Tatsuhiro Gotoda

Propofol sedation with a target-controlled infusion pump and bispectral index monitoring system in elderly patients during a complex upper endoscopy procedure.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Although the usefulness of propofol sedation during endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastric neoplasms was reported previously, information is limited on its use in elderly patients. We investigated the safety and efficacy of propofol sedation with a target-controlled infusion (TCI) pump and bispectral index (BIS) monitoring system (TCI/BIS system) in elderly patients during gastric ESD. METHODS Included were 413 consecutive gastric ESD procedures involving 455 lesions (379 patients) performed in patients under propofol sedation with a TCI/BIS system between October 2009 and September 2013. Patients were divided into 3 groups: group A, age <70 years (n = 162); group B, age ≥70 and <80 years (n = 171); and group C, age ≥80 years (n = 80). We compared the propofol dose and adverse events (eg, hypotension and hypoxemia) during ESD. RESULTS Older groups required a lower target concentration of propofol (group A: median 2.1 μg/mL [interquartile range (IQR), 1.9-2.3]; group B: median 1.6 μg/mL [IQR, 1.3-1.8]; and group C: median 1.4 μg/mL [IQR, 1.2-1.6]; P < .0001). Hypotension tended to occur in the younger group, and hypoxemia occurred at a significantly higher rate in the older groups, although the number of cases was small. Low preoperative systolic blood pressure (≤125 mm Hg) was associated with hypotension (odds ratio [OR], 1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-2.70; P = .013) and abnormal pulmonary function was associated with hypoxemia in groups B and C (OR, 4.54; 95% CI, 1.01-31.5; P = .048). CONCLUSIONS Elderly patients required lower doses of propofol with the TCI/BIS system than younger patients. Attention to hypoxemia is necessary in elderly patients, particularly patients with abnormal pulmonary function.

Linked color imaging (LCI), a novel image-enhanced endoscopy technology, emphasizes the color of early gastric cancer

Background and study aims  Linked color imaging (LCI) and blue laser imaging (BLI) are novel image-enhanced endoscopy technologies with strong, unique color enhancement. We investigated the efficacy of LCI and BLI-bright compared to conventional white light imaging (WLI) by measuring the color difference between early gastric cancer lesions and the surrounding mucosa. Patients and methods  Images of early gastric cancer scheduled for endoscopic submucosal dissection were captured by LCI, BLI-bright, and WLI under the same conditions. Color values of the lesion and surrounding mucosa were defined as the average of the color value in each region of interest. Color differences between the lesion and surrounding mucosa (ΔE) were examined in each mode. The color value was assessed using the CIE L*a*b* color space (CIE: Commission Internationale d’Eclairage). Results  We collected images of 43 lesions from 42 patients. Average ΔE values with LCI, BLI-bright, and WLI were 11.02, 5.04, and 5.99, respectively. The ΔE was significantly higher with LCI than with WLI ( P  < 0.001). Limited to cases of small ΔE with WLI, the ΔE was approximately 3 times higher with LCI than with WLI (7.18 vs. 2.25). The ΔE with LCI was larger when the surrounding mucosa had severe intestinal metaplasia ( P  = 0.04). The average color value of a lesion and the surrounding mucosa differed. This value did not have a sufficient cut-off point between the lesion and surrounding mucosa to distinguish them, even with LCI. Conclusion  LCI had a larger ΔE than WLI. It may allow easy recognition and early detection of gastric cancer, even for inexperienced endoscopists.

Clinical outcome of patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding during antithrombotic drug therapy

Background: The clinical outcome of patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) during antithrombotic drug therapy has not been fully investigated. Methods: Patients who underwent video capsule endoscopy (VCE) for the investigation of OGIB at Okayama University Hospital from January 2009 to March 2016 were enrolled. We evaluated the VCE findings, the patterns of OGIB, and the rate of rebleeding within 1 year in antithrombotic drug users and antithrombotic drug nonusers. Results: A total of 181 patients were enrolled. Among the antithrombotic drug users, the rate of VCE positivity in the patients with overt OGIB was significantly higher in comparison with patients with occult OGIB (45% versus 16%, p = 0.014), whereas there was no significant difference among the antithrombotic drug nonusers (27% versus 26%, p = 1.0). Among the antithrombotic drug users, the rate of rebleeding among the VCE-positive patients was significantly higher in comparison with the VCE-negative patients (50% versus 5.9%, p = 0.011). Moreover, among antithrombotic drug users who did not receive therapeutic intervention, the rate of rebleeding among the VCE-positive patients was significantly higher in comparison with the VCE-negative patients (75% versus 6.3%, p = 0.001). However, among the antithrombotic drug nonusers who did not receive therapeutic intervention, the rebleeding rate of the VCE-positive patients was not significantly different from that of the VCE-negative patients (20% versus 9.4%, p = 0.43). Conclusion: Therapeutic intervention should be considered for patients with overt OGIB who are VCE positive and who use antithrombotic drugs due to the high risk of rebleeding.

Postoperative bleeding risk after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection during antithrombotic drug therapy

The safety of gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in the antithrombotic drug users remains controversial.

Evaluation of the bleeding risk with various antithrombotic therapies after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection

Background and study aims  Patients receiving antithrombotic drugs have a higher risk of postoperative bleeding and thromboembolic events related to endoscopic procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between various antithrombotic therapies and bleeding after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) (post-ESD bleeding). Patients and methods  Among 529 consecutive gastric ESD procedures (483 patients with 579 legions), 100 patients with 121 lesions who underwent 108 procedures were on antithrombotic therapy (group A) and 382 patients with 458 lesions who underwent 421 procedures were not on antithrombotic therapy (group B). The ratio of post-ESD bleeding between the two groups and the bleeding risk related to various antithrombotic therapies were investigated. Results  Postoperative bleeding was more frequent in group A (11.1 %) than in group B (3.3 %). No thromboembolic events were reported in either group. Further investigation of antithrombotic therapies in group A demonstrated that various combinations of antithrombotic agents and heparin replacement were associated with a higher ratio of post-ESD bleeding. Multivariate analyses revealed that dual antiplatelet therapy (odds ratio [OR] 10.9, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 2.1 – 49.5; P  = 0.005) and heparin replacement (OR 34.4, 95 %CI 9.4 – 133.2; P  < 0.001) were associated with the increased risk of post-ESD bleeding. In patients on antiplatelet therapy, post-ESD bleeding tended to occur in the early postoperative period compared with patients on anticoagulant therapy. Conclusions  It is necessary to be cautious regarding post-ESD bleeding in patients requiring antithrombotic therapy, especially patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy and heparin replacement. A further prospective study with a large sample will be needed to confirm these findings.

Endoscopic Resection of a Pedunculated Brunner’s Gland Hamartoma of the Duodenum

A 68-year-old Japanese woman presented with a solitary pedunculated polyp in the duodenum. Endoscopic ultrasonography showed multiple cystic structures in the polyp. The polyp was successfully resected by endoscopic snare polypectomy and pathologically diagnosed as Brunners gland hamartoma. Because hamartomatous components were not identified in the stalk of the polyp, we speculate that the stalk developed from traction of the normal duodenal mucosa. When a solitary, pedunculated polyp with cystic structure within the submucosa is found in the duodenum, Brunners gland hamartoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis, despite the rarity of the disease. This case underscores the usefulness of endoscopic ultrasonography for the diagnosis of duodenal subepithelial tumors.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection for a superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma within the parabronchial diverticula

each EGD. We observed a statistically significant difference between patients with lower (I–II) and higher (III–IV) Mallampati index as regarding patient tolerance (Table 1). Lidocaine spray should not be used for patients with a low Mallampati index. The Mallampati index can be used to determine which patients require lidocaine aerosol anesthesia. Accordingly, the application of lidocaine can be advised for patients with a higher Mallampati index.

Erratum to: Multicenter Prospective Study on the Safety of Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Procedures in Antithrombotic Drug Users (Digestive Diseases and Sciences, (2017), 62, 3, (730-738), 10.1007/s10620-016-4437-2)

The article, Multicenter Prospective Study on the Safety of Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Procedures in Antithrombotic Drug Users by Yoshiyasu Kono, Minoru Matsubara, Tatsuya Toyokawa, Ryuta Takenaka, Seiyu Suzuki Junichirou Nasu, Masao Yoshioka, Masahiro Nakagawa, Motowo Mizuno, Hiroyuki Sakae, Makoto Abe, Tatsuhiro Gotoda, Ko Miura, Hiromitsu Kanzaki, and Masaya Iwamuro published online on January 3, 2017, in Digestive Diseases and Sciences, contains an error in Table 5. A revised version of Table 5 is below. The number of postoperative bleeding after EMR/ESD in multiple antithrombotic drug users contained an error.