Rome Jutabha

Urgent colonoscopy for the diagnosis and treatment of severe diverticular hemorrhage

BACKGROUND Although endoscopy is often used to diagnose and treat acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding, its role in the management of diverticulosis and lower gastrointestinal bleeding is uncertain. METHODS We studied the role of urgent colonoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of 121 patients with severe hematochezia and diverticulosis. All patients were hospitalized, received blood transfusions as needed, and received a purge to rid the colon of clots, stool, and blood. Colonoscopy was performed within 6 to 12 hours after hospitalization or the diagnosis of hematochezia. Among the first 73 patients, those with continued diverticular bleeding underwent hemicolectomy. For the subsequent 48 patients, those requiring treatment received therapy, such as epinephrine injections or bipolar coagulation, through the colonoscope. RESULTS Of the first 73 patients, 17 (23 percent) had definite signs of diverticular hemorrhage (active bleeding in 6, nonbleeding visible vessels in 4, and adherent clots in 7). Nine of the 17 had additional bleeding after colonoscopy, and 6 of these required hemicolectomy. Of the subsequent 48 patients, 10 (21 percent) had definite signs of diverticular hemorrhage (active bleeding in 5, nonbleeding visible vessels in 2, and adherent clots in 3). An additional 14 patients in this group (29 percent) were presumed to have diverticular bleeding because although they had no stigmata of diverticular hemorrhage, no other source of bleeding was identified. The other 24 patients (50 percent) had other identified sources of bleeding. All 10 patients with definite diverticular hemorrhage were treated endoscopically; none had recurrent bleeding or required surgery. CONCLUSIONS Among patients with severe hematochezia and diverticulosis, at least one fifth have definite diverticular hemorrhage. Colonoscopic treatment of such patients with epinephrine injections, bipolar coagulation, or both may prevent recurrent bleeding and decrease the need for surgery.

MANAGEMENT OF UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING IN THE PATIENT WITH CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE

This article reviews the management of severe upper gastrointestinal bleeding in the patient with chronic liver diseases. The initial assessment, diagnostic work-up, and treatment options for variceal and nonvariceal bleeding are discussed. The role of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy for esophagogastric varices is reviewed with special emphasis on new endoscopic techniques including variceal band ligation and cyanoacrylate injection. Various pharmacologic, surgical, and radiologic treatment options for variceal bleeding also are discussed. In addition, nonvariceal causes of severe upper gastrointestinal bleeding are reviewed including peptic ulcer diseases, Mallory-Weiss tear, portal hypertensive gastropathy, and gastric antral vascular ectasia.

An economic analysis of patients with active arterial peptic ulcer hemorrhage treated with endoscopic heater probe, injection sclerosis, or surgery in a prospective, randomized trial☆☆☆★★★

BACKGROUND There are no published, detailed assessments of the direct costs of endoscopic hemostasis for actively bleeding peptic ulcers. We compared the direct costs of care for patients with active ulcer hemorrhage treated with endoscopic or medical-surgical therapies and correlated these costs with patient outcomes. METHODS In a prospective, randomized, controlled trial, 31 patients with active ulcer hemorrhage at emergency endoscopy were randomly assigned to heater probe, injection, or medical-surgical treatment. For further ulcer bleeding, heater probe and injection patients were re-treated endoscopically and medical-surgical patients were referred for surgery. Direct costs were estimated using fixed and variable costs for resources consumed and Medicare reimbursement rates for physician fees. RESULTS Compared to medical-surgical treatment, the heater probe and injection groups had significantly higher primary hemostasis rates (100% and 90% vs 8%) and lower rates of emergency surgery (0% and 10% vs 75%), blood transfusions, and median direct costs per patient (

Prospective randomized comparative study of bipolar electrocoagulation versus heater probe for treatment of chronically bleeding internal hemorrhoids

4153 and

Randomized, prospective study of cyanoacrylate injection, sclerotherapy, or rubber band ligation for endoscopic hemostasis of bleeding canine gastric varices

5247 vs

Randomized Prospective Study of Endoscopic Rubber Band Ligation Compared With Bipolar Coagulation for Chronically Bleeding Internal Hemorrhoids

11,149). Furthermore, compared to medical-surgical treatment, the heater probe group had a significantly lower incidence of severe ulcer rebleeding (11% vs 75%). CONCLUSIONS Heater probe and injection sclerosis are similarly efficacious treatments for active ulcer hemorrhage, and both treatments yield significantly lower direct costs of medical care and cost savings.

Ischemic colitis as a cause of severe hematochezia: risk factors and outcomes compared with other colon diagnoses

BACKGROUND Our purpose was to compare the efficacy, complications, failure rates, and crossovers of heater and bipolar probe treatments of chronically bleeding internal hemorrhoids. METHODS Eighty-one patients (31 female, 50 male) with mean age of 53 years had large (grade 2 to 3) internal hemorrhoids with bleeding for a mean of 12 years, had failed medical management, and were randomized in a prospective study of anoscopic treatments to heater versus bipolar probes. Failure was defined as a major complication or failure to reduce the size of all internal hemorrhoids with three or more treatments. RESULTS With similar background variables and no difference in treatment times, rectal bleeding and other symptoms were controlled in a shorter time with the heater probe than with the bipolar probe (77 versus 121 days). Five complications (fissures, bleeding, or rectal spasm) occurred with the bipolar probe, and two occurred with the heater probe. The heater probe caused more pain during treatments but had significantly fewer failures and crossovers. CONCLUSIONS For patients who had failed medical management of chronically bleeding internal hemorrhoids, the techniques and complications of heater and bipolar probes were similar, but pain was more common, failures and crossovers were less frequent, and the time to symptom relief was shorter with the heater probe than with the bipolar probe.

Randomized controlled study of injury in the canine right colon from simultaneous biopsy and coagulation with different hot biopsy forceps

The purpose of this randomized, nonblinded study was to compare the effectiveness, safety, and technical ease of three different endoscopic techniques for the treatment of bleeding gastric varices in a canine model. Twenty dogs with large, bleeding gastric varices underwent endoscopic hemostasis with rubber band ligation, sclerotherapy, and cyanoacrylate injection. The time and number of attempts required to achieve definitive hemostasis were evaluated for each technique, and each method was assessed for ease of use. Ulceration rates, ulcer size and depth, and stigmata of ulcer hemorrhage were assessed at 1 week. Intravariceal sclerotherapy was the fastest and easiest to perform. Rubber band ligation was intermediate in technical ease, but it caused the largest and deepest ulcers and had the highest rates of stigmata of ulcer hemorrhage and secondary bleeding. Cyanoacrylate injection was the most cumbersome endoscopic method to perform. All three treatments were effective for controlling gastric variceal bleeding. Intravariceal sclerotherapy had the most favorable results overall because of its technical ease, efficacy, and modest complication rates.

Randomized, controlled study of various agents for endoscopic injection sclerotherapy of bleeding canine gastric varices

OBJECTIVES:Our purpose was to compare the efficacy, complications, success rate, recurrence rate at 1 year, and crossovers of rubber band ligation (RBL) with those of bipolar electrocoagulation (BPEC) treatment for chronically bleeding internal hemorrhoids.METHODS:A total of 45 patients of mean age 51.5 years, who had rectal bleeding from grade II or III hemorrhoids and in whom intensive medical therapy failed, were randomized in a prospective study comparing RBL with BPEC. Treatment failure was predefined as continued bleeding, occurrence of a major complication, or failure to reduce the size of all internal hemorrhoidal segments to grade I in ⩽3 treatments. Patients were followed up for 1 year.RESULTS:With similar patients, rectal bleeding and other symptoms were controlled with significantly fewer treatments of RBL than of BPEC (2.3±0.2 vs. 3.8±0.4, P<0.05), and RBL had a significantly higher success rate (92% vs. 62%, P<0.05). RBL had more cases of severe pain during treatment (8% vs. 0%, P<0.05), but significantly fewer failures and crossovers (8% vs. 38%). Symptomatic recurrence at 1 year was 10% RBL and 15% BPEC.CONCLUSIONS:For patients with chronically bleeding grade II or III internal hemorrhoids that are unresponsive to medical therapy, safety and complication rates of banding and BPEC were similar. The success rate was significantly higher with RBL than with BPEC. Symptom recurrence rates at 1 year were similar.

Doppler endoscopic probe as a guide to risk stratification and definitive hemostasis of peptic ulcer bleeding

BACKGROUND Risk factors and outcomes of severe hematochezia from ischemic colitis compared with other colonic diagnoses have not been well studied. OBJECTIVE Our purposes were (1) to compare demographics and outcomes of patients hospitalized with severe hematochezia from ischemic colitis compared with other colonic diagnoses, (2) to compare inpatient and outpatient start of bleeding from ischemic colitis, and (3) to describe potential risk factors. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Tertiary referral academic centers. PATIENTS Patients referred for gastroenterology consultation for severe hematochezia. INTERVENTIONS Colonoscopic therapy was provided as indicated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Rebleeding, surgery, and length of hospital stay after colonoscopy. RESULTS Of 550 patients in the past 12 years with severe hematochezia from colonic sources, the cause in 65 patients (11.8%) was ischemia. Ischemic colitis was found more often in females, in patients taking anticoagulant agents, in patients with severe lung disease, those with higher creatinine levels, those with higher glucose levels, and those with more fresh frozen plasma transfusions. Five patients with focal lesions had colonoscopic hemostasis. Major 30-day outcomes of ischemic colitis patients were significantly worse than patients with other colonic diagnoses. Patients with inpatient (vs outpatient) ischemic colitis had significantly more and more severe comorbidities at baseline and significantly higher rates of rebleeding, surgery, and more days spent in hospital and in the intensive care unit. LIMITATIONS Two-center study. CONCLUSIONS Major 30-day outcomes in ischemic colitis patients were significantly worse than in patients with other colonic diagnoses. Comparing outpatient and inpatient start of ischemic colitis, inpatients had significantly worse outcomes.