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Biomedical subjects

S H Saverymuttu

Publications and source records attributed to S H Saverymuttu.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Use of endoscopic biopsy for diagnosing congestive gastropathy.

The specificity of endoscopic biopsy specimens in diagnosing congestive gastropathy in 20 patients with portal hypertension, 20 patients with liver disease without portal hypertension, and 20 patients with a normal stomach at endoscopy without liver disease was examined. Histological assessment, which was performed without knowledge of the clinical details, showed changes previously reported to be indicative of congestive gastropathy in 9 (47%) of patients with portal hypertension. Similar changes were also seen in 17 (85%) of patients with liver disease without portal hypertension and in 16 (84%) of patients with normal endoscopies without liver disease. These results show that the histological changes seen in endoscopic biopsy specimens of congestive gastropathy are not specific for this condition and therefore cannot be used to diagnose objectively the disease or assess management.

Biopsy↗

Recurrent paroxysmal complete heart block induced by vomiting.

A woman had a 40-year history of vomiting associated with syncope. Spontaneous and induced vomiting was predictably associated with sinus bradycardia, paroxysmal atrioventricular block, and ventricular asystole. The clinical and laboratory studies carried out to illustrate the mechanism of this unusual complication of vomiting demonstrated it to be due to a vagovagal reflex initiated by distension of upper esophagus.

Bradycardia↗

Indium-111-labelled granulocyte accumulation in respiratory tract of patients with bronchiectasis.

18 patients with severe bronchiectasis and persistent purulent sputum production were investigated, by the use of gamma scans, between acute exacerbations of their symptoms to determine localisation and traffic of 111In-labelled granulocytes in the lungs. Labelled granulocytes appeared in the respiratory tract of 16 patients within 24 h of their injection. Uptake occurred almost exclusively in areas demonstrated by computed tomography (CT) to be bronchiectatic. However, 111In uptake was not demonstrated in 21 of the 55 segments showing bronchiectasis on CT, and these were therefore thought to be not actively inflamed. The whole-body loss of radioactivity up to 4-7 days following injection of the labelled cells ranged from 0 to 53% and correlated with 24 h purulent sputum volume (r = 0.45, p less than 0.01) and with CT extent of moderate and severe bronchiectasis (r = 0.40, p less than 0.05), but not with overall CT extent of bronchiectasis, age, forced expiratory volume in one second, or duration of purulent sputum production in years.

Adult↗

The value of indium-labelled leucocytes in clinical practice.

Following intravenous injection, autologous 111In labelled-leucocytes migrate to sites of inflammation, where they can be imaged with the gamma camera. The principle underlining the labelling technique is exposure of a population of leucocytes or purified granulocytes to a lipophilic 111In complex, such as 111In oxine or 111In tropolonate. As a result of cell activation, the in vitro manipulation to which the leucocytes are subjected modifies their biodistribution early after re-injection. Separation and labelling in plasma-enriched media, however, limits this activation and promotes early migration into inflammatory foci.

Humans↗

Ultrasound scanning in the detection of hepatic fibrosis and steatosis.

Hepatic steatosis and fibrosis produce abnormal echo patterns on ultrasound scanning, but the potential of ultrasound scanning for diagnosing these conditions in routine clinical practice is uncertain. A prospective comparative study of 85 patients with histologically assessed liver conditions was performed, and specificity was assessed in 76 patients with functional bowel disease who were presumed to have normal livers. Histological examination showed steatosis ranging from mild to severe in 48 patients and fibrosis ranging from increased fibrous tissue to established cirrhosis in 35 patients. Ultrasound scanning accurately identified steatosis, recognising 45 cases (sensitivity 94%) with a specificity of 84%. Fibrosis was less reliably detected (sensitivity 57% and specificity 88%). Of the 50 patients with alcoholic liver disease, 47 (94%) yielded abnormal results on scanning. In the 76 patients with functional bowel disease there was only one false positive result, giving a specificity of 99% in this group. As hepatic steatosis is the earliest change in alcoholic liver disease and seems to be of prognostic importance for the development of cirrhosis, ultrasound scanning provides an effective screening procedure, particularly in the occult alcoholic, who often presents with non-specific gastrointestinal complaints.

Fatty Liver↗

Indium-111-labeled autologous leukocyte scanning in gastrointestinal graft versus host disease (GVHD).

The technique of scanning with indium-111 autologous leukocytes has been used to assess gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following allogenic marrow transplantation. In patients with active disease, abdominal scans showed extensive abnormal localization in the bowel, while in those whose disease was quiescent after responding to treatment, scans showed localized ileocecal involvement. Rectal histology showed excellent agreement with scanning in the diagnosis of GVHD, but in three of six cases with active disease underestimated disease severity. Indium-111 leukocyte scanning is a useful noninvasive technique for the diagnosis and assessment of gut GVHD.

Acute Disease↗

Indium 111-granulocyte scanning in the assessment of disease extent and disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease. A comparison with colonoscopy, histology, and fecal indium 111-granulocyte excretion.

Indium 111-leukocyte scanning has recently been introduced as a new method for imaging inflammatory bowel disease. The technique has recently been made more specific for acute inflammation by labeling a pure granulocyte fraction rather than the conventional mixed leukocyte preparation. We now report a prospective study comparing 111In-granulocyte scanning with endoscopy, histology, and fecal 111In-granulocyte excretion for the assessment of disease extent and severity in colonic inflammatory bowel disease. In 52 patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, disease extent and severity were assessed macroscopically, histologically, or by scanning using a numerical grading system. Excellent correlations were found between both endoscopy and histology and 111In scans [r = 0.90 (endoscopy) and r = 0.90 (histology) for extent; r = 0.86 and r = 0.91 for disease activity]. Severity graded by scanning also showed a close correlation with fecal 111In-granulocyte excretion (r = 0.90). Indium 111-granulocyte scans are a rapid, accurate, noninvasive means of assessing both disease extent and severity of colonic involvement in inflammatory bowel disease.

Biopsy↗

Differing acute phase responses in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Thirty eight patients with Crohn's disease and 30 patients with ulcerative colitis have been assessed using the technique of faecal excretion of 111Indium granulocytes to quantify precisely acute inflammatory activity. At the time of each faecal granulocyte measurement the serum concentration of the acute phase protein C-reactive protein and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate were estimated. C-reactive protein concentration was significantly higher in Crohn's disease than ulcerative colitis both overall and particularly in relation to given levels of granulocyte excretion. No such distinction was observed between the erythrocyte sedimentation rates in the two diseases. The present findings show that the acute phase response differs significantly between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Patients with ulcerative colitis may be constitutionally different from those with Crohn's disease and unable to mount a major acute phase response to their own disease.

Adolescent↗

Clinical remission in Crohn's disease--assessment using faecal 111In granulocyte excretion.

The value of the Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) in defining clinical remission in Crohn's disease has been assessed in 71 studies using a new method to quantitate gut inflammatory activity: faecal 111In-labelled granulocyte excretion. The range of faecal 111In granulocyte excretion in the irritable bowel syndrome was found to be 0.2-1.9% (mean +/- SD 0.98 +/- 0.55%) of injected dose. 63 (89%) of studies with a CDAI less than 150 and 88% of studies with a serum albumin greater than 35 g/l had faecal 111In granulocyte excretion above the upper limit found in the irritable bowel syndrome ranging from 2.4% to 40%. This study shows that the majority of patients with Crohn's disease in clinical remission have significant gut inflammatory activity. Whether treatment of this activity will alter the natural history of the disease needs prospective evaluation.

Adolescent↗

Effect of a slow-release 5'-aminosalicylic acid preparation on disease activity in Crohn's disease.

A short-term double-blind controlled trial has been performed comparing a slow-release 5'-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) tablet (Pentasa) with placebo in the outpatient treatment of mild and moderate active Crohn's colitis. The disease activity was measured objectively by quantitation of the faecal excretion of 111In-labelled autologous granulocytes, which directly reflects gut inflammation. Twelve patients were randomized to receive either Pentasa or placebo. After 10 days of treatment faecal granulocyte excretion fell in all patients receiving 5-ASA, while no consistent change was found in the placebo group. These results suggest that this slow-release preparation of 5-ASA should be tested in larger controlled therapeutic trials over a longer period of time.

Adult↗

False positive localisation of indium-111 granulocytes in colonic carcinoma.

Indium-111 leucocyte scanning has been shown to be a highly accurate technique for detecting abscesses and assessing inflammatory bowel disease. We have encountered two cases of colonic carcinoma which presented as suspected inflammatory bowel disease and were found to localise 111In-labelled granulocytes. Histology revealed an acute inflammatory infiltrate in these tumours. These results indicate that 111In granulocyte scanning has limitations in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease.

Aged↗

Intrahepatic kinetics of indium-111-labelled platelets.

The intrahepatic kinetics of 111indium-labelled platelets have been studied using dynamic gamma camera scintigraphy immediately following injection. Platelets labelled in saline with 111In-oxine or 111In-acetylacetonate underwent rapidly reversible hepatic sequestration, indicating that they were "activated". Platelets labelled in plasma with 111In-tropolonate, however, did not display this phenomenon. On the assumption that plasma-labelled platelets display a normal initial bio-distribution, mean intrahepatic platelet transit time, as a factor of the transit time of 99m-Tc labelled red cells, was 1.45 +/- SE 0.12 (n = 6), implying the normal presence of a small intrahepatic platelet pool. Unlike the liver, transit through the spleen was not sensitive to the labelling medium; thus the mean intrasplenic transit time of plasma-labelled platelets was 9.3 +/- SE 0.7 min (n = 10), and of saline-labelled platelets 9.5 +/- SE 0.3 min (n = 8).

Blood Platelets↗

Clinical importance of enteric communication with abdominal abscesses.

The dynamics of leucocytes in abdominal abscesses were studied using indium-111 autologous leucocyte scanning in 30 patients. Thirteen patients showing enteric drainage of leucocytes on delayed scans were characterised by a lack of abdominal localising signs and a low detection rate by ultrasound (25%). By contrast, 16 of 17 patients without enteric drainage had abdominal signs, and in these patients ultrasound was associated with a higher detection rate (58%). Despite the presence of an enteric route of drainage for the abscess 10 of the 13 patients needed surgical intervention. These results help explain the wide variation in clinical presentation of abdominal abscesses; suggest that 111In leucocyte scanning should be the initial investigation in those patients without focal signs; and show that formal surgical drainage is needed in patients recognised as having enteric communication with abscesses.

Abdomen↗