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Biomedical subjects

M Rünzi

Publications and source records attributed to M Rünzi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Chronic abdominal pain--internistic-psychosomatic aspects].

Abdominal pain is considered to be chronic when it persists for at least three months or when a patient experiences such pain for a total of three months during the course of a year. Pathophysiologically, nociceptive/neuropathic functional pain syndrome, mental disorders with the cardinal symptom of chronic pain, and mixed forms can be distinguished. In 50% of the patients, the cause of chronic abdominal pain is a functional gastrointestinal disorder e.g. functional dyspepsia irritable bowel syndrome. On the basis of a structured pain history, a physical examination and a basic "technical" diagnostic program (laboratory investigations, abdominal ultrasonography, Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy), correct assignment to one of the above-mentioned can be achieved in most of the cases.

Abdominal Pain↗

[Requirements and recommendations for performing endosonographies].

For improvement of quality the working group of the Society of Gastroenterology in Nordrhein-Westfalen (Germany) was engaged with the questions, which apparative, personal and training conditions for endoscopic ultrasound are useful. The following proposals were preliminarily presented at the annual Congress of the DGVS (German Society of Digestive and Metabolic Diseases) 2001. They are thought to be subject of discussion for guidelines to be elaborated by this national society.

Biopsy, Needle↗

Pancreatic intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) allows early diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma in situ: a case report.

A 66-year-old woman was admitted with diarrhea, weight loss, slight recurrent abdominal pain, and raised serum amylase and lipase. Lactose intolerance was diagnosed, and treatment was begun. The symptoms diminished. However, slight back pain and elevated serum amylase and lipase levels persisted. A pancreatic tumor was then suspected. Ultrasound, spiral computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) examinations were inconclusive. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) showed a slight narrowing of the pancreatic duct within the pancreatic body, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) revealed a 10 mm intrapancreatic lesion. Finally, intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) reliably identified a small pancreatic tumor. The tumor was resected, and histology confirmed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma in situ (UICC stage 0, TisN0M0). This case shows that using high-resolution imaging techniques such as EUS plus IDUS, small malignant pancreatic lesions can be detected at an early stage, when curative action is possible.

Aged↗

Persistently altered visceral perception after resection of an esophageal granular cell myoblastoma: a therapeutic concept revisited.

Granular cell tumors (GCTs) are rare and usually benign gastrointestinal tumors. Their most frequent symptoms are dysphagia and epigastric or retrosternal discomfort. We here report a case of esophageal GCT with continued symptoms of retrosternal discomfort, postprandial feeling of fullness, and early satiety despite complete thoracoscopic resection of the tumor. In contrast, all functional tests were in the normal range. We thus suggest that, due to their neuroectodermal origin, GCTs may affect neuronal alterations leading to a persistently disturbed visceral mechanosensory perception. Consequently, this case also cautions the therapeutic concept to solely relieve GCT symptoms by resection if the tumor is less than 20 mm in diameter.

Adult↗

[Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) of the upper gastrointestinal tract - prospective multicenter study to evaluate time and staff requirements].

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endoscopic ultrasonography is an important procedure in the diagnostic work-up of gastrointestinal and mediastinal masses. To evaluate the time and staff requirements for the examination, a prospective multicenter study was carried out. METHODS: 27 centers were asked to document their endoscopic ultrasonographic procedures over a 4-month period, using a standardized protocol comprising several parameters: time and staff requirements (overall and related to organs), time spent on informing the patients, preparation, performance and monitoring of the examination and subsequent care of patient as well as of endoscopic equipment. RESULTS: 484 examinations from 11 centers were suitable for evaluation, 25 % of the patients were out-patients. Median examination time was 20 minutes (range: 5 - 60 min) without significant differences concerning the device but with greater differences concerning the different organs (pancreas 23.5 minutes, esophagus 15 minutes). Median time of subsequent care was 35 minutes in out-patients, 25 minutes in hospitalized patients, with a great variety between different centers. In 70 % of examinations one doctor and one nurse were involved. For sedation midazolam was used in 90 % of cases, pethidin for analgesia in 30 % of cases. CONCLUSIONS: The obvious time and staff requirements for endoscopic ultrasonography are comparable to historical data for the performance of a colonoscopy. In out-patients the time required seems to be higher.

Diagnosis-Related Groups↗

[Autoimmune pancreatitis].

Over the last years several case reports and articles have been published suggesting that a new form of chronic pancreatitis has been diagnosed and named autoimmune pancreatitis. The present overview scrutinizes the proposed evidence in the light of the current literature and aims to prove whether autoimmune pancreatitis is a special entity of chronic pancreatitis.

Autoantigens↗

[Gastrocolic fistula - a rare cause of cachexia and polyneuropathy].

Gastrocolic fistula is a rare clinical disorder which in the past most often occurred after gastric surgery or carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract. However, during the last decade an increasing number of cases after benign gastric ulcers have been described. Most common symptoms have been weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea and copremesis. A 49-year-old cachectic patient presented with a 2-year history of abdominal discomfort and diarrhea. He reported a weight loss of 32 kg during this period and was finally unable to move because of exhaustion. Furthermore, he suffered of burning paresthesia of the legs and the abdomen. His medical history included a Billroth II operation because of recurrent ulcer disease in 1987. Barium enema revealed a gastrocolic fistula which caused small bowel bacterial overgrowth with villous atrophy and malabsorption and development of polyneuropathy. The fistula was surgically resected, and postoperatively, the patient improved and regained his weight. Gastrocolic fistula is a rare cause of diarrhea and should be considered in clinical practice. Barium enema is superior to endoscopy in detecting gastrocolic fistula.

Cachexia↗

Fire eater's risk: lipoid pneumonia following aspiration of a liquid hydrocarbon mixture.

Acute aspiration of a liquid hydrocarbon mixture by fire eaters may cause severe lipoid pneumonia. The toxic effect of ingested hydrocarbon chains depends on their length and biophysical qualities. We report the case of a patient who accidentally aspirated a hydrocarbon liquid resulting in a lipoid pneumonia. The pathomechanism, diagnostic work-up, and the therapeutic approach are discussed.

Adult↗

[Generalized pustulous psoriasis: A novel extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease?].

A 66-year-old female patient suffering for 10 years from Crohn's disease firstly presented with a parallel outbreak of generalized pustulous psoriasis and Crohn's disease. A second synchronous exacerbation of both disorders occurred after discontinuation of treatment with prednisolone, methotrexate, and mesalazine. As to their pathogenetic concepts, both disease entities reveal similar immunologic alterations, i. e. comparable patterns of cytokines, chemokines, and inflammatory cells (T cells and neutrophils). Generalized pustulous psoriasis, therefore, might develop as hitherto undescribed, more rare extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease.

Aged↗

Campylobacter jejuni-induced severe colitis--a rare cause of toxic megacolon.

The development of toxic megacolon as a sequel of infectious colitis is rare. We have observed the very rare case of a campylobacter jejuni-induced toxic megacolon. A 28-year-old man was admitted with severe enterocolitis and appearance of blood in stools. He had been treated with loperamide without success. Two days after admission stool cultures revealed campylobacter jejuni and then an oral antibiotic therapy was started. On the fifth day clinical performance deteriorated again with development of toxic megacolon and consecutive subtotal colectomy. Rectoscopy before discharge after 13 days showed a normal mucosa. The unusual course with first improvement and then rapid deterioration despite adequate therapy was observed in 4 other cases, which may also be a hint of ensuing megacolon. Even in usually harmless enterocolitis like campylobacter infection, predisposing factors such as loperamide are known to precipitate toxic megacolon and should be considered in clinical practice.

Adult↗

[Familial Mediterranean fever. New aspects with respect to molecular genetics and pathogenesis revealed in three case reports].

HISTORY AND CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Three young Turkish males were admitted because of acute abdominal pain and fever. All 3 patients had recurrent attacks of these symptoms every few weeks since years with each attack lasting 2 to 3 days. One patient developed a renal amyloidosis with an end-stage renal failure. DIAGNOSTICS AND CLINICAL COURSE: All patients presented with local abdominal tenderness and an elevation of inflammatory parameters (WBC, ESR, CRP and fibrinogen). X-ray studies, ultrasound and upper endoscopy were normal. In 1 patient histology yielded amyloid fibrils in the antrum of the stomach. In a molecular genetic analysis 2 patients were compound heterozygous for 2 common mutations of the gene responsible for the familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). In all patients the symptoms vanished spontaneously according to an acute attack of FMF. After symptomatic treatment a prophylaxis with colchicine was started. CONCLUSION: Cloning of the FMF gene and its mutations and identification of the gene product "pyrin" reveals new aspects on genetics and pathophysiology. The improved diagnostic procedure enables an early start of colchicine treatment, especially to prevent renal amyloidosis.

Adult↗

Nonsurgical management of acute pancreatitis. Use of antibiotics.

In severe AP, infected necrosis is the leading cause of death. Prevention of pancreatic infection is the major goal in the treatment of patients with necrotizing pancreatitis. Adequate early antibiotic therapy seems to be promising in these patients. Their role and the optimal timing of the antibiotic therapy (e.g., benefit of prophylactic application) are discussed. Preliminary results of a study in patients with infected pancreatic necrosis and exclusively or primarily conservative treatment also are presented.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

[Etiology, pathogenesis and pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis].

The etiology of acute pancreatitis is based on several causes, among which idiopathic nature (< 30%) is second to biliary stone disease (60-70%). It is still under debate whether alcohol as the main cause of chronic pancreatitic disease can cause acute pancreatitis. Based on Opie's "obstruction theory" of 1901 and experimental data, it is now widely accepted that the gallstone passage into or through the terminal biliopancreatic ductal system triggers acute (necrotizing) pancreatitis by causing pancreatic ductal obstruction. However, the sequential intracellular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis remain unclear. A co-localization hypothesis has been proposed to explain the premature intracellular activation of trypsinogen to trypsin: due to a yet unknown defect in the intracellular protein transport and sorting system within the acinar cell, lysosomal hydrolases (i.e. cathepsin B) and secretory proteins (i.e. trypsinogen) co-localize in a fragile postgolgi vacuole where activation can occur. In addition, alterations of exo- and endocytosis at the apical pole exist (i.e. secretion block). The pathophysiological events are characterized by local and systemic hypovolemia and (micro)circulatory failure aggravating necrosis, followed by ARDS, renal failure and several other severe complications (i.e. sepsis and DIC). The systemic overflow of proteolytic enzymes (i.e. PLA-2) and kinins plays a major role as mediating factor in severe cases, resulting in multiorgan failure.

Gallstones↗

[Clinical aspects and classification of acute pancreatitis].

Clinically acute pancreatitis is characterized by severe abdominal pain and systemic symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and circulatory shock. In most cases the diagnosis is verified, and differential diagnoses are excluded, by elevated serum enzyme activities as well as characteristic findings in imaging procedures. The mild form of acute pancreatitis (about 80%) is characterized by an uncomplicated course and recovery within 72 hours in response to adequate therapy. By contrast, severe pancreatitis (about 20%) shows formation of necroses and a protracted course which frequently is dominated by development of systemic complications with subsequent failure of individual or several organ systems. On this background, early discrimination between mild and severe pancreatitis is important for therapeutic management and assessment of prognosis. Several classifications have been suggested in recent years but their use has been limited because they partly depend on complicated multiscoring systems. On the other hand, it has been possible to establish simple severity markers such as serum CRP and PMN-elastase that correlate well with further clinical course and outcome.

Acute Disease↗

A cholecystokinin-releasing factor mediates ethanol-induced stimulation of rat pancreatic secretion.

The mechanisms by which short-term ethanol administration alters pancreatic exocrine function are unknown. We have evaluated the effects of ethanol administration on pancreatic secretion of digestive enzymes. In our studies, anesthetized as well as conscious rats were given ethanol at a rate sufficient to cause the blood ethanol concentration to reach levels associated with clinical intoxication. Ethanol was administered over a 2-h period during which blood ethanol levels remained stably elevated. We report that intravenous administration of ethanol results in a transient increase in pancreatic amylase output and plasma cholecystokinin (CCK) levels. The ethanol-induced increase in amylase output can be completely inhibited by the CCK-A receptor antagonist L-364,718 and partially inhibited by the muscarinic cholinergic antagonist atropine. The ethanol-induced rise in amylase output can be completely prevented by instillation of trypsin into the duodenum or by lavage of the duodenum with saline during ethanol administration. Furthermore, the intraduodenal activity of a CCK-releasing factor is increased by infusion of ethanol. These studies indicate that administration of ethanol causes rat pancreatic exocrine secretion to increase. This phenomenon is mediated by a trypsin-sensitive CCK-releasing factor which is present within the duodenal lumen. These observations lead us to speculate that repeated CCK-mediated ethanol-induced stimulation of pancreatic digestive enzyme secretion may play a role in the events which link ethanol abuse to the development of pancreatic injury.

Alcoholism↗