Hideaki Ishigami

Vonoprazan is superior to proton pump inhibitors in healing artificial ulcers of the stomach post-endoscopic submucosal dissection: A propensity score-matching analysis.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are effective at healing artificial ulcers after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastric neoplasms; however, the efficacy of vonoprazan is not completely understood. The aim of the present study was to determine the healing effect of vonoprazan on artificial ulcers post‐gastric ESD relative to PPI.

Heparin-bridging therapy is associated with a high risk of post-polypectomy bleeding regardless of polyp size.

Evidence regarding safety and efficacy of heparin‐bridging therapy for colonoscopic polypectomy remains scarce. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the risk of post‐polypectomy bleeding (PPB) in patients receiving heparin‐bridging therapy.

Endoscopy-Guided Evaluation of Duodenal Mucosal Permeability in Functional Dyspepsia

OBJECTIVES: The pathophysiology of functional dyspepsia (FD) is not fully understood. Impaired duodenal mucosal integrity characterized by increased mucosal permeability and/or low‐grade inflammation was reported as potentially important etiologies. We aimed to determine the utility of a recently developed simple catheterization method to measure mucosal admittance (MA), the inverse of mucosal impedance, for evaluation of duodenal mucosal permeability in patients with FD. METHODS: We conducted two prospective studies. In the first study, duodenal MA of 23 subjects was determined by catheterization during upper endoscopy, and transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) of duodenal biopsy samples in Ussing chambers was measured to assess the correlation between MA and TEER. In the second study, duodenal MA of 21 patients with FD fulfilling the Rome III criteria was compared with that of 23 healthy subjects. RESULTS: The mean MA and TEER values were 367.5±134.7 and 24.5±3.7 Ω cm2, respectively. There was a significant negative correlation between MA and TEER (r=−0.67, P=0.0004, Pearsons correlation coefficient). The mean MA in patients with FD was significantly higher than that in healthy subjects (455.7±137.3 vs. 352.1±66.9, P=0.002, unpaired t‐test). No procedure‐related complications were present. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the presence of increased duodenal mucosal permeability in patients with FD by MA measurement using a simple catheterization method during upper endoscopy.

A randomized controlled trial comparing water exchange and air insufflation during colonoscopy without sedation.

ObjectivesPrevious studies have shown that water exchange is superior to air insufflation in attenuating insertion pain during colonoscopy. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with head-to-head comparison of these methods to assess their effectiveness in colonoscopy without sedation.MethodsA total of 447 outpatients were randomized to either water exchange (WE) or the standard air (CO2) insufflation (AI). The primary outcome was the improvement of patient intraprocedural pain (pain score), evaluated using a questionnaire (scores 1 to 5).ResultsAfter exclusion of 44 patients from further analysis, 403 patients were analyzed. There was no difference in clinical background between the WE and AI groups. Patients in the WE group reported less intraprocedural pain than those in the AI group (2.17 ± 1.06 vs. 2.42 ± 1.03; unpaired t test, p = 0.021). We divided the cases into two groups, more or less painful colonoscopy, based on age, body mass index, use of anti-peristaltic drugs or not, and physician’s experience. In less painful colonoscopy, the WE method could reduce pain effectively but its effect was limited in the more painful group.ConclusionWE is superior to AI for attenuating insertion pain during colonoscopy without sedation, but its efficacy is limited in more painful endoscopy.

Sporadic nonampullary duodenal adenoma/carcinoma is associated with not only colon adenoma/carcinoma but also gastric cancer: association of location of duodenal lesions with comorbid diseases.

Abstract Background. It is well known that in patients with sporadic nonampullary duodenal adenoma/carcinoma (SNADA) with no polyposis syndrome, including familial adenomataous polyposis, the rates of colorectal adenoma/carcinoma are high. However, the prevalence rates of other tumor types, for example, gastric cancer, in SNADA patients remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to analyze the prevalence rate of comorbid diseases in SNADA patients. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed 78 patients with SNADA treated by endoscopic resection between May 2005 and September 2014 at our institution. Results. Overall, 51 of the 78 (65.4%) SNADA patients had comorbid colorectal adenoma/carcinoma. Further, 10 of the 78 (12.8%) SNADA patients had comorbid gastric cancer, and all of them were positive for Helicobacter pylori infection. SNADA lesions were located significantly more frequently at the oral side of the major papilla in patients with H. pylori infection than in those without H. pylori infection (27 of 36 [75.0%] vs. 19 of 42 [45.2%], p = 0.008, chi-square test). In contrast, SNADA lesions were located significantly more frequently at the anal side of the major papilla in patients with colorectal adenoma/carcinoma than in those without colorectal adenoma/carcinoma (27 of 51 [52.9%] vs. 5 of 27 [18.5%], p = 0.003, chi-square test). Conclusion. SNADA patients showed comorbidity with not only colorectal adenoma/carcinoma but also gastric cancer. H. pylori infection is known to cause gastric cancer and may influence tumorigenesis of SNADA lesions at the oral side of the major papilla.

Mesenteric findings of CT enterography are well correlated with the endoscopic severity of Crohn’s disease

BACKGROUND Maintenance of mucosal healing is a primary goal when treating Crohns disease (CD). Endoscopy is the most precise method for the assessment of mucosal healing, but is considered overly invasive for patients with CD. In contrast, CT enterography (CTE) is less invasive, but little is known about the correlation between mucosal status and CTE parameters. METHODS We recruited CD patients who underwent CTE and double balloon endoscopy (DBE) on the same day at our hospital between 2012 and 2014. CTE parameters evaluated included bowel-wall thickening, mural hyperenhancement, mural stratification (target sign), submucosal fat deposition, mesenteric hypervascularity (comb sign), increased fat density, mesenteric fibrofatty proliferation, enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes, and stenosis/sacculation. Endoscopic findings were evaluated using the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohns Disease (SES-CD). CTE parameters that were predictive of higher values in the SES-CD were extracted statistically. RESULTS Forty-one patients were recruited, from which 191 intestinal segments were evaluated. Spearmans rank correlation coefficients showed that the majority of CTE values exhibited mild to moderate correlations with SES-CD values. Notably, multiple ordinal logistic regression analysis demonstrated that CTE findings obtained from the mesenteric area, such as mesenteric hypervascularity (comb sign) and enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes, were more critical predictors of endoscopic mucosal ulceration than those obtained from the bowel wall. CONCLUSIONS This study was the first of its kind to assess correlations between CTE values and SES-CD values. Mesenteric findings of CTE, rather than mural findings, were highly correlated with the endoscopically evaluated severity of ulceration.

Cold polypectomy for duodenal adenomas: a prospective clinical trial

Background and study aims Endoscopic resection is effective in treating nonampullary duodenal adenomas but has a high incidence of complications. Cold polypectomy, including cold forceps polypectomy (CFP) and cold snare polypectomy (CSP), is safe and effective in treating colorectal polyps. However, its utility in sporadic nonampullary duodenal adenomas has not been investigated. The purpose of this prospective study was to examine the safety and efficacy of cold polypectomy for sporadic nonampullary duodenal adenomas. Patients and methods Between March 2015 and June 2016, patients who were endoscopically diagnosed with sporadic nonampullary duodenal adenomas up to 6 mm underwent cold polypectomy. Patients with pathologically confirmed adenomas underwent endoscopic biopsy 3 months after resection. The main outcomes of interest were incomplete resection and complications. Results Overall, 39 lesions in 30 patients were removed via cold polypectomy (CFP, 9 lesions in 8 patients; CSP, 30 lesions in 22 patients). Seven of 9 (77.8 %) and 29 of 30 (96.7 %) lesions were removed en bloc via CFP and CSP, respectively. Pathologically, 34 of the 39 lesions (87.2 %) were confirmed as adenomas, and their mean size was 3.9 ± 1.2 mm (range 2 - 6 mm). Of the 34 adenomas, 20 (58.8 %) were R0 resection lesions, of which 3 of 9 (33.3 %) and 17 of 25 (68.0 %) had undergone CFP and CSP, respectively. No delayed bleeding or intraprocedural/delayed perforation was observed. All 30 patients with the 34 pathologically confirmed adenomas underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy 3 months after cold polypectomy, and no morphological or pathological recurrence was identified. Conclusions In this small study, cold polypectomy appeared to be safe and effective in treating diminutive and small sporadic nonampullary duodenal adenomas.(Clinical trial registration number: UMIN000016829).

The Effect of Ineffective Esophageal Motility on Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Background/Aims: Ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) is the most common gastrointestinal motility disorder. Studies have reported that IEM is related to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, the relationship between IEM and GERD remains uncertain. This study aims to clarify this relationship retrospectively. Methods: We analyzed 195 subjects who underwent high-resolution manometry between January 2011 and September 2016. Of these subjects, 72 had normal esophageal motility (NEM) and 26 had IEM. We investigated differences in the clinical characteristics, severity and duration of GERD symptoms, and comorbid extra-esophageal symptoms of the subjects. Comorbid extra-esophageal symptoms were assessed with the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale questionnaire. Investigation-defined GERD was diagnosed when erosive esophagitis or abnormal multichannel intraluminal impedance was present. Results: We found no significant difference in the prevalence of IEM between patients with and without GERD (37.5 and 21.1%, respectively; p = 0.174). There were no differences in age, gender, body mass index, presence of hiatal hernia, or duration of GERD between the groups. Compared to patients with NEM, those with IEM were significantly less likely to have comorbid extra-esophageal symptoms (p < 0.05). Conclusion: There is no association between IEM and GERD.

Endoscopic-Guided Measurement of Mucosal Admittance can Discriminate Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease from Functional Heartburn

OBJECTIVES: A novel catheter that can measure mucosal admittance (MA), the inverse of impedance, was developed recently. In this pilot study, we aimed to clarify the usefulness of measuring MA for diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS: We conducted two prospective studies. In the first study, esophageal MA was evaluated in 120 participants (24 with erosive esophagitis, 82 with heartburn but non‐erosive esophagitis, and 14 healthy volunteers) and compared with the endoscopic findings. In the second study, multichannel intraluminal impedance combined with pH (MII‐pH) tests was conducted followed by an MA measurement in 33 patients with non‐erosive esophagitis and proton pump inhibitor (PPI)‐refractory heartburn. Based on the MII‐pH test results, patients were divided into GERD or functional heartburn (FH). MA was compared between the GERD and FH groups and also compared with the baseline impedance (BI) and acid exposure time (AET). RESULTS: Median MA at the distal esophagus was significantly higher in patients with erosive esophagitis compared with that in patients with non‐erosive esophagitis and healthy volunteers (46.8, 13.1 and 6.5, respectively, P<0.01). In patients with PPI‐refractory heartburn, the median MA at the distal esophagus was significantly higher in patients with GERD than those with FH (19.3 vs. 7.2, P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between MA and BI, and a positive correlation between MA and AET at the distal esophagus (r=−0.46 and r=0.53, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Real‐time measurement of MA is useful to distinguish GERD from non‐GERD.

A Prospective Study of Eosinophilic Esophagitis and the Expression of Tight Junction Proteins in Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Symptoms

Background/Aims Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is often erroneously diagnosed as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of EoE and the expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins in patients with GERD symptoms. Methods One hundred patients with GERD symptoms and 10 healthy controls were prospectively studied. Sixty-two patients had symptoms refractory to proton pump inhibitors (PPI). All patients underwent esophageal biopsy. Patients were diagnosed with EoE if the number of eosinophil granulocytes per high-power field was ≥15. Immunohistochemical analysis of TJ proteins (claudin-1, claudin-4, occludin, and zonula occludin-1 [ZO-1]) was performed. Results EoE was diagnosed in six of 100 patients (6%) with GERD symptoms and in six patients (9.7%) of 62 patients with PPI-refractory GERD. Only one had typical EoE endoscopic findings. The proportion of ZO-1-positive cells was significantly lower in the lower than in the middle esophagus (56.0%±14.0% vs 66.0%±11.5%, p<0.05). There were no significant correlations between TJ protein expression and GERD symptoms. Conclusions The prevalence of EoE among patients with PPI-refractory GERD is approximately 10%. Regardless of endoscopic findings, esophageal biopsy is crucial in diagnosing EoE. The disruption of ZO-1 expression in the lower esophagus is significantly associated with GERD symptoms.