitis. Smaller series, mostly with a medium-term follow-up period, have reported encouraging results. The present analysis presents long-term follow-up data from a large multicenter patient cohort. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with painful chronic pancreatitis and with ductal obstruction due to either strictures and/or stones treated endoscopically at eight different centers underwent follow-up after 2 - 12 years (mean 4.9 years). The patients' clinical data, the rate of technical success, and complications were recorded from the charts. Follow-up data were prospectively obtained using structured questionnaires; the main parameter for evaluating treatment success was a significant reduction in pain (no pain or only weak pain). RESULTS: Follow-up data were obtained from 1018 of 1211 patients treated (84%) with mainly strictures (47%), stones (18%), or strictures plus stones (32%). At the long-term follow-up, 60% of the patients had their endotherapy completed, 16% were still receiving some form of endoscopic treatment, and 24% had undergone surgery. The long-term success of endotherapy was 86% in the entire group, but only 65% in an intention-to-treat analysis. There were no significant differences between the patient groups with regard to either strictures, stones, or both. Pancreatic function was not positively affected by endoscopic therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic ductal decompression therapy offers relief of pain in two-thirds of the patients when it is used as the only form of treatment. One-quarter of the patients have to undergo surgery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Long-term follow-up of percutaneous transhepatic therapy (PTT) in patients with definite benign anastomotic strictures after hepaticojejunostomy.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Percutaneous transhepatic therapy (PTT) is a promising minimally invasive procedure for benign stenosis of the anastomosis after hepaticojejunostomy. In this prospective study, the effectiveness and safety of this technique were investigated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between October 1995 and May 2000 34 consecutive patients were referred for treatment of symptomatic cholestasis due to anastomotic strictures after hepaticojejunostomy. In all patients percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopic (PTCS) drainage and bougienage of the stenosis up to 16 Fr were performed. Associated bile duct stones were fractured using PTCS laser lithotripsy and removed into the jejunum. Afterwards, patients received transhepatic drainage for 3 months initially. The tubes were replaced in case of persistent strictures every 3 months up to 1 year. Patients in whom treatment failed underwent surgery or received biliary metal stents, depending on risk factors and individual anatomy. RESULTS: The procedure was performed in 34 patients (mean age 57 +/- 15) with cholestasis (alkaline phosphatase 691 +/- 485 U/l, bilirubin level mean 3.2 +/- 3.1 mg/dl). The transhepatic tube was successfully positioned into the right hepatic bile duct (n = 25), into the left (n = 3), or into both (n = 3) after 4 +/- 1 sessions, except in two patients in whom an external drainage was used and another patient in whom the procedure had to be stopped due to a bleeding complication. In 14 patients bile duct stones were successfully treated by PTCS laser lithotripsy before the placement of a transhepatic tube. The 30-day morbidity and mortality rates were 23.5% and 0% respectively. In 23 patients, the transhepatic tube could be removed after 212 +/- 122 days, with no evidence of cholestasis during a further follow-up of 736 +/- 479 days. Four patients received metal stents because of persistent strictures after transhepatic intubation. Surgery had to be performed in a total of five patients, because of recurrent bile duct stones or recurrent strictures, in one patient with previous implantation of a metal stent, and in two patients with bile duct disconnection. Two patients died, one 1.5 years after surgery and one 427 days after metal stent implantation. None of these cases was related to the procedure. In two patients, the transhepatic tube is still in situ. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous transhepatic treatment of anastomotic strictures after hepaticojejunostomy is safe and highly effective in achieving internal biliary drainage. Temporary transhepatic intubation seems to be a promising minimally invasive alternative to surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[Glucagon-secreting malignant neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas].

BACKGROUND: Glucagonoma is a rare pancreatic tumor of islet alpha 2 cells. Fewer than 200 cases have been reported worldwide, with an estimated incidence of 1 in 20 million. In general, the disease is characterized by a well-defined clinical syndrome which typically shows as necrotic migratory erythema of the skin, weight loss, diabetes mellitus, anemia, cheilosis and stomatitis. Since pancreatic glucagonomas are predominantly located in the tail and findings of radiographic or sonographic examination can remain unspecific, patients often present already metastasis when diagnosis is first established. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 67-year-old man with an extended malignant glucagonoma of the pancreas infiltrating already the hilus of the spleen and, additionally, presenting metastatic lesions in the liver and the left adrenal gland. A monohormonal expression of glucagon could be ascertained by serological and immunohistochemical analysis. The special feature of this case is that the tumor was not associated with the characteristic skin rash. CONCLUSION: An unclear migratory erythema combined with diabetes mellitus and stomatitis/cheilosis should lead to the differential diagnosis of glucagonoma. Isolated glucagonomas are very difficult to find out and often diagnosed already presenting metastasis.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMed2000

Long-term outcome in patients with advanced hilar bile duct tumors undergoing palliative endoscopic or percutaneous drainage.

OBJECTIVE: Advanced tumors of the hepatic duct bifurcation (Klatskin tumors) present problems to the endoscopist in deciding which procedure to use for palliative treatment of the resulting cholestasis--endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD), or both. There are technical difficulties with all forms of treatment for stenoses in the hilar region and intrahepatic bile ducts, and there are as yet no clear data on which type of drainage is feasible or preferable. SUBJECTS: 59 consecutive patients (30 men, 29 women; mean age 71 years) underwent palliative treatment for malignant hilar bile duct tumors of Bismuth stages II-IV during a three-year period (1992-94). METHOD: A retrospective analysis was carried out, and long-term follow-up data were obtained from telephone interviews with the patients, relatives, or referring physicians. RESULTS: The 59 patients were treated using ERCP (n = 20) or PTBD (n = 39). Three died within 30 days, and six were lost to follow-up. Clinically adequate drainage was achieved in 78% (n = 46) of the total patient group. Patient survival was a median of six months (range 0.5-38), and was slightly longer when the primary drainage procedure was successful (7.5 months). Initial complications occurred in 11% after ERCP and in 33% after PTBD, with a 30-day mortality of 5%. After the initial intervention, five patients who received ERCP treatment had to be switched to PTBD during the longer-term course. Three of these five patients died within 30 days of the PTBD insertion. CONCLUSIONS: Palliative treatment in patients with advanced Klatskin tumors is still suboptimal, even when combined endoscopic and percutaneous techniques are used in the same institution, allowing treatment to be tailored to the individual patient's needs. There is therefore a need for improvements in existing forms of treatment, as well as for the development of new forms of treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Therapeutic pancreatic endoscopy.

A number of endoscopic interventions have expanded the range of treatment options in symptomatic pancreatic diseases. Early endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) appear to be beneficial in patients with severe acute biliary pancreatitis. Endoscopic pancreatic sphincterotomy can be safely performed with high technical success rates in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Routine additional biliary ES or drainage procedures are not apparently necessary. Stenting can be limited to the treatment of dominant pancreatic duct strictures. In patients with sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, temporary placement of pancreatic stents reduces the morbidity associated with ES. Transpapillary or transmural endoscopic drainage achieves resolution of pancreatic pseudocysts in the majority of selected patients. Drainage procedures with endoscopic ultrasound guidance can potentially expand the indications and reduce the procedure-related morbidity. Therapeutic endoscopy should be considered in symptomatic patients with pancreas divisum, as well as in selected children with pancreatic diseases. Most of the published studies on therapeutic pancreatic endoscopy have been conducted retrospectively. Additional prospective controlled trials are warranted to allow further evaluation of the impact of these methods on the clinical outcome in comparison with alternative treatment strategies.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Heart specific expression of mouse BMP-10 a novel member of the TGF-beta superfamily.

Here we report the cloning and expression of murine BMP-10, a novel member of the TGF-beta superfamily. In the mouse embryo, BMP-10 expression begins at 9.0 d.p.c. and is restricted to the developing heart. Initially, BMP-10 expression localizes to the trabeculated part of the common ventricular chamber and to the bulbus cordis region. After 12.5 d.p.c., additional BMP-10 expression is seen in the atrial wall. The data presented here suggest that BMP-10 plays an important role in trabeculation of the embryonic heart.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Miniscopes.

Various miniscopes are available for cholangioscopy and pancreatoscopy, differing in the size of the external diameter and the instrumentation channel, the angulation system and the optical performance. For the per-oral route, the devices are inserted through a carrier duodenoscope. Ultra-thin instruments can be introduced into the biliopancreatic tract without the need for endoscopic sphincterotomy. Larger and steerable miniscopes are required for target biopsies and the approach to proximal lesions. Percutaneous cholangioscopy is more invasive and should be restricted to cases with a difficult anatomy or intrahepatic biliary disease. These techniques can be useful for the diagnosis of lesions that cannot be differentiated by indirect imaging methods. However, further studies are needed to evaluate their impact on clinical outcome. Controlled trials indicate that cholangioscopic lithotripsy is an effective and rapid alternative to other therapeutic methods for difficult bile duct stones. Mini-endoscopy is restricted to specific centres because of the high costs of the instruments, limited indications and the need for special endoscopic expertise.

Bile Duct Neoplasms↗
PubMed1999

[35-year-old patient with metastasized carcinoid of Vater's ampulla--case report and review of the literature].

We report the case of a 35-year-old female patient with a metastasized carcinoid of the papilla of Vater which is a rare lesion. 96 cases have been published in world literature previously. The carcinoid of the papilla of Vater appears typically as a hormone inactive tumor. It becomes symptomatic by cholestasis and jaundice in most cases and not by carcinoid-syndrome. An association with von Recklinghausen's disease as described in 25% of cases was not given in our patient. In contrast to the duodenal carcinoid there is no linear relationship between primary tumor size and incidence of metastases. The correct diagnosis was proven by histologic and immunohistochemical methods on specimen taken after endoscopic papillotomy. In spite of sensitive diagnostic methods like endosonography and somatostatin-receptor-scintigraphy exact staging was made intraoperatively in this case. Three months after pylorus pancreatoduodenal resection with lymphadenectomy the patient remained well with no evidence of tumor recurrence.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Randomized study of intracorporeal laser lithotripsy versus extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy for difficult bile duct stones.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic treatment modalities are well established for the removal of bile duct stones. For the small percentage of stones that are difficult or impossible to extract by conventional means, more sophisticated endoscopic techniques or associated modalities such as intracorporeal laser lithotripsy (ILL) and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) have to be applied. Little is known, however, about the relative value of these different techniques. We therefore compared endoscopic ILL with ESWL in patients with difficult bile duct stones in a prospective randomized study. METHODS: The study included 60 patients (35 women; mean age 70+/-15 years) with bile duct stones in whom standard extraction failed (n=33) or in whom the papilla was not accessible, thus requiring percutaneous access (n=27). They were randomized to receive ESWL under fluoroscopic targeting (maximum discharge number per session: 6000) or ILL using a pulsed dye laser with an automatic stone recognition system, which was mostly performed (28 of 30 cases) under cholangioscopic control. Endoscopic removal of fragments was attempted within the subsequent (ESWL) or the same (ILL) session. Failure was defined as failure to remove all ductal stones/fragments after a maximum of three lithotripsy sessions. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in background variables between the two groups. Bile duct clearance was achieved in 22 of 30 patients (73%) in the ESWL group and in 29 of 30 patients (97%) in the ILL group (p < 0.05). The number of treatment sessions (ESWL 3.0+/-1.3; ILL 1.2+/-0.4; p < 0.001) and the duration of treatment (ESWL 3.9+/-3.5 days; ILL 0.9+/-2.3 days; p < 0.001) were also significantly different in favor of ILL. Two minor complications occurred in each group; there was no 30-day mortality. Crossover therapy to ILL led to stone removal in seven of the eight cases in which ESWL failed, whereas ESWL fragmented the stone in the single patient in whom ILL failed. CONCLUSIONS: ILL is more effective in the treatment of difficult bile duct stones than ESWL in terms of stone clearance rate and treatment duration.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Validation of the process control system of an automated large scale manufacturing plant.

The validation procedure for the process control system of a plant for the large scale production of human albumin from plasma fractions is described. A validation master plan is developed, defining the system and elements to be validated, the interfaces with other systems with the validation limits, a general validation concept and supporting documentation. Based on this master plan, the validation protocols are developed. For the validation, the system is subdivided into a field level, which is the equipment part, and an automation level. The automation level is further subdivided into sections according to the different software modules. Based on a risk categorization of the modules, the qualification activities are defined. The test scripts for the different qualification levels (installation, operational and performance qualification) are developed according to a previously performed risk analysis.

Computer Systems↗
PubMed1998

Microbiological examinations and in-vitro testing of different antibiotics in therapeutic endoscopy of the biliary system.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Prior to endoscopic therapeutic procedures, no antibiotic prophylaxis is administered routinely. Because of the reported incidence of infectious complications, which may reach up to 10%, a prospective study was undertaken to investigate the effects of a prophylactic dose of cefuroxime on the incidence of bacteremia and clinical signs of infection, but no significant effects could be demonstrated. In addition to this published work, blood and bile cultures obtained in this trial were also investigated, and the in-vitro susceptibility to several antibiotics was tested in order to recommend the appropriate substances. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-nine consecutive patients (51 men, 48 women; mean age 61.4 +/- 17 years) with biliary obstruction who underwent an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography with drainage (PTCD) were included. Sequential blood cultures were taken before and up to 60 minutes after the endoscopic intervention. Bile cultures were obtained in 56 patients with biliary drainage. Aerobic and anaerobic cultures were prepared from all obtained specimens and the isolated organisms were identified. In the case of positive cultures, an in-vitro resistance test for 15 different antibiotics was performed. RESULTS: The incidence of bacteremia was 11.1% (n = 11), and 16 bacteria were isolated. Twelve different microorganisms were detected, with Escherichia coli found in four cases. From 41 positive out of 56 prepared bile cultures (73.2%), 91 isolates were found with 25 different species. A single agent was detected in eight cases (19.5%), while a mixed growth, with pathogens ranging from two to six species, was found in 33 cases (80.5%). The seven most frequently isolated germs were E. coli and Enterococcus (each n = 19), Klebsiella (n = 10), Streptococcus viridans (n = 9), Staphylococcus epidermidis (n = 5), Morganella morganii (n = 4), and Bacteroides fragilis (n = 3), representing 76% of all agents. Examination for fungal infection revealed positive cultures of Candida albicans in 16.1% of bile cultures (nine of 56). Interestingly, the use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), with a consequent rise in the gastric pH value, led to an increase in the rate of bacteremia to 26.2% (five of 19) compared to the other patients not on PPIs (n = 80), who developed bacteremia in only six cases (7.5%; p = 0.02). In-vitro testing of different antibiotics was carried out in 73 isolates. Imipenem showed the best antimicrobial activity (98.4%), followed by trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (90%), amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid (87.3%), vancomycin (82.4%), and ofloxacin (76.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Escherichia coli was found to be the pathogen most frequently detected in blood and bile following endoscopic interventions in the biliary tract. Enterococci, Klebsiella and Streptococcus viridans were found in bile cultures with an incidence exceeding 10%. In view of the in-vitro test results, possible side effects, and contraindications, amoxicillin plus beta-lactamase inhibitors or quinolones are considered to be suitable antibiotics for the prophylaxis of biliary infections.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Use of metal stents in gastroenterology].

A variety of metal stents have been increasingly used for malignant esophageal, biliary and colorectal stenoses. Esophageal self-expandable stents significantly reduce the early morbidity after implantation compared to conventional plastic prostheses. However they offer no benefit in the long-term due to various late complications. Biliary stents offer a significantly longer patency than plastic devices. This advantage is however clinically relevant only for patients with a survival time of more than three months. Preliminary trials indicate promising results for palliation of colorectal stenoses with metal stents in selected cases. Due to a lack of comparative studies the different types of metal stents must be selected on basis of their physical characteristics and clinical experiences. Most of the prostheses are irremovable which is a limitation for use in benign stenoses of the gastrointestinal and biliary tract. In addition metal stents are extremely expensive so that carefully designed trials are warranted for evaluation of the cost-benefit ratio.

Cholestasis↗