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Biomedical subjects

David S Sanders

Publications and source records attributed to David S Sanders.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Are lower gastrointestinal investigations necessary in patients with coeliac disease?

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy may be indicated in patients with coeliac disease who present with iron deficiency anaemia or in coeliac disease patients who have persisting diarrhoea despite being on a gluten-free diet. However, there are limited data to support this approach. METHODS: We prospectively recruited patients who were found to have coeliac disease, having been referred with newly diagnosed iron deficiency anaemia. We also recruited a second group of patients with known coeliac disease. These patients had persisting diarrhoea despite being on a gluten-free diet for 6 months. All patients had colonoscopy and were matched with controls (without coeliac disease) who had similar indications for colonoscopy. RESULTS: Ninety-eight consecutive new patients with coeliac disease and concurrent iron deficiency anaemia had colonoscopy performed. Twelve (12.2%) had pathology, three of which were carcinomas. This diagnostic yield was not significantly different from the findings in the control group 62/362 (17.1%) P=0.24. In coeliac disease patients with persisting diarrhoea (n=37), the diagnostic yield at colonoscopy was 1/37 (2.7%). This was significantly lower than our findings in the control group with chronic diarrhoea 55/390 (14%) P=0.05. CONCLUSION: Colonoscopy should be considered in patients with coeliac disease (over the age of 45 years) who present with iron deficiency anaemia. Whilst, for coeliac disease patients with persisting diarrhoea (on a gluten-free diet) in the absence of sinister symptoms, a flexible sigmoidoscopy may be the initial investigation in order to exclude microscopic colitis. However, further larger prospective studies are required to evaluate this approach.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Prospective evaluation of high-frequency mini-probe ultrasound colonoscopic imaging in ulcerative colitis: a valid tool for predicting clinical severity.

BACKGROUND: High-frequency mini-probe ultrasound imaging permits trans-mural cross-sectional imaging of the colorectal wall. In ulcerative colitis, prognosis is dependent on the severity of mucosal inflammatory change where accurate assessment of disease activity is required to optimize medical therapy. Furthermore, predicting relapse of disease using conventional endoscopic, histopathological and clinical criteria has not proven reliable. AIM: To evaluate the correlation of high-frequency mini-probe imaging with standardized measures of clinical, endoscopic and histopathological severity. METHODS: High-frequency ultrasound images were obtained from the caecum to rectum in 200 patients. Tsuga colorectal ultrasound criteria were then compared to the endoscopic Baron score, Seo activity score and Matts histopathological grade. RESULTS: For rectal disease, the kappa coefficient between Tsuga criteria I/II and Matts grade 1/2 was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.67-0.89), 0.57 (95% CI, 0.46-0.68) and 0.48 (95% CI, 0.34-0.62) for Tsuga class IIIa/b, IVa/b and Matts grade 3a/b and 4, respectively. Colonic imaging showed a kappa coefficient between Tsuga class I/II and Matts grade1/2 of 0.76 (95% CI, 0.72-0.8). Tsuga class IIIa-IIIb/IVa-IVb as compared to Matts grade 3a-3b/4 yielded kappa coefficients of 0.49 (95% CI, 0.43-0.55) and 0.62 (95% CI, 0.56-0.69), respectively. In the rectum both the total wall thickness, mucosa and submucosa were significantly thicker in Matts grade 3b and 4 disease as compared to Matts grade 1/2 (P < 0.02) for all parameters. A significant increase in colonic total wall thickness was observed between Matts score 4 and Tsuga grade 1-3a disease (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High-frequency ultrasound is a valid adjunctive 'tool' for the trans-mural assessment of the colorectal wall in ulcerative colitis. This technique may aid in the initial diagnosis, and ongoing chronic management of disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Do patients with unrecognized coeliac disease present as an emergency?

Screening studies of healthy volunteers have determined that coeliac disease affects 1% of the European population. Despite this the majority of cases are unrecognized. Coeliac disease may occasionally present as an acute emergency. Recent data, however, suggest that cases of undiagnosed coeliac disease may present to emergency departments with nonspecific abdominal pain. This review provides an update of the published data on coeliac disease. We discuss the relationship between coeliac disease and abdominal pain and ways in which this may change emergency physicians practice.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed2005

20-MHz high-frequency endoscopic ultrasound-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection for colorectal submucosal lesions: a prospective analysis.

GOALS: To prospectively assess the safety and efficacy of high-frequency ultrasound assisted mini-probe endoscopic mucosal resection for the treatment of colorectal submucosal tumors. Primary endpoints were tumor free vertical/horizontal resection margins and positive histopathologic diagnosis. Outcome data over a 24-month period were assessed. BACKGROUND: A 20-MHz high-frequency mini-probe ultrasound is an accurate modality for the diagnosis of stage T1m and T1 colorectal lesions. Few studies have addressed the safety and efficacy of this technology as applicable to submucosal lesions of the colorectum. METHODS: Thirty patients underwent high-frequency mini-probe ultrasound-guided endoscopic mucosal resection of 30 lesions (<20 mm diameter) using the inject and cut technique. Repeat endoscopy and ultrasound was performed at 3, 6, and 12 months post-"index" resection. RESULTS: A total of 27 lesions (90%) underwent complete resection with negative histologic margin status (median diameter, 8 mm; range, 3-20 mm). No statistical difference (P > 0.1) was observed between submucosal lesion position and histologic resection margin negativity. Three rectal lesions (10%) within the submucosal layer 3 failed to separate from the muscularis and underwent transanal excision of tumor. Bleeding occurred in 1 patient (3%). No recurrence was evident at the resection site in 27 cases (median follow-up, 9 months; range, 4-18 months). CONCLUSIONS: High-frequency mini-probe ultrasound-guided endoscopic mucosal resection is a safe and effective therapeutic modality for submucosal lesions of the colorectum. The technique offers a single-stage diagnostic and therapeutic technique for selected submucosal lesions and may offer an alternative to surgical resection.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Association of adult celiac disease with surgical abdominal pain: a case-control study in patients referred to secondary care.

BACKGROUND: Acute abdominal pain is the most common indication for surgical admission. Nonspecific abdominal pain (NSAP) may account for up to 40% of cases. There has been no published prospective study in which adult patients presenting with acute abdominal pain are investigated for celiac disease. AIMS: We aimed to assess the association of celiac disease with surgical abdominal pain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A case-control study was undertaken involving 300 consecutive new unselected patients presenting with acute abdominal pain (in a university hospital) and healthy controls (age and sex matched) without abdominal pain (n = 300). Initial investigations for celiac disease were immunoglobulins, IgA/IgG anti-gliadin (AGA), and endomysial antibodies (EMA). Any patient with a positive IgA AGA, EMA, or only IgG AGA in the presence of IgA deficiency was offered a small bowel biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. RESULTS: : There were 33 patients with abdominal pain who had positive antibodies, of whom 9 had histologically confirmed celiac disease (6 EMA positive; 3 EMA negative). One antibody positive patient (EMA in isolation) declined duodenal biopsy and the remaining 23 had normal duodenal mucosa. Within the control group, there were 2 cases of celiac disease. Compared with matched controls the association of acute abdominal pain with celiac disease gave an odds ratio 4.6. (P = 0.068, 95% confidence interval, 1.11-19.05). When only considering NSAP the prevalence of celiac disease was highly significant at 10.5% (9 of 86, P = 0.006). Patients' symptoms improved on a gluten-free diet at 12- to 18-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Celiac disease was diagnosed in 3% of patients who presented with unselected acute abdominal pain to secondary care. Targeting patients who have NSAP or celiac associated symptoms/diseases may improve the diagnostic yield.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed2005

Rectal aberrant crypt foci identified using high-magnification-chromoscopic colonoscopy: biomarkers for flat and depressed neoplasia.

BACKGROUND: Aberrant crypt foci may represent preneoplastic lesions in the human colon. The prevalence of aberrant crypt foci detected using magnification chromoscopic colonoscopy is known to follow a stepwise progression from normal subjects to those with exophytic adenomas and colon cancer. No studies have addressed the prevalence of rectal aberrant crypt foci in patients with flat and depressed colonic lesions that cluster within the right hemi-colon and may undergo de novo neoplastic transformation. METHODS: All patients underwent total colonoscopy by a single endoscopist using the Olympus CF240Z magnifying colonoscope. Flat and depressed lesions were diagnosed using targeted indigo carmine chromoscopy. Prior to extubation, pan high-magnification-chromoscopy using indigo carmine was applied to the rectum and the distal 10 cm of mucosa examined using forward and retroflexed views. Aberrant crypt foci were defined as two or more crypts with dilated or slit-like openings that were raised above the adjacent mucosa. Using high-magnification chromoscopic colonoscopy we assessed the prevalence and dysplastic features of aberrant crypt foci in three groups: endoscopically "normal" subjects, patients with flat/depressed adenoma, and flat/depressed cancer. RESULTS: Two thousand five hundred and fifty-nine patients underwent colonoscopy of which 1,000 were eligible for inclusion. The median number of aberrant crypt foci per patient in the endoscopically normal, adenoma, and cancer group was 1 (range: 0-5), 9 (range: 0-22), and 38 (range: 14-64), respectively. The estimated relative risk of dysplastic aberrant crypt foci when comparing the flat adenoma group with the endoscopically "normal" group was 4.68 (95% CI: 2.23-9.91) with the relative risk for flat cancer versus endoscopically normal group being 21.8 (95% CI: 10.9-23.8). Patients with >5 flat adenomas had higher crypt foci densities than those with <5 adenomas (r=0.53; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The number of aberrant crypt foci in normal patients, patients with flat adenoma, and flat cancer follow a stepwise incremental change as previously observed for exophytic adenomas and cancer. Detection of aberrant crypt foci in the rectum may be a useful biomarker for proximal colonic flat neoplasia and could be used at index flexible sigmoidoscopic screening to stratify risk of proximal colonic neoplasia. Patients with dysplastic aberrant crypt foci of high density should receive total colonoscopy.

Adenoma↗
PubMed2005

The role of high-magnification-chromoscopic colonoscopy in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer screening: a prospective "back-to-back" endoscopic study.

BACKGROUND: In hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer flat and diminutive adenomas occur, particularly in the right colon. Such lesions may assume a high risk of malignant transformation. Interval cancers are known to occur in this group. Chromoscopic colonoscopy enhances detection in patients assuming a moderate to high lifetime risk of colorectal cancer. AIM: To prospectively assess the efficacy of high-magnification-chromoscopic colonoscopy for the detection of neoplastic lesions in patients undergoing hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer screening. METHODS: Twenty-five asymptomatic patients fulfilling modified Amsterdam criteria underwent "back-to-back" colonoscopy. Conventional colonoscopy with targeted chromoscopy was performed initially followed by pan-colonic chromoscopic colonoscopy. Diagnostic extubation times and volumes of normal saline and indigo carmine (IC) were controlled. RESULTS: Using conventional colonoscopy and targeted chromoscopy 24 lesions were detected in 13 patients (20 exophytic/4 flat). Pan-colonic chromoscopy identified a further 52 lesions in 16 patients (17 exophytic/35 flat). Pan-chromoscopy identified significantly more adenomas than conventional colonoscopy (p= 0.001) and a significantly high number of flat adenomas (p= 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Pan-colonic chromoscopic colonoscopy improves detection of significant neoplastic lesions in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer screening. Pan-chromoscopy may help better stratify colorectal cancer "risk" in this cohort and aid planning of surveillance colonoscopic follow-up.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The Incidence of self-prescribed oral complementary and alternative medicine use by patients with gastrointestinal diseases.

GOALS: To assess the incidence of oral complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage by gastroenterology patients at a single university center and compare against controls. BACKGROUND: The public awareness and usage of CAM have increased. The use of CAM has been described in patients with functional bowel disorders; however, their role in patients with gastrointestinal disease is less clear. STUDY: Patients attending luminal gastroenterology clinics and customers at local supermarkets completed a 30-point, structured questionnaire assessing their use of CAM. RESULTS: A total of 1,409 subjects were recruited. The incidence of CAM use was 49.5% for inflammatory bowel disease, 50.9% for irritable bowel syndrome, 20% for general gastrointestinal diseases, and 27% for controls. Pearson's chi(2) tests showed that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or irritable bowel syndrome were more likely to use CAM than controls (P < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that females were more likely to take CAM than men (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of CAM users among patients with IBD is similar to those with a functional diagnosis. Increasing numbers of IBD patients are using CAM in addition to conventional therapy. Awareness of this may prevent adverse CAM and conventional drug interactions.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2004

A prospective evaluation of high-magnification chromoscopic colonoscopy in predicting completeness of EMR.

BACKGROUND: EMR is used to treat flat and sessile lesions in the colon. The aim of this study was to prospectively assess the efficacy of high-magnification chromoscopic colonoscopy in predicting complete resection margins after EMR. METHODS: A total of 1250 patients underwent colonoscopy by using a magnifying colonoscope. Chromoscopy with indigo carmine and crystal violet dye solutions was used to assess mucosal pit patterns. EMR was performed by using the saline solution inject-and-cut technique. After EMR, resection margins were inspected by using high magnification, and completeness of excision was predicted from the surface pit pattern. This was compared with completeness of excision as determined histopathologically. RESULTS: A total of 684 lesions were treated by EMR (62 piecemeal) in 602 patients. The sensitivity of high-magnification chromoscopic colonoscopy for predicting remnant tissue in the lateral margins and the deep margins were, respectively, 79% and 80%. Specificity for both margins was 97%. The overall accuracy of high-magnification chromoscopic colonoscopy in predicting incomplete resection after EMR in the lateral axis and the deep axis was, respectively, 93% and 95%, where the true respective fractions of incomplete resections were 17% and 10%. Of the single en bloc EMRs performed, 77 (12%) had histopathologic evidence of incomplete resection in either axis, compared with 60 (97%) of the 62 piecemeal resections. Piecemeal resection was more likely to result in incomplete resection compared with en bloc EMR (p < 0.001). Complete resection by EMR was more likely if the lesion was sessile instead of flat (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High-magnification chromoscopic colonoscopy as an in vivo modality for prediction of remnant tissue after EMR has a high overall accuracy, but further studies assessing long-term outcome and cost-effectiveness compared with conventional colonoscopic techniques are required.

Adenoma↗
PubMed2004

Effectiveness of an upper-gastrointestinal haemorrhage unit: a prospective analysis of 900 consecutive cases using the Rockall score as a method of risk standardisation.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of a centralised upper-gastrointestinal haemorrhage (UGIH) unit. METHODS: The UK Audit of acute UGIH resulted in the formulation of a simple numerical scoring system. The Rockall score categorises patients by risk factors for death and allows case-mix comparisons. A total of 900 consecutive patients admitted to a UGIH unit between October 1995 and July 1998 were analysed prospectively. Patients were given an initial Rockall score and, if endoscopy was performed, a complete score. This method of risk stratification allowed the proportion of deaths (in our study) to be compared with the National Audit using risk standardised mortality ratios. RESULTS: The distribution of both initial and final Rockall scores was significantly higher in our study than in the National Audit. A total of 73 (8.1%) patients died, compared with the National Audit mortality of 14%. Risk-standardised mortality ratios using both initial and complete Rockall scores were significantly lower in our study when compared with those in the National Audit. CONCLUSION: A specialised UGIH unit is associated with a lower proportion of deaths from UGIH, despite comprising a greater number of high-risk patients than the National Audit. This lower mortality therefore cannot be attributed to a more favourable case mix and demonstrates that further improvements in mortality for UGIH can be made.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Making the diagnosis of coeliac disease: is there a role for push enteroscopy?

BACKGROUND: Push enteroscopy is used in the assessment of refractory coeliac disease. However, its value in making the diagnosis of coeliac disease is still not defined. METHODS: Thirty-one patients (22 females, nine males) were recruited prospectively between September 2001 and October 2002; the age range was 20-80 years (mean age, 52.7 years). All patients had symptoms suggestive of coeliac disease and positive serology but duodenal biopsy was not diagnostic. Twenty-three patients had positive IgA or/and IgG antigliadin antibodies, eight patients had positive endomysial antibodies (EMA). All patients underwent enteroscopy with repeat quadrantic duodenal and additional jejunal biopsies. RESULTS: All samples were reviewed by a single, blinded, histopathologist. There were no cases of coeliac disease diagnosed on further biopsy in patients who had a positive gliadin antibody in isolation. In the eight EMA-positive cases repeat biopsy demonstrated coeliac disease in five patients. In 3/5 cases the changes were confined to the jejunal biopsies only. CONCLUSION: EMA-positive patients with initially normal histology should have a further duodenal biopsy. In our series three of the five newly diagnosed coeliac disease patients only had villous atrophy demonstrable in the jejunum. There may be a role for push enteroscopy in making the diagnosis of coeliac disease. However, further prospective studies are needed.

Adult↗