Unusual Findings in the Small Bowel

AbstractSmall bowel endoscopy has now become a routine investigation. The most common methods to visualize the small bowel are balloon-assisted enteroscopy and capsule endoscopy. Currently, the most common indications for small bowel endoscopy are obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and suspected or established Crohn's disease. Common findings of small bowel endoscopy include arteriovascular malformations, erosions, ulcers, and edema in the mucosa. However, there are myriad uncommon small bowel conditions which can now be visualized endoscopically. These include vasculitis, neuroendocrine tumors, familial polyposis syndromes such as Peutz–Jeghers syndrome; ulcerative celiac disease; enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma; and infections such as Whipple's disease, tuberculosis, and blastomycosis. The aim of this video is to demonstrate the endoscopic characteristics of various unusual but very important small bowel diseases. This article is part of an expert video encyclopedia

Pancreatic insufficiency in patients with HIV infection: role of didanosine questioned.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to identify possible causes of pancreatic insufficiency in patients with HIV infection. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 233 HIV-positive patients for whom faecal elastase measurement was available was performed to investigate potential associations with core demographic data, HIV infection characteristics, degree of immunosuppresion, exposure to antiretroviral therapy (ART), alcohol misuse, diabetes, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, triglyceride and cholesterol levels and symptomatology. The response to pancreatic enzyme replacement for patients with evidence of insufficiency was also evaluated. RESULTS: Of 233 patients, 104 (45%) had evidence of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (faecal elastase < 200 mcg/g). A positive association with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency was found for HCV infection (P = 0.007), previous or current HCV treatment (P = 0.003), alcohol misuse history (P = 0.006) and the presence of steatorrhoea (P = 0.03). There was no demonstrated association between exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and didanosine (ddI) exposure (P = 0.43) or stavudine (d4T) exposure (P = 0.62). Seventy-seven per cent of patients who were treated with pancreatic enzymatic supplementation reported a subjective improvement in symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Faecal elastase sampling should form part of the routine work-up for HIV-positive patients with chronic diarrhoea even in the absence of 'traditional' risk factors such as ddI exposure. In particular, if the patient has steatorrhoea, a history of alcohol exposure or their HCV serology is positive, they should be considered for investigation. Treatment with pancreatic enzyme supplementation appears to be effective in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea caused by pancreatic insufficiency in the majority of patients

Advanced Endoscopic Imaging for Diagnosis of Crohn's Disease

Endoscopy in IBD has tremendous importance to diagnose inflammatory activity, to evaluate therapeutic success and for the surveillance of colitis associated cancer. Thus it becomes obvious that there is a need for new and more advanced endoscopic imaging techniques for better characterization of mucosal inflammation and early neoplasia detection in IBD. This paper describes the concept of advanced endoscopic imaging for the diagnosis and characterization of Crohn's disease, including magnification endoscopy, chromoendoscopy, balloon-assisted enteroscopy, capsule endoscopy, confocal laser endomicroscopy, and endocytoscopy

Persistent viral shedding of SARS‐CoV‐2 in faeces – a rapid review

Aim In addition to respiratory symptoms, COVID‐19 can present with gastrointestinal complaints suggesting possible faeco‐oral transmission. The primary aim of this review was to establish the incidence and timing of positive faecal samples for SARS‐CoV‐2 in patients with COVID‐19. Methods A systematic literature review identified studies describing COVID‐19 patients tested for faecal virus. Search terms for MEDLINE included ‘clinical’, ‘faeces’, ‘gastrointestinal secretions’, ‘stool’, ‘COVID‐19’, ‘SARS‐CoV‐2’ and ‘2019‐nCoV’. Additional searches were done in the American Journal of Gastroenterology , Gastroenterology , Gut , Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology , the World Health Organization Database, the Centre for Evidence‐Based Medicine, New England Journal of Medicine , social media and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, bioRxiv and medRxiv preprints. Data were extracted concerning the type of test, number and timing of positive samples, incidence of positive faecal tests after negative nasopharyngeal swabs and evidence of viable faecal virus or faeco‐oral transmission of the virus. Results Twenty‐six relevant articles were identified. Combining study results demonstrated that 53.9% of those tested for faecal RNA were positive. The duration of faecal viral shedding ranged from 1 to 33 days after a negative nasopharyngeal swab with one result remaining positive 47 days after onset of symptoms. There is insufficient evidence to suggest that COVID‐19 is transmitted via faecally shed virus. Conclusion There is a high rate of positive polymerase chain reaction tests with persistence of SARS‐CoV‐2 in faecal samples of patients with COVID‐19. Further research is needed to confirm if this virus is viable and the degree of transmission through the faeco‐oral route. This may have important implications on isolation, recommended precautions and protective equipment for interventional procedures involving the gastrointestinal tract

Korean Guideline for Colonoscopic Polypectomy

There is indirect evidence to suggest that 80% of colorectal cancers (CRC) develop from adenomatous polyps and that, on average, it takes 10 years for a small polyp to transform into invasive CRC. In multiple cohort studies, colonoscopic polypectomy has been shown to significantly reduce the expected incidence of CRC by 76% to 90%. Colonoscopic polypectomy is performed frequently in primary outpatient clinics and secondary and tertiary medical centers in Korea. However, there are no evidence-based, procedural guidelines for the appropriate performance of this procedure, including the technical aspects. For the guideline presented here, PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane Library literature searches were performed. When little or no data from well-designed prospective trials were available, an emphasis was placed on the results from large series and reports from recognized experts. Thus, these guidelines for colonoscopic polypectomy are based on a critical review of the available data as well as expert consensus. Further controlled clinical studies are needed to clarify aspects of this statement, and revision may be necessary as new data become available. This guideline is intended to be an educational device to provide information that may assist endoscopists in providing care to patients. This guideline is not a rule and should not be construed as a legal standard of care or as encouraging, advocating, requiring, or discouraging any particular treatment. Clinical decisions for any particular case involve a complex analysis of the patient's condition and the available courses of action

Current Advance in Small Bowel Tumors

Small intestinal tumors are difficult challenge to gastroenterologists. The difficulty in making a diagnosis of small intestinal tumor lies in the relative inaccessibility and absence of typical presentation. New endoscopic and radiologic technologies provide clear and fine anatomical visualization of the small bowel and are approved to improve the diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy. Patients at risk of small intestinal tumors might gain a benefit from proper surveillance with this new technology. Minimally invasive therapy is now available with advance of balloon assisted enteroscopy. This review describes the general aspect of the small intestinal tumors, focusing on the new modalities for diagnosis

Biliary Strictures after Liver Transplantation

Biliary strictures are one of the most common complications following liver transplantation, representing an important cause of morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients. The reported incidence of biliary stricture is 5% to 15% following deceased donor liver transplantations and 28% to 32% following living donor liver transplantations. Bile duct strictures following liver transplantation are easily and conveniently classified as anastomotic strictures (AS) or non-anastomotic strictures (NAS). NAS are characterized by a far less favorable response to endoscopic management, higher recurrence rates, graft loss and the need for retransplantation. Current endoscopic strategies to correct biliary strictures following liver transplantation include repeated balloon dilatations and the placement of multiple side-by-side plastic stents. Endoscopic balloon dilatation with stent placement is successful in the majority of AS patients. In patients for whom gaining biliary access is technically difficult, a combined endoscopic and percutaneous/surgical approach proves quite useful. Future directions, including novel endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography techniques, advanced endoscopy, and improved stents could allow for a decreased number of interventions, increased intervals before retreatment, and decreased reliance on percutaneous and surgical modalities. The aim of this review is to detail the present status of endoscopy in the diagnosis, treatment, outcome, and future directions of biliary strictures related to orthotopic liver transplantation from the viewpoint of a clinical gastroenterologists