The Diagnostic Value of Brush Cytology Alone and in Combination with Tumor Markers in Pancreaticobiliary Strictures

Aim. Differentiation of malignant and benign strictures constitutes a problem despite the increasing experience of the endoscopists, radiologists, and pathologists. The aim of our study is to determine the factors that affect the efficacy of the ERCP guided brush cytology in PBS and to evaluate its diagnostic success when used alone and together with tumor markers. Method. The data from brush cytologies of 301 PBS patients were collected retrospectively and analyzed. The final diagnosis was approved based on the histological examination of the tissue taken surgically or by other methods. In the absence of a histological diagnosis, the final diagnosis was based on radiological studies or the results of a 12-month clinical follow up. Results. A total of 28 patients were excluded from the study. From the remaining 273 patients 299 samples were analyzed. The sensitivity and the specificity of brush cytology in diagnosing malignancy are 62.4% and 97.7, respectively. The sensitivity of brush cytology increased to 94.1% when combined with CA-19.9 and CA-125. Conclusion. Brush cytology is a useful method in diagnosing pancreaticobiliary strictures. Advanced age, stricture dilatation before sampling, the presence of a mass identified by radiological studies, high levels of CA-19.9, ALT, and total bilirubin increase the sensitivity of brush cytology

Autoimmune Hepatitis: Report of Two Cases with Different Clinical Manifestations

Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic progressive liver disease. Clinical course of autoimmune hepatitis resembles viral hepatitis. However, atypical manifestations characterized by cholestasis can also be observed. Diseases, which may cause cholestasis, were thought primarily in the first case because of cholestatic characteristics of patients’ complaints and findings. During the follow-up, the patient did not respond to the treatment and the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis was made upon blood tests. Second case was applied with the findings mimicking acute viral hepatitis and the patient was diagnosed to have autoimmune hepatitis on the follow up, by diagnostic tests

A Simple Method to Improve Adenoma Detection Rate During Colonoscopy: Altering Patient Position

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy is currently considered to be the gold standard method for detecting and removing adenomatous polyps. However, tandem colonoscopy studies reveal a pooled polyp miss rate of 22%

A Simple Method to Improve Adenoma Detection Rate During Colonoscopy: Altering Patient Position

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy is currently considered to be the gold standard method for detecting and removing adenomatous polyps. However, tandem colonoscopy studies reveal a pooled polyp miss rate of 22%

The rate of mucosal healing by azathioprine therapy and prediction by artificial systems.

We aimed to assess the effect of azathioprine on mucosal healing in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Artificial neural networks were applied to IBD data for predicting mucosal remission