Amelie Therrien

Importance of Pre-Transplant Colonoscopy in Renal Transplant Recipients

Background Current recommendations for colorectal cancer screening for kidney transplant candidates are the same as for the general population. However, few studies have established the prevalence and characteristics of colorectal polyps in this population. The aim of this study is to describe the prevalence and characteristics of colonic lesions detected by pre-transplant colonoscopies in our kidney transplant population. Methods A retrospective study was conducted from January 2007 to December 2009 at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal (Canada). Inclusion criteria are all renal transplant recipients with a test for colorectal cancer screening in the 5 years preceding the transplantation. Patients benefiting of a second transplantation were excluded. The files were reviewed for clinical data, including colonoscopy indication, endoscopic and pathologic results. Advanced lesions were defined as adenomas of 10 mm or greater or with a villous component. Polyps were considered proximal if they were at the level of or above the splenic angle. Results This study includes 159 patients. A pre-transplant colonoscopy was performed in 40% (n = 64). Polyps were present in 32.8% (n = 21) of colonoscopies and 66.7% of them showed adenomas. Advanced lesions were present in 6.25% of the exams. Finally, 66.7% of patients with polyps had at least one proximal lesion. Conclusions The prevalence of colorectal polyps before transplant is high among renal transplant recipients. The high prevalence of proximal lesions supports the need for total colonoscopy.

Prevalence of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth among Chronic Pancreatitis Patients: A Case-Control Study

Background. Patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) exhibit numerous risk factors for the development of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Objective. To determine the prevalence of SIBO in patients with CP. Methods. Prospective, single-centre case-control study conducted between January and September 2013. Inclusion criteria were age 18 to 75 years and clinical and radiological diagnosis of CP. Exclusion criteria included history of gastric, pancreatic, or intestinal surgery or significant clinical gastroparesis. SIBO was detected using a standard lactulose breath test (LBT). A healthy control group also underwent LBT. Results. Thirty-one patients and 40 controls were included. The patient group was significantly older (53.8 versus 38.7 years; P < 0.01). The proportion of positive LBTs was significantly higher in CP patients (38.7 versus 2.5%: P < 0.01). A trend toward a higher proportion of positive LBTs in women compared with men was observed (66.6 versus 27.3%; P = 0.056). The subgroups with positive and negative LBTs were comparable in demographic and clinical characteristics, use of opiates, pancreatic enzymes replacement therapy (PERT), and severity of symptoms. Conclusion. The prevalence of SIBO detected using LBT was high among patients with CP. There was no association between clinical features and the risk for SIBO.

Alcoholic liver disease is a strong predictor of colorectal polyps in liver transplant recipients

Background and aims  Colorectal cancer (CRC) is associated with a significantly reduced survival rate in transplant recipients. The prevalence and risk factors of CRC and of colorectal polyps after orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) remain unclear. The study aim was to determine the prevalence of colorectal polyps in OLT recipients. A secondary objective was to explore possible risk factors of polyps. Patients and materials  This was a retrospective single center study of all OLT recipients transplanted between 2007 and 2009. All patients who underwent a colonoscopy 5 ± 5 years after OLT were included. The outcome was colorectal polyps, as identified on colonoscopy. A logistic regression model was performed to identify potential predictors of polyps. Results  Of 164 OLT recipients, 80 were included in this study. Polyps were diagnosed in 37 % of patients before transplant and in 33 % afterwards. With regard to post-transplant lesions, 22 % were advanced adenomas or cancerous. In the regression analysis, the odds of post-transplant polyps were 11 times higher in patients with alcoholic liver disease (OR 11.3, 95 %CI 3.2 – 39.4; P  < 0.001). Conclusion  Patients with end-stage liver disease may be at high risk of colorectal polyps before and after liver transplant, and screening should be continued in both contexts. Those with alcoholic liver disease are particularly at risk for post-OLT polyps and may benefit from more intensive screening.

Letter: the coeliac stomach – a significant increase in tissue transglutaminase antibodies is associated with gastritis

SIRS, We read with great interest the article by Lebwohl et al., and the subsequent letter by Banaszkiewicz et al. highlighting a possible association between the presence of gastritis and the severity of villous atrophy in coeliac disease. 2 Some relevant clinical data were missing from these analyses and we believe our results could further the understanding of the ‘coeliac stomach’. Our cohort of newly diagnosed coeliac disease adult patients includes only patients with suggestive duodenal histology with positive tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies analysed at our centre in the 3 months preceding the gastroscopy. As a result of this criterion, included patients had histology compatible with Marsh type 1 to 3c. 4 Of the 186 patients included, 80 had concomitant gastric biopsies (43%) (mean age 47.95 years old s.d. 15.15, 65% female). Interestingly, endoscopic gastric findings were abnormal in only 33.8% with the main finding being mucosal erythema. Like Lebwohl et al., the majority of our coeliac disease cohort had abnormal gastric histology (63.75%). We observed a higher proportion of chronic inactive gastritis (CIG) (31.25%), a similar occurrence of chronic

Langerhans cell histiocytosis presenting as Crohn’s disease: a case report

PurposeWe describe an exceptional case of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) that presented as Crohn’s disease and primary sclerosing cholangitis.MethodsThe patient’s clinical, endoscopic, and histologic data from the Centre Hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal were reviewed, as well as the literature on LCH involving the digestive tract and the liver, with a focus on the similarities with Crohn’s disease and primary sclerosing cholangitis.ResultsA 39 years-old man first presented with anal fissures and deep punctiform colonic ulcers. Histologic assessment of colon biopsies showed chronic active colitis, consistent with Crohn’s disease. Mild cholestasis and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) showing multiple intra and extrahepatic biliary tract strictures also led to a diagnosis of sclerosing cholangitis. Perianal disease progressed despite conventional treatment with antibiotics and infliximab. Subsequent discovery of non-Langerhans cutaneous xanthogranulomas and panhypopituitarism raised the suspicion of LCH, and a second review of colon biopsies ultimately led to the diagnosis, with the identification of Langerhans cells depicting elongated, irregular nuclei with nuclear grooves as well as immunohistochemical reactivity for S100, CD1a and vimentin. BRAF V600E mutation was detected afterwards by DNA sequencing of a bile duct sample.ConclusionLCH may mimic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and must be suspected in the presence of other suggestive clinical signs, or when there is failure of conventional IBD treatment.

Recruitment of Activated Neutrophils Correlates with Disease Severity in Adult Crohn's Disease

Neutrophils are detected in inflamed colon in Crohn’s disease (CD). However, whether the frequency and/or activation of circulating or gut tissue neutrophils correlate with endoscopic severity remains to be investigated. A cohort of 73 CD patients was prospectively enrolled according to endoscopic severity and treatment history. Individuals with active disease were stratified using the Montreal classification. Harvey–Bradshaw Index (HBI) and Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn’s Disease (SES‐CD) were performed at the time of ileocolonoscopy. Frequency of neutrophils and their expression of CD66b and CD64 were assessed in paired blood and colonic biopsies using flow cytometry. The percentage of neutrophils increased in inflamed colon and correlated with SES‐CD in the entire cohort of patients examined, as well as in the subgroup with inflammatory (B1) active disease. SES‐CD further correlated with neutrophil CD66b expression in mucosa but not blood and, conversely, with neutrophil CD64 expression in blood but not mucosa. However, the evaluation of neutrophil activation in mucosa when compared to blood reflected disease activity more clearly. Finally, a neutrophil activation power index (CD66b in mucosa X CD64 in blood) that correlated with SES‐CD discriminated between patients with mild and severe disease. In conclusion, the frequency and activation of colonic neutrophils correlated with SES‐CD, highlighting that mucosal neutrophils are associated with disease severity in CD.