Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Endoscopes”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 631 records · Page 35Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Endoscopic sphincterotomy in patients with "acalculus" cholangitis associated with juxtapapillary diverticula.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate patients who underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy for "acalculus" cholangitis associated with juxtapapillary diverticula. METHODOLOGY: In a retrospective study we analyzed 87 patients who underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy for cholangitis; the cholangitis considered "acalculus", when outlining the extra- and intrahepatic bile ducts, we could not observe any intraluminal defect or stricture, and during the clearing of the bile ducts with the balloon, after endoscopic sphincterotomy, there was no evidence of stones, fragments of stones or sludge. Patients who had undergone previous endoscopic sphincterotomy, or who had additional pancreatobiliary diseases were excluded from this study. There were 11 patients with "acalculus" cholangitis associated with juxtapapillary diverticula, and sufficient clinical data available for this study. RESULTS: Nine patients presented pain, fever, and jaundice. In two patients diagnosis was established via the test of abnormal liver biochemistry. Seven patients had positive blood cultures and three of them developed confusion and hypotension. Endoscopic sphincterotomy succeeded in all cases; no evidence of stones, fragments of stones or sludge was recorded during the clearing of bile ducts, after endoscopic sphincterotomy, with the balloon. Five patients presented mild post-endoscopic sphincterotomy complications successfully treated. In the follow-up period, from 4 months to 7 years after endoscopic sphincterotomy, none of the patients developed symptoms of cholangitis. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend endoscopic sphincterotomy in patients with "acalculus" cholangitis associated with juxtapapillary diverticula, despite the absence of obvious obstruction, and the possible morbidity which is inherent with an invasive procedure like endoscopic sphincterotomy.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Endoscopic findings and management of dengue patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

There are 100 million cases of dengue infection, 500,000 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever, and 25,000 deaths annually due to dengue worldwide. Gastrointestinal bleeding is the most common type of severe hemorrhage in dengue fever. However, there are no reports about the clinical applications of endoscopic therapy for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGI) in dengue patients. From June 17, 2002 to January 30, 2003, 1,156 patients with confirmed dengue virus infection were treated at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan. We analyzed those patients who had received endoscopic therapy for UGI. The characteristic endoscopic findings, therapeutic courses, and amount of blood component transfused were collected from their charts for statistical analysis. Among the 1,156 dengue patients, 97 (8.4%) had complications of UGI bleeding during hospitalization. The endoscopic findings included hemorrhagic (and/or erosive) gastritis in 67% of the patients, gastric ulcer in 57.7%, duodenal ulcer in 26.8%, and esophageal ulcer in 3.1%. Of the 73 patients with peptic ulcer, 42 (57.5%) met the endoscopic criteria (recent hemorrhage) for endoscopic hemostasis therapy. Peptic ulcer patients with recent hemorrhage required more transfusions with packed red blood cells (P = 0.002) and fresh frozen plasma (P = 0.05) than those without recent hemorrhage. Among these 42 patients with recent hemorrhage, endoscopic injection therapy was conducted in 15 patients (group A). The other 27 patients (group B) did not receive endoscopic therapy. After endoscopy, patients in group A required more transfusions with packed red blood cells (P = 0.03) and fresh frozen plasma (P = 0.014) than did patients in group B. There were no significant differences between groups A and B in duration of hospital stay and amounts of transfused platelet concentrate after endoscopy. Medical treatment with blood transfusion is the mainstay of management of UGI bleeding in dengue patients. Patients having peptic ulcer with recent hemorrhage require more transfusions with packed red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma for management of UGI bleeding than those without recent hemorrhage. However, when peptic ulcer with recent hemorrhage is encountered during the endoscopic procedure, endoscopic injection therapy is not an effective adjuvant treatment of hemostasis in dengue patients with UGI bleeding.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Factors predictive of early complications of endoscopic treatment of bile duct calculi.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Factors associated with an increased early complication rate of the endoscopic sphincterotomy procedure have been identified. Precut or needle knife papillotomy has been shown to improve the success rate of endoscopic retrograde cholangiography and endoscopic sphincterotomy, but has often been reported to be hazardous. In order to identify patients with bile duct stones at risk for a complicated course in connection with endoscopic clearance of the calculi, factors predictive of early complications were sought. METHODOLOGY: 417 consecutive patients with bile duct calculi at endoscopic retrograde cholangiography were considered for endoscopic treatment in our department from 1981 to 1992. Endoscopic sphincterotomy was performed in 246 patients with intact gallbladders and in 147 with prior cholecystectomy, 55 of whom had retained calculi. RESULTS: There was a 9.4% overall and 7.1% major early complication rate of the EST procedure and a 30-day mortality of 0.5% (2 patients, non-procedure related). In 22% (6/27) of the patients with major complications, surgery was required or preferred to additional endoscopic measures. Complete stone removal failed in 35/393 patients (8.9%). The immediate and early complication rate of standard sphincterotomy was not found to be increased in patients with prior or present biliopancreatic complications, failed bile duct clearance at first attempt, or juxtapapillary diverticula. It was the same after standard sphincterotomy as after precut papillotomy followed by immediate or delayed sphincterotomy. No increased morbidity was found after failed therapy as compared to failed diagnostic precut papillotomy. There was neither a greater need for, nor an increased complication rate following, precut papillotomy in patients with, as compared to those without, juxtapapillary diverticula. Endoscopic experience did not influence the complication rate. There were no significant differences regarding outcome or risk factors associated morbidity between patients with and without intact gallbladder. CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm that endoscopic treatment is safe and that precut papillotomy can be performed without increased morbidity. Furthermore, none of the commonly identified factors associated with increased morbidity were found to be risk factors in this study.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Endoscopic sphincterotomy for common bile duct stones in younger patients.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Most follow-up studies of patients with common bile duct stones treated with endoscopic sphincterotomy include older patients. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to do a medium-term follow-up of patients under the age of 60 years, who underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy and removal of common bile duct stones. METHODS: Eighty-six (68 women) consecutive patients less than 60 years of age (median age 47 years) were evaluated. The median observation time after endoscopic sphincterotomy was 27.1 months. Complete follow-up was accomplished in 80 patients. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients had undergone cholecystectomy prior to the endoscopic sphincterotomy. Sixty-one patients were discharged after endoscopic sphincterotomy with gallbladder left in situ. Cholecystectomy was not needed in 27 patients, of whom 23 had gallbladder stones. In 13 of 61 patients subsequent elective cholecystectomy was planned at the time of endoscopic sphincterotomy. Recurrent attacks of biliary colic required elective cholecystectomy in another thirteen patients. Acute cholecystectomy was undertaken in eight patients due to acute cholecystitis (n = 4) or biliary colic (n = 4). Seven of eight acute cholecystectomies were performed within 152 days after the endoscopic sphincterotomy. The overall median time until cholecystectomy was 51 days (25-75 percentiles, 23-103 days). CONCLUSIONS: One third of the patients had been cholecystectomized prior to the endoscopic treatment of their common bile duct stones. Nearly half of the young patients discharged after endoscopic sphincterotomy for common bile duct stones with the gallbladder left in situ at the time of endoscopic sphincterotomy managed well without any need for cholecystectomy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Endoscopic sclerosis and esophageal balloon tamponade in acute hemorrhage from esophagogastric varices: a prospective controlled randomized trial.

A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial was performed in 43 consecutive histologically proved cirrhotic patients with endoscopically proved actively bleeding esophageal varices. Twenty-two were randomly selected to have esophageal tamponade with the Sengstaken-Blakemore tube, and 21 were selected to have endoscopic sclerosis of the esophageal wall. The two groups were similar in demographic, clinical and laboratory data. Bleeding was controlled by the Sengstaken-Blakemore tube in 16 of 22 patients (73%) and by endoscopic sclerosis in 20 of 21 (95%). Among those controlled by the Sengstaken-Blakemore tube, seven (44%) rebled and three (43%) were again controlled by the Sengstaken-Blakemore tube; in the endoscopic sclerosis group, four (20%) rebled and three (75%) were controlled. Thus, hemorrhage was definitively controlled in 52% of patients and 66% of bleeding episodes in the Sengstaken-Blakemore tube group and in 90% of patients and 92% of bleeding episodes in the endoscopic sclerosis group. The definite control of hemorrhage was significantly better in the endoscopic sclerosis group (p less than 0.01). The Sengstaken-Blakemore tube patients received no definitive therapy after bleeding had been controlled. Within 30 days, six patients (27%) in the Sengstaken-Blakemore tube group had died compared to 2 (10%) in the endoscopic sclerosis group which is statistically significant (p less than 0.01) in favor of endoscopic sclerosis. The frequency of complications was similar in the two groups. Endoscopic sclerosis patients received serial endoscopic sclerosis after bleeding had been stopped during the whole period of follow-up.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2006

Zoom endoscopic monitoring of small bowel allograft rejection.

BACKGROUND: The small bowel has been successfully transplanted in patients with irreversible intestinal failure. This report aims to describe endoscopic monitoring of small bowel rejection. METHODS: A magnification endoscope (zoom endoscope) was used in this study. In the first part of the study (October 1998 to March 2000, 271 endoscopy sessions), the specific endoscopic findings that correlated with rejection were determined. An analysis then was performed on data from the second period (March 2001 to November 2002, 499 sessions) to evaluate the zoom endoscope's accuracy in monitoring rejection. RESULTS: Specific endoscopic findings of rejection found in the first period included background erythema, villous congestion, blunted villous tip, and shortened villous height. When the rejection was successfully treated, endoscopic appearance returned to normal. On the basis of these findings, five endoscopic criteria (villous shortening, villous blunting, background erythema, villous congestion, and mucosal friability) were used to score endoscopic sessions in the second period. Endoscopic diagnosis of rejection was compared with histology. Adult patients showed a sensitivity of 45%, a specificity of 98%, a positive predictive value of 82%, and a negative predictive value of 88%. In pediatric patients, these values were, respectively, 61%, 84%, 57%, and 86%. On 59 distinct occasions (30 in period 1 and 29 in period 2) in which the results were endoscopy negative yet biopsy positive (mild) for rejection, we elected not to treat these rejections on the basis of clinical evaluation, and 58 (98%) resolved without further therapy. CONCLUSIONS: With the use of magnification, endoscopy is a useful tool for monitoring acute rejection in the small bowel allograft.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Endoscopic treatment compared with medical therapy for the prevention of recurrent ulcer hemorrhage in patients with adherent clots.

BACKGROUND: Two recent randomized, controlled trials have demonstrated efficacy for combination endoscopic therapy in the management of bleeding peptic ulcer with adherent clot. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of this technique in a clinical practice setting. METHODS: Medical records of consecutive patients, seen from January 1992 through December 1999, with severe ulcer hemorrhage and non-bleeding adherent clots resistant to target irrigation were reviewed. The decision for combination endoscopic therapy (epinephrine injection, removal of adherent clot, treatment of underlying stigmata) or medical therapy was left to the discretion of the endoscopist. RESULTS: Of 244 patients with adherent clots, 138 (56.6%) had endoscopic therapy and 106 (43.4%) were managed with medical therapy alone. The baseline characteristics of the two groups were similar, except for older age in the endoscopic therapy group. Recurrence of bleeding within 7 days of endoscopy was significantly less frequent in the endoscopic therapy group than the medical therapy group (respectively, 8.7% vs. 27.4%; adjusted odds ratio 0.07 95% CI [0.02, 0.22], p<0.001). Median hospital stay (6.0 vs. 8.0 days; p<0.001), median number of red blood cell transfusions after endoscopy (2.0 vs. 3.0 units; p=0.01), the need for repeat endoscopy (9.4% vs. 26.4%; p<0.001), and recurrent bleeding within 30 days (10.1% vs. 28.3%; p<0.001) were significantly lower in the endoscopic therapy group. In addition, the need for ulcer surgery (5.8% vs. 9.4%; p=0.28) and 30-day mortality (3.6% vs. 7.5%; p=0.18) were lower in the endoscopic therapy group, although these differences were not statistically significant. Endoscopic complications were uncommon (1.4% vs. 0.9%; p=1.00). CONCLUSIONS: Combination endoscopic treatment of ulcers with an adherent clot was associated with a significant reduction in recurrent ulcer hemorrhage compared with medical therapy alone. These findings confirm that the efficacy of combination endoscopic therapy demonstrated in carefully designed, randomized, controlled clinical trials can be reproduced when this technique is applied in a clinical practice setting. However, combination therapy did not significantly reduce the need for ulcer surgery or 30-day mortality.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1997

Minimally invasive surgical staging is superior to endoscopic ultrasound in detecting lymph node metastases in esophageal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Endoscopic ultrasonography is frequently used to locally stage esophageal cancer, but few studies exist to validate its accuracy for lymph node metastases. Our objective was to compare endoscopic ultrasonography with video-assisted thoracoscopic and laparoscopic staging in evaluating lymph node metastases in esophageal cancer. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with potentially resectable esophageal cancer were identified by conventional imaging. Endoscopic ultrasonography was performed followed by laparoscopic and thoracoscopic staging, and locoregional staging was compared. RESULTS: In eight patients endoscopic ultrasonography indicated N0 disease, but laparoscopy and thoracoscopy documented N1 disease in six. In five of 26 (19%) obstruction prevented endoscopic ultrasonography; three had N1 by laparoscopy and thoracoscopy. Thirteen patients had N1 disease according to endoscopic ultrasonography, and 12 of 13 (92%) had N1 disease by laparoscopy and thoracoscopy. The sensitivity and specificity of endoscopic ultrasonography for nodal evaluation were 65% and 66%, respectively. Sensitivity decreased to 44% for lymph node metastases less than 1 cm. No instances of T4 disease were found by surgical staging when endoscopic ultrasonography indicated T3 disease. Endoscopic ultrasonography revealed no distant metastases in any patient, but in four of 26 (15%) laparoscopy identified liver metastases. CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography in the diagnosis of lymph node metastases in esophageal cancer was 65% and only 44% for lymph node metastases less than 1 cm diameter. Laparoscopy and thoracoscopy improved the accuracy of staging lymph node metastases in esophageal cancer and had the advantage of evaluating the thoracic and abdominal cavities for metastases.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2000

Endoscopic conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy with Jones tube placement.

OBJECTIVE: Conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy (CDCR) with Jones tube placement as described by Jones has traditionally been performed as an "open" or external procedure by means of medial canthal incision. Application of endoscopic technique for CDCR with Jones tube placement has not been well described in the peer-reviewed literature. DESIGN: Retrospective nonrandomized comparative trial. PARTICIPANTS: Ten patients with epiphora secondary to canalicular stenosis. METHODS: A total of 13 consecutive CDCR with Jones tube procedures were reviewed. Five procedures (performed predominantly in the early study period) were done by means of a traditional external approach with a medial canthal incision. Eight procedures were performed with an intranasal endoscopic approach and instrumentation with Jones tube placement under direct endoscopic visualization. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Total operative time, estimated blood lost, intraoperative, and postoperative complications and need for secondary surgery were evaluated. RESULTS: All procedures were successfully completed with no intraoperative complications. Average operative time was 59 minutes in the endoscopic group and 74 minutes in the external group. Average blood loss was 3.5 ml and 4.4 ml in the endoscopic and external groups, respectively. Postoperative adjustment of tube size or position (performed as an office procedure with topical/local anesthesia) was common: five of eight endoscopic and three of five external approach. Two patients in the endoscopic group required secondary surgery for anatomic reasons. Ultimately, all cases in both groups demonstrated patent, retained Jones tubes and relief of epiphora. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic technique appears to be a reasonable approach for CDCR with Jones tube placement. Operative time and blood loss were comparable in the two groups, with the endoscopic group being slightly lower for each variable. Endoscopic Jones tube placement can be accomplished with readily available instrumentation. In this series, we did not find it necessary to use laser, radiofrequency, or monopolar devices for intranasal hemostasis.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Endoscopic therapy of adenomas of the papilla of Vater. A retrospective analysis with long-term follow-up.

AIMS: To compare the efficacy and the complication rate between endoscopic snare resection of adenomas of Vater's papilla and endoscopic palliation. METHODS: In a retrospective, non randomized manner, we compared long-term results of our endoscopic strategies in 36 patients with histologically confirmed adenoma of Vater's papilla submitted either to local endoscopic snare resection (n=18) or to simple endoscopic palliation (n= 18), respectively. RESULTS: Between 1985 and 1998 results were reviewed. Median age was 76.5 (range 42-89) years in the palliation, and 64.0 (23-89) years in the endoscopic snare resection group. Median duration of follow-up was 33 (6-135) and 75.0 (27-123) months, respectively. The incidence of adenocarcinoma of Vater's papilla was 1 per 52.8 patient-years after endoscopic snare resection and 1 per 15.5 patient-years in the group treated with endoscopic palliation. Compared to the results of endoscopic palliation (prosthesis, sphincterotomy), we found a significant reduction of carcinoma-related death (p=0.0045, McNemar) and adenoma carcinoma-sequence (p=0.007, McNemar) after snare resection. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective study suggests that complete endoscopic snare resection of adenomas of Vater's papilla will lead to a lower rate of adenoma-carcinoma sequence, to a lower carcinoma-related death rate and probably improves patient survival. These results should be proven prospectively.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2002

Impact of endoscopic ultrasound for evaluation of submucosal lesions in gastrointestinal tract.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasound is widely used following endoscopy for evaluation of suspected submucosal lesions and may guide further management of patients. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A total of 181 consecutive patients with suspected submucosal lesion in the upper gastrointestinal tract were diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound between 1990-97. We evaluated: 1) the potential of endoscopic ultrasound criteria to predict histological type of submucosal lesions in 69 patients with available histology, 2) the ability of endoscopic ultrasound alone or with clinical presentation, to predict malignancy in 86 patients with available histology or follow-up of >12 months. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing 44 gastrointestinal stromal tumours were 95 and 72%, respectively, while 25 miscellaneous lesions were diagnosed correctly in only 56% by endoscopic ultrasound. Diagnosis of malignancy, using any two of three endoscopic ultrasound criteria (heterogeneous echotexture, size >3 cm, irregular margins) showed a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 77%, giving accurate endoscopic ultrasound diagnosis in 16/20 malignant and 51/66 benign submucosal lesion. Heterogeneous echotexture, size >3 cm, and irregular margins showed a relative risk of 7.2, 5.4 and 4.6, respectively, for presence of malignancy. The presence of symptoms, potentially suggesting malignancy (dysphagia, gastrointestinal bleeding, pain and weight loss), had a relative risk of 4.2, however this did not increase the accuracy of diagnosing malignancy based on endoscopic ultrasound criteria alone. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of endoultrasound is high in diagnosing gastrointestinal stromal tumours, which show a significant potential of malignancy. Endoscopic ultrasound morphology appears to be helpful in selection of patients for surgical or conservative treatment. The accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound in differential diagnosis of non-gastrointestinal stromal tumour lesions is limited.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Influence of luminal obstruction on oesophageal cancer staging using endoscopic ultrasonography.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasonography is technically limited in patients with obstructing oesophageal cancers if the endoscope cannot pass beyond the lesion. This problem may be overcome by preliminary endoscopic tumour dilatation, or by the use of narrower calibre 'blind' endoscopic ultrasonographic telescopes or fine-bore endoscopic ultrasonographic miniprobes. These alternatives are either potentially hazardous or time consuming and expensive. The aim of this prospective study was to determine the effect of oesophageal obstruction on the locoregional staging accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography for oesophageal cancer. METHODS: Some 50 patients with oesophageal cancer underwent staging with endoscopic ultrasonography before oesophagectomy and the T and N stage determined by endoscopic ultrasonography was compared with final histology. In 11 cases of luminal obstruction no attempt was made to overcome the blockage and a limited mediastinal scan alone was performed. RESULTS: Malignant obstruction of the oesophagus did not greatly reduce the staging accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography. It correctly assessed local infiltration in all patients with obstruction, and correctly predicted nodal stage in nine of 11 patients. CONCLUSION: Tumours large enough to cause luminal obstruction are nearly all full thickness (T3), and frequently have mediastinal lymph node metastases (N1) at the time of examination. This can usually be detected from limited endoscopic ultrasonography within the mediastinum.

Diagnostic Errors↗
PubMed2003

An endoscopic pancreatic function test with cholecystokinin-octapeptide for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Current pancreatic function tests are cumbersome and unavailable to the clinical gastroenterologist. We have developed a function test that can be modified to a purely endoscopic collection method (ePFT). The aim of this study was to compare the endoscopic and traditional Dreiling tube collection methods. METHODS: Two separate groups of healthy subjects and patients with chronic pancreatitis underwent pancreatic function testing. One group underwent the endoscopic collection method (ePFT). Intravenous cholecystokinin (CCK 40 ng x kg(-1) x h(-1)) was started in preprocedure area. Duodenal fluid was collected with upper endoscope during endoscopy at 30, 40, 50, and 60 minutes during infusion. Another group underwent the traditional Dreiling collection method. Intravenous CCK was started in postprocedure area after endoscopic tube placement. Duodenal fluid was collected at 0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 minutes during infusion. Lipase concentration was determined (IU/L) on laboratory autoanalyzer. RESULTS: Seventy-three patients were studied. Thirty-four underwent endoscopic collection and 39 underwent Dreiling collection. The mean peak lipase concentrations (+/- standard deviation) for healthy subjects and patients with chronic pancreatitis in the endoscopic collection method group were 1612500 +/- 556152 IU/L and 369594 +/- 281624 IU/L, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean peak lipase concentrations (+/- standard deviation) for healthy subjects and patients with chronic pancreatitis in the Dreiling tube collection method group were 1670324 +/- 786731 IU/L and 478956 +/- 406061 IU/L, respectively (P < 0.001). There was no statistical difference between collection methods at distinguishing healthy subjects and patients with chronic pancreatitis. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) for the endoscopic and Dreiling collection methods were 0.993 (standard error of mean, 0.009) and 0.921 (standard error of mean, 0.041). A lipase concentration cut point of 810600 IU/L distinguishes healthy subjects from patients with chronic pancreatitis with a sensitivity and specificity of 92% and 95%, respectively. The ePFT was safe, short in duration, minimized costs (US dollars 1890 vs. US dollars 2659), required small amounts of fluid for analysis (1-3 mL), and eliminated radiation exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of timed endoscopic aspirations of pancreatic juice after hormonal stimulation can distinguish healthy subjects from patients with chronic pancreatitis. This new endoscopic collection method (ePFT) is less cumbersome and more time efficient, when compared to traditional collection methods. The ePFT broadens the availability of function testing to the practicing clinical gastroenterologist.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Endoscopic fluorescence detection of intraepithelial neoplasia in Barrett's esophagus after oral administration of aminolevulinic acid.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Barrett's esophagus is strongly associated with adenocarcinoma. Early malignant transformation of the Barrett's mucosa is often not visible endoscopically and may remain undetected until the invasive adenocarcinoma stage. Endoscopic surveillance is currently carried out on random four-quadrant biopsies at 1-2 cm intervals. Endoscopic fluorescence detection of protoporphyrin IX induced by 5-aminolevulinic acid can identify premalignant lesions. This study evaluates endoscopic fluorescence detection in patients having Barrett's esophagus and compares the results to those of standard endoscopy with random four-quadrant biopsies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 30 examinations in 28 patients (22 men, 6 women; age range 37-78 years, mean age 60 years,), with five patients having known intraepithelial neoplasia. A dose of 20 mg/kg of 5-aminolevulinic acid was given orally 5 hours before examination. Random four-quadrant biopsies were performed 4-6 weeks before endoscopic fluorescence detection. RESULTS: Of the biopsies taken during the endoscopic fluorescence detection procedure, 28 % (23/81) were true positives. More than one-third of the false-positive results were due to inflammation. None of the 97 control biopsies taken on nonfluorescing areas during endoscopic fluorescence detection were dysplastic. Endoscopic fluorescence detection showed low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia in five patients which was not diagnosed with random four-quadrant biopsies, while random four-quadrant biopsies alone showed three low-grade intraepithelial neoplasias that were invisible during endoscopic fluorescence detection. All high-grade intraepithelial neoplasias or adenocarcinomas (2/2) were detected with both methods. CONCLUSIONS: Fluorescence detection achieved a similar performance when compared with four-quadrant random biopsy, but resulted in fewer biopsies (81 for endoscopic fluorescence detection vs 531 for random four-quadrant biopsies).

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2004

Frequency and costs of echo endoscope repairs: results of a survey of endosonographers.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The need for repair of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) equipment appears to be frequent and expensive. To better quantify the costs associated with echo endoscope failure, a survey of endosonographers was carried out. METHODS: A survey questionnaire concerning echo endoscope damage and repair and consequences of echo endoscope downtime over a 12-month period was sent to members of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy who had cited an interest in EUS. RESULTS: Responses were received from 56 of 138 institutions where EUS was carried out (41 %). A median of 325 EUS procedures had been carried out in the past year and a median of two endosonographers were employed who used an average of three echo endoscopes. Two-thirds of institutions trained fellows. A total of 225 repairs were reported for leaks (47 %), mechanical failures (33 %), images or optics difficulties (26 %), or other problems (1 %). Mechanical radial-scanning echo endoscopes tended to break, on average, after 68 procedures, while curved linear-array echo endoscopes failed after an average of 107 procedures. Echo endoscope failures led to rescheduling of procedures at three-quarters of institutions. Institutions paid an average of $ 10 534 over 12 months for echo endoscope repairs. The average repair cost per procedure was $ 41. There was an inverse relationship between quantity of procedures and the per-procedure repair rate ( P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Direct and indirect costs of echo endoscope repairs are significant. Instrument failures are multifactorial; however instrument complexity, instrument age, and institutional inexperience may contribute to repair costs.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed2006

Endoscopic markers of villous atrophy are not useful for the detection of celiac disease in patients with dyspeptic symptoms.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Celiac disease can manifest with nonspecific symptoms, including functional gastrointestinal disorders such as dyspepsia. The aim of our study was to assess the usefulness of duodenal endoscopic markers of villous atrophy for the selection of dyspeptic patients for histological assessment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed in dyspeptic patients, in patients considered to be at risk of having celiac disease, and in healthy controls. At least three duodenal biopsies were performed for histological assessment of villous atrophy in all patients and controls. We looked for the following four duodenal endoscopic markers of celiac disease: reduction in the number of folds, scalloping of folds, mosaic-pattern mucosa, and nodular mucosa. RESULTS: A total of 175 people were enrolled (75 patients with dyspepsia; 75 patients who were "at risk" of having celiac disease; and 25 healthy volunteers, or "controls"). Of the dyspeptic patients, four had endoscopic markers of celiac disease with no histologically confirmed villous atrophy, while one patient without endoscopic markers was found to have Marsh type I villous atrophy. Of the patients at risk of having celiac disease, 16 had at least one endoscopic marker and 10/16 were found to have histological villous atrophy. In this group, the sensitivity and specificity of the endoscopic markers were 100 % and 90.8 % respectively. "At-risk" patients with two or more endoscopic markers all had histologically confirmed villous atrophy. Neither endoscopic markers nor villous atrophy were found in any of the control patients. CONCLUSIONS: Additional endoscopic markers are valuable for diagnosis in patients with clinical symptoms suggestive of celiac disease. In contrast, endoscopic markers of villous atrophy are not useful for selecting a subgroup of dyspeptic patients for screening for celiac disease by duodenal histological assessment. These patients should be screened using other protocols.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Endoscopy of spinal cord and posterior fossa by a lumbar percutaneous approach: endoscopic anatomy in cadavers.

Endoscopy has a long history and is used extensively today following recent technical improvements. Endoscopy has been used in neurosurgery to examine ventricles, cisterns, and intra-arteries. In this study, we evaluated the possibility of endoscopic examination and treatment in the narrow confines of the subarachnoid space of the spine and the posterior fossa. Endoscopes with external diameters of 0.5, 1.4, and 2.2 mm were used. While the first two endoscopes had rigid tips, the 2.2-mm endoscope had a directable tip. Each endoscope was inserted percutaneously in the lumbar region in five cadavers and was advanced cranially into the posterior fossa under endoscopic monitoring. Arteries, veins and nerve roots upon the surface of the spinal cord could be distinguished readily with all endoscopes. All endoscopes could be inserted under direct observation, avoiding these vessels and nerve roots. Further rostral advancement of the endoscope permitted visualization of the upper spinal cord, cisterna magna at the foramen magnum, and the fourth ventricle. The lower aspect of the cerebellum, the foramen of Magendie, and the cerebral aqueduct could be observed from below. When the endoscope was advanced ventrolaterally, the vertebral artery and lower cranial nerves were observed. From this preliminary cadaver study, endoscopy via lumbar puncture appeared useful for inspection of structures surrounding the spinal cord and posterior fossa, and for some simple treatments.

Cadaver↗
PubMed2000

Endoscopic piecemeal resection with submucosal saline injection of large sessile colorectal polyps.

BACKGROUND: Because endoscopic en bloc resection of large, sessile colorectal polyps is technically difficult, they are usually resected piecemeal. However, piecemeal resection makes it difficult to evaluate the completeness of the resection histopathologically. In this study the efficacy of endoscopic piecemeal resection of large, sessile colorectal polyps was investigated after follow-up greater than 1 year. METHODS: We removed 56 sessile colorectal polyps 2 cm or greater in diameter in 56 patients by using an endoscopic submucosal saline injection technique. Endoscopic examinations were repeated at 3, 6, and 12 months and longer after initial endoscopic resection. If no residual tumor was found endoscopically and histologically, the patient was considered to be "cured." RESULTS: Of the 56 polyps, 14 (25%) were resected en bloc, and 42 (75%) were resected piecemeal. Of the 42 patients treated with piecemeal resection, 23 (55%) required additional endoscopic or surgical interventions. In patients followed 1 year or longer after initial treatment, the cure rate by en bloc resection was 100% (14 of 14) and that by piecemeal resection was 83% (35 of 42). Arterial bleeding occurred in 4 patients (7%) during or after endoscopic resection. In 3 of them, bleeding was stopped by endoscopic clipping, but 1 patient required emergent laparotomy. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic piecemeal resection after submucosal saline injection with an intensive follow-up program is a safe and effective treatment for large, sessile colorectal polyps.

Adult↗