M.A. Bianco

Dual therapy versus monotherapy in the endoscopic treatment of high-risk bleeding ulcers: a meta-analysis of controlled trials.

BACKGROUND:There is no definite recommendation on the use of dual endoscopic therapy in patients with severe peptic ulcer bleeding. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to determine whether the use of two endoscopic hemostatic procedures improved patient outcomes compared with monotherapy.METHODS:A search for randomized trials comparing dual therapy (i.e., epinephrine injection plus other injection or thermal or mechanical method) versus monotherapy (injection, thermal, or mechanical alone) was performed between 1990 and 2006. Heterogeneity between studies was tested with χ2 and explained by metaregression analysis.RESULTS:Twenty studies (2,472 patients) met inclusion criteria. Compared with controls, dual endoscopic therapy reduces the risk of recurrent bleeding (OR [odds ratio] 0.59 [0.44–0.80], P = 0.0001) and the risk of emergency surgery (OR 0.66 [0.49–0.89], P = 0.03) and showed a trend toward a reduction in the risk of death (OR 0.68 [0.46–1.02], P = 0.06). Subcategory analysis showed that dual therapy was significantly superior to injection therapy alone for all the outcomes considered, but failed to demonstrate that any combination of treatments is better than either mechanical therapy alone (OR 1.04 [0.45–2.45] for rebleeding, 0.49 [0.50–4.87] for surgery, and 1.28 [0.34–4.86] for death) or thermal therapy alone (OR 0.67 [0.40–1.20] for rebleeding, 0.89 [0.45–1.76] for surgery, and 0.51 [0.24–1.10] for death).CONCLUSIONS:Dual endoscopic therapy proved significantly superior to epinephrine injection alone, but had no advantage over thermal or mechanical monotherapy in improving the outcome of patients with high-risk peptic ulcer bleeding.

Predictive Factors of Mortality From Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage: A Multicenter Study

OBJECTIVES:From an Italian Registry of patients with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH), we assessed the clinical outcomes and explored the roles of clinical, endoscopic, and therapeutic factors on 30-day mortality in a real life setting.METHODS:Prospective analysis of consecutive patients endoscoped for UGIH at 23 community and tertiary care institutions from 2003 to 2004. Covariates and outcomes were defined a priori and 30-day follow-up obtained. Logistic regression analysis identified predictors of mortality.RESULTS:One thousand and twenty patients were included. A total of 46 patients died for an overall 4.5% mortality rate. In all, 85% of deaths were associated with one or more major comorbidity. Sixteen of 46 patients (35%) died within the first 24 h of the onset of bleeding. Of these, eight had been categorized as ASA class 1 or 2 and none of them was operated upon, despite a failure of endoscopic intention to treatment in four. Regression analysis showed advanced age, presence of severe comorbidity, low hemoglobin levels at presentation, and worsening health status as the only independent predictors of 30-day mortality (P < 0.001). The acute use of a PPI exerted a protective effect (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.09–0.73). Recurrent bleeding was low (3.2%). Rebleeders accounted for only 11% of the total patients deceased (OR 3.27, 95% CI 1.5–11.2).CONCLUSIONS:These results indicate that 30-day mortality for nonvariceal bleeding is low. Deaths occurred predominantly in elderly patients with severe comorbidities or those with failure of endoscopic intention to treatment.

Predicting Mortality in Non-Variceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeders: Validation of the Italian PNED Score and Prospective Comparison With the Rockall Score

OBJECTIVES:We sought (i) to validate a new prediction rule of mortality (Progetto Nazionale Emorragia Digestiva (PNED) score) on an independent population with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) and (ii) to compare the accuracy of the Italian PNED score vs. the Rockall score in predicting the risk of death.METHODS:We conducted prospective validation of analysis of consecutive patients with UGIB at 21 hospitals from 2007 to 2008. Outcome measure was 30-day mortality. All the variables used to calculate the Rockall score as well as those identified in the Italian predictive model were considered. Calibration of the model was tested using the χ2 goodness-of-fit and performance characteristics with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the two predictive models.RESULTS:Over a 16-month period, data on 1,360 patients were entered in a national database and analyzed. Peptic ulcer bleeding was recorded in 60.7% of cases. One or more comorbidities were present in 66% of patients. Endoscopic treatment was delivered in all high-risk patients followed by high-dose intravenous proton pump inhibitor in 95% of them. Sixty-six patients died (mortality 4.85%; 3.54–5.75). The PNED score showed a high discriminant capability and was significantly superior to the Rockall score in predicting the risk of death (AUC 0.81 (0.72–0.90) vs. 0.66 (0.60–0.72), P<0.000). Positive likelihood ratio for mortality in patients with a PNED risk score >8 was 16.05.CONCLUSIONS:The Italian 10-point score for the prediction of death was successfully validated in this independent population of patients with non-variceal gastrointestinal bleeding. The PNED score is accurate and superior to the Rockall score. Further external validation at the international level is needed.

Long-term outcome of argon plasma coagulation therapy for bleeding caused by chronic radiation proctopathy

BACKGROUND Radiation-induced proctopathy is a serious complication of radiation therapy for pelvic malignancy. AIM To assess the safety and efficacy of argon plasma coagulation in the treatment of haemorrhagic radiation-induced proctopathy. PATIENTS Twenty-four patients with rectal bleeding due to radiation-induced proctopathy were prospectively enrolled in the study. METHODS Indications for treatment were iron deficiency anaemia (n = 16) and persistent bleeding, despite pharmacotherapy (n = 8). Argon flow and power used were 0.8-1.2 l/min and 40 W, respectively. An interval of at least 4 weeks was allowed between treatment sessions. Haemoglobin level, bleeding severity score, number of admissions and transfusion requirements were recorded after endoscopic coagulation and before 12 and 24 months. RESULTS A median of 2.5 therapeutic sessions per patient were performed (range 1-6). All patients reported clinical improvement and/or cessation of rectal bleeding. The mean value of the bleeding severity score decreased from 2.9 to 0.8 (P < 0.01), while average haemoglobin levels increased by a mean of 1.9 mg/dl at the end of the treatments (P < 0.05). During a minimum follow-up of 24 months (range 24-60), rectal bleeding recurred in two cases and was successfully retreated endoscopically. One patient developed a recto-vaginal fistula. CONCLUSIONS Argon plasma coagulation appears to be a safe and effective technique for management of rectal bleeding caused by radiation-induced proctopathy.

Development and Validation of an Endoscopic Classification of Diverticular Disease of the Colon: The DICA Classification

Background: A validated endoscopic classification of diverticular disease (DD) of the colon is lacking at present. Our aim was to develop a simple endoscopic score of DD: the Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA) score. Methods: The DICA score for DD resulted in the sum of the scores for the extension of diverticulosis, the number of diverticula per region, the presence and type of inflammation, and the presence and type of complications: DICA 1 (≤3), DICA 2 (4-7) and DICA 3 (>7). A comparison with abdominal pain and inflammatory marker expression was also performed. A total of 50 videos of DD patients were reassessed in order to investigate the predictive role of DICA on the outcome of the disease. Results: Overall agreement in using DICA was 0.847 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.812-0.893): 0.878 (95% CI 0.832-0.895) for DICA 1, 0.765 (95% CI 0.735-0.786) for DICA 2 and 0.891 (95% CI 0.845-0.7923) for DICA 3. Intra-observer agreement (kappa) was 0.91 (95% CI 0.886-0.947). A significant correlation was found between the DICA score and C-reactive protein values (p = 0.0001), as well as between the median pain score and the DICA score (p = 0.0001). With respect to the 50 patients retrospectively reassessed, occurrence/recurrence of disease complications was recorded in 29 patients (58%): 10 (34.5%) were classified as DICA 1 and 19 (65.5%) as DICA 2 (p = 0.036). Conclusions: The DICA score is a simple, reproducible, validated and easy-to-use endoscopic scoring system for DD of the colon.

Endoscopic resection for superficial colorectal neoplasia in Italy: a prospective multicentre study

BACKGROUND Since there are few prospective studies on colorectal endoscopic resection to date, we aimed to prospectively assess safety and efficacy of endoscopic resection in a cohort of Italian patients. METHODS Prospective multicentre assessment of resection of sessile polyps or non-polypoid lesions ≥10mm in size or smaller (if depressed). Outcome measures included complete excision, morbidity, mortality, and residual/recurrence at 12 months. RESULTS Overall, 1012 resections in 928 patients were analysed (62.4% sessile polyps, 28.8% laterally spreading tumours, 8.7% depressed non-polypoid lesions). Lesions were prevalent in the proximal colon. En bloc resection was possible in 715/1012 cases (70.7%), whereas piecemeal resection was required in 297 (29.3%). Endoscopically complete excision was achieved in 866 cases (85.6%). Adverse events occurred in 83 (8.2%), and no deaths occurred. Independent predictors of 12-month residual/recurrence were the location of the lesion in the proximal colon (OR 2.22 [95% CI 1.16-4.26]; p=0.015) and piecemeal endoscopic resection (OR 2.76 [95% CI 1.56-4.87]; p=0.0005). Limitations of the study were: potential expertise bias, no data on eligible and potentially resectable excluded lesions, high percentage of lesions<20mm, follow-up limited to 1 year. CONCLUSION In this registry study the endoscopic resection of colorectal lesions was safe and achieved high rates of long-term endoscopic clearance.

Can magnification endoscopy detect residual adenoma after piecemeal resection of large sessile colorectal lesions to guide subsequent treatment? A prospective single-center study.

PURPOSE: This study assesses the ability of magnification endoscopy to detect residual adenomatous tissue after endoscopic piecemeal resection of colorectal polyps and evaluates the impact of the technique on the incidence of recurrence. METHODS: Patients who underwent endoscopic piecemeal resection for large (>2 cm) sessile colorectal polyps were included. After endoscopic piecemeal resection, both the outer resection margins and the central severed area were inspected with magnification endoscopy. Completeness of excision as determined from the magnified surface pattern was compared with that determined histologically. Areas of incomplete resection were treated with additional resection or argon plasma coagulation. RESULTS: A total of 77 lesions were resected. Mean size of the resected lesions was 29 ± 6 mm (range, 23–60). Complications of resection occurred in eight patients (seven had immediate bleeding that was successfully managed with hemoclip application, and one had delayed perforation that was treated surgically). The sensitivity of magnification endoscopy for predicting remnant adenoma at resection margins was 98% (95% confidence interval 90–100); specificity was 90% (95% confidence interval 79–100). Overall accuracy was 94.5% (95% confidence interval 87.2–98.6). On a mean follow-up of 32 months (range, 18–46) the recurrence rate was 2.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Magnification endoscopy is accurate at predicting remnant tissue after endoscopic piecemeal resection of large sessile colorectal polypoid lesions. When applied on both outer margins and inner portions of the severed area, it is helpful as a guide to subsequent further treatment to decrease recurrence.

Appropriateness guidelines and predictive rules to select patients for upper endoscopy: A nationwide multicenter study

OBJECTIVES:Selecting patients appropriately for upper endoscopy (EGD) is crucial for efficient use of endoscopy. The objective of this study was to compare different clinical strategies and statistical methods to select patients for EGD, namely appropriateness guidelines, age and/or alarm features, and multivariate and artificial neural network (ANN) models.METHODS:A nationwide, multicenter, prospective study was undertaken in which consecutive patients referred for EGD during a 1-month period were enrolled. Before EGD, the endoscopist assessed referral appropriateness according to the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) guidelines, also collecting clinical and demographic variables. Outcomes of the study were detection of relevant findings and new diagnosis of malignancy at EGD. The accuracy of the following clinical strategies and predictive rules was compared: (i) ASGE appropriateness guidelines (indicated vs. not indicated), (ii) simplified rule (≥45 years or alarm features vs. <45 years without alarm features), (iii) logistic regression model, and (iv) ANN models.RESULTS:A total of 8,252 patients were enrolled in 57 centers. Overall, 3,803 (46%) relevant findings and 132 (1.6%) new malignancies were detected. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the simplified rule were similar to that of the ASGE guidelines for both relevant findings (82%/26%/0.55 vs. 88%/27%/0.52) and cancer (97%/22%/0.58 vs. 98%/20%/0.58). Both logistic regression and ANN models seemed to be substantially more accurate in predicting new cases of malignancy, with an AUC of 0.82 and 0.87, respectively.CONCLUSIONS:A simple predictive rule based on age and alarm features is similarly effective to the more complex ASGE guidelines in selecting patients for EGD. Regression and ANN models may be useful in identifying a relatively small subgroup of patients at higher risk of cancer.

Detection of Gastric Precancerous Conditions in Daily Clinical Practice: A Nationwide Survey

The burden of gastric precancerous conditions and factors associated with their detection have not been fully investigated in community‐based settings. Little is known about adherence to Sydney system for histopathology of gastric biopsies.

Successful endoscopic treatment of Bouveret's syndrome by mechanical lithotripsy

Gastric outlet obstruction secondary to the impaction of large biliary stones into the duodenum (Bouverets syndrome) is a well-known complication of biliary lithiasis, most often requiring surgical intervention. We report a case of successful endoscopic removal of a large stone impacted in the duodenal bulb by means of mechanical lithotripsy.