Siriboon Attasaranya

Large-diameter biliary orifice balloon dilation to aid in endoscopic bile duct stone removal: a multicenter series

BACKGROUND The utility and safety of endoscopic biliary orifice balloon dilation (EBD) for bile duct stone removal (with use of large-diameter balloons) after biliary endoscopic sphincterotomy (BES) is currently not well established. OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to evaluate the efficacy and complications of BES followed by > or = 12 mm diameter EBD for bile duct stone removal. DESIGN Retrospective, multicenter series. SETTING Five ERCP referral centers in the United States. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTIONS Patients who underwent attempted removal of bile duct stones by BES followed by EBD with > or = 12 mm diameter dilating balloons were identified by searching the prospectively recorded endoscopic databases from 1999 to 2007. Clinical parameters, endoscopic data, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. RESULTS One hundred three patients, mean age 70 +/- 17 years (range 23-98 years), with 56 (54%) women, underwent 107 procedures. Eleven patients (11%) had a prior history of acute pancreatitis. Pancreatogram was performed in 15 (14%) patients. Median stone size and median balloon diameter used was 13 mm. Complete stone removal in the first session of EBD was accomplished in 102 (95%) procedures, and mechanical lithotripsy was required in 29 (27%). Six patients (5.4%) had documented procedure-related complications including one patient with severe bleeding and one with severe cystic duct perforation. No acute pancreatitis occurred. CONCLUSION EBD with a large-diameter balloon in conjunction with BES for bile duct stone removal is effective and relatively safe. This technique appears to be a reasonable alternative option when standard BES and basket or balloon sweep are inadequate to remove bile duct stones.

Choledocholithiasis, Ascending Cholangitis, and Gallstone Pancreatitis

Gallstone disease is encountered commonly in clinical practice. The diagnosis of biliary stones has become less problematic with current, less-invasive imaging methods. The relatively invasive endoscopic techniques should be reserved for therapy and not used for diagnosis. Acute cholangitis and gallstone pancreatitis are two major complications that require prompt recognition and timely intervention to limit morbidity and prevent mortality or recurrence. Appropriate noninvasive diagnostic studies, adequate monitoring/supportive care, and proper patient selection for invasive therapeutic procedures are elements of good clinical practice.

EUS and clinical characteristics of cystic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) may rarely appear as cystic or mixed solid-cystic masses. The endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) morphology and cyst fluid characteristics of these tumors are not well clarified. We retrospectively identified nine adult patients with nine single cystic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (CNETs). These nine included 0.67 % of the 1344 patients with pancreatic cystic lesions and 9.5 % of the 95 confirmed PNETs evaluated over the 12-year study period. At presentation, four patients were asymptomatic and five had known acute pancreatitis (n = 2), MEN-1 syndrome with hypoglycemia (n = 1), and abdominal pain (n = 2). Median maximal tumor diameter was 26 mm (range 20 - 64 mm). EUS morphology was mixed solid and cystic (n = 4) or cystic alone (n = 5). Cytology from EUS-fine-needle aspiration (FNA) (median 2 passes; range 1 - 6) demonstrated a PNET, and immunocytochemistry was confirmatory in all patients. Cyst fluid carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (n = 4) and amylase (n = 5) ranged from 0.1 to 1.8 ng/ml (normal 0 - 2.5 ng/ml) and 72 to 1838 U/L (normal 25 - 161 U/L), respectively. Six patients underwent surgery, and the preoperative diagnosis was confirmed in all.

The Spectrum of Endoscopic Ultrasound Intervention in Biliary Diseases: A Single Center's Experience in 31 Cases.

Background and Aim. EUS-guided intervention (EGI) for biliary therapy has been increasingly used in recent years. This report aims to describe the spectrum and experience of EUS-guided interventions in biliary diseases in a single-tertiary center. Methods. All patients with EGI were analyzed retrospectively by retrieving data from a prospectively stored endoscopic database between January 2006 and September 2010. Results. There were 31 cases with EGIs (17 female, 14 male) with a mean age ± SD of 58.03 ± 16.89 years. The majority of cases (17/31; 55%) were ampullary or pancreatic cancers with obstructive jaundice. The major indications for EGI were obstructive jaundice (n = 16) and cholangitis (n = 9). The EGIs were technically successful in 24 of the 31 cases (77%). The success rate for the first 3 years was 8 of 13 procedures (61.5%) as compared to that of the last 2 years (16/18 procedures (89%); P = 0.072). Twenty-three of the 24 cases (96%) with technical success for stent placement also had clinical success in terms of symptom improvement. The complications were major in 4 (13%) and minor in 7 (23%) patients. Conclusion. The EUS-guided drainage for biliary obstruction, acute cholecystitis, bile leak, and biloma was an attractive alternative and should be handled in expert centers.

An Uncommon Cause of Small Bowel Bleeding from Appendiceal Carcinoma

Massive hematochezia caused by a small bowel lesion is a rare entity. Currently, video capsule endoscopy and balloon-assisted enteroscopy are effective in identifying the source of small intestine bleeding. Herein, we report a case of small bowel bleeding caused by a nonmucinous appendiceal adenocarcinoma with ileal invasion which was detected by video capsule endoscopy and single-balloon endoscopy. Despite the advanced disease stage with hepatic and peritoneal metastases, as of September 2016 the patient has had 8 years’ disease-free survival after surgical resection and chemotherapy.