Anthony Bartley

Multinodular Goiter in children: an important pointer to a germline DICER1 mutation.

Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes (S.R.R., T.J., C.S.Y.C.), Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; School of Pediatrics and Child Health (S.R.R., G.B., T.J., C.S.Y.C.), University of Western Australia; Departments of Pathology (A.C.), and Diagnostic Imaging (A.B., N.P.), Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; Genetic Services of Western Australia (G.B.), Princess Margaret and King Edward Memorial Hospitals; Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases (G.B.), Murdoch University; Telethon Institute for Child Health Research (T.J.), Perth, WA 6008, Australia; (J.R.P.), Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Program in Cancer Genetics, Department of Oncology and Human Genetics (W.D.F.), McGill University, Montreal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada

Randomized Comparison of 3 High-Level Disinfection and Sterilization Procedures for Duodenoscopes

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Duodenoscopes have been implicated in the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO). We compared the frequency of duodenoscope contamination with MDRO or any other bacteria after disinfection or sterilization by 3 different methods. METHODS We performed a single-center prospective randomized study in which duodenoscopes were randomly reprocessed by standard high-level disinfection (sHLD), double high-level disinfection (dHLD), or standard high-level disinfection followed by ethylene oxide gas sterilization (HLD/ETO). Samples were collected from the elevator mechanism and working channel of each duodenoscope and cultured before use. The primary outcome was the proportion of duodenoscopes with an elevator mechanism or working channel culture showing 1 or more MDRO; secondary outcomes included the frequency of duodenoscope contamination with more than 0 and 10 or more colony-forming units (CFU) of aerobic bacterial growth on either sampling location. RESULTS After 3 months of enrollment, the study was closed because of the futility; we did not observe sufficient events to evaluate the primary outcome. Among 541 duodenoscope culture events, 516 were included in the final analysis. No duodenoscope culture in any group was positive for MDRO. Bacterial growth of more than 0 CFU was noted in 16.1% duodenoscopes in the sHLD group, 16.0% in the dHLD group, and 22.5% in the HLD/ETO group (P = .21). Bacterial growth or 10 or more CFU was noted in 2.3% of duodenoscopes in the sHLD group, 4.1% in the dHLD group, and 4.2% in the HLD/ETO group (P = .36). MRDOs were cultured from 3.2% of pre-procedure rectal swabs and 2.5% of duodenal aspirates. CONCLUSIONS In a comparison of duodenoscopes reprocessed by sHLD, dHLD, or HLD/ETO, we found no significant differences between groups for MDRO or bacteria contamination. Enhanced disinfection methods (dHLD or HLD/ETO) did not provide additional protection against contamination. However, insufficient events occurred to assess our primary study end-point. ClinicalTrials.gov no: NCT02611648.

The location of obstruction predicts stent occlusion in malignant gastric outlet obstruction

Background: Gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) can occur with locally invasive or metastatic cancer involving the upper gastrointestinal tract at the pylorus or the duodenum. Endoscopic management with self-expanding metal stents (SEMSs) is often the preferred palliative approach. Stent occlusion is a common reason for failure and reintervention. We set out to determine whether the location of the malignant obstruction is associated with the angulation of the stent and can predict stent occlusion. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent successful duodenal stenting with SEMS for malignant GOO between 2006 and 2015 at a large advanced endoscopy referral center. We determined the location of obstruction, the stent angle, and the rate of technical and clinical success of stent placement. We then identified cases of subsequent stent occlusion confirmed by endoscopic evaluation. Results: A total of 100 consecutive patients were included in the study; 91 of these patients had enough data to evaluate SEMS occlusion. A total of 21 patients (23%) developed stent occlusion with a median time of 39 days. The risk of occlusion sequentially increased as the obstruction occurred more distally from the antrum to the third or fourth portion of the duodenum (p = 0.006). This relationship was maintained after controlling for stent angle (p = 0.05). Conclusions: A distal location of malignant GOO was strongly predictive of stent occlusion, independent of stent angle. This may be due to longer and more complex distal obstructions, along with foreshortening of the stent during placement and tumor infiltration. If replicated, these results will have implications for endoscopic practice and future device development.