Magnification endoscopy outlines the microvascular architecture and extent of Barrett's intramucosal carcinoma prior to endoscopic resection.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Tsuneyoshi Yao.
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OBJECTIVES: Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the embryogenesis of an annular pancreas. Three-dimensional (3D) imaging of the annular pancreas may be useful to elucidate the embryogenesis. The aim of this case report is to clarify the pancreatic ducts in the annular pancreas by 3D computed tomography pancreatography (3D-CTP), stereographically. METHODS: Three-dimensional CTP under endoscopic retrograde pancreatography using a balloon catheter was performed with a helical CT scanner. Three-dimensional images of the pancreatic duct were obtained with simple threshold, shaped surface display. RESULTS: Wirsung duct that surrounds the ventral side of the descending portion of the duodenum and Santorini duct that surrounds the dorsal side of the descending portion of the duodenum were reconstructed by 3D-CTP, stereographically, and the presence of an annular pancreas was confirmed. These findings suggest that the formation of the annular pancreas in the current case may be attributable not only to abnormal development of the right lobe of the ventral pancreatic bud, but also to overgrowth of the dorsal pancreatic bud toward the ventral aspect of the duodenum or excessive rotation of the duodenum following fusion of the ventral bud to the dorsal bud. CONCLUSION: Three-dimensional CTP is expected to contribute usefully toward clarifying the embryogenesis of an annular pancreas.
The patient, an 81-year-old woman, was admitted to our hospital for a detailed examination; the chief complaint being melena. An upper gastrointestinal roentgenologic study revealed a submucosal tumor with a smooth surface and a stalk measuring 50 mm at the third part of the duodenum. Endoscopy depicted it as a yellowish submucosal tumor. Based on computed tomography and fluoroscopy of the small intestine, a diagnosis of duodenal lipoma was made. The esophagus, stomach, and the small and large intestines were free of lesions so the duodenal lipoma was judged to be the hemorrhagic source. The tumor was endoscopically polypectomized using a 2-channel scope. The excised specimen, measuring 50 x 20 x 20 mm, was covered by a normal duodenal mucosa with small ulcers in part. Photomicrographic findings included a tumor that was composed of mature adipose tissue in the submucosa, which coincided with a diagnosis of lipoma. Small ulcers had formed in part, exposing vessels, thus indicating the cause for hemorrhage. Lipoma is a benign tumor; and if the lesion is found to be pedunculated and an endoscope can reach it for treatment, minimally invasive endoscopic procedures should be selected.
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Clinicians encounter difficulties distinguishing enterocutaneous fistulae from postoperative suture abscesses solely by diagnostic imaging in patients with Crohn's disease. The aim of this study was to examine whether use of intraintestinal administration of indocyanine green (ICG) could differentiate the conditions. METHODS: Twenty-four patients with Crohn's disease and a possible enterocutaneous fistula at the abdominal wall based on manifestations of pus drainage and exudate were enrolled. A positive test was defined by macroscopic confirmation of staining by ICG dye, which had been administered orally, on the gauze dressing applied to the lesion site. RESULTS: Positive responses occurred in 16 of the 24 patients. In 13 of the 16 positive patients, a fistulous communication between the lesion and the gastrointestinal tract was documented by either surgery or X-ray examination. In the remaining three, fistulae were completely closed after administration of infliximab. The positive predictive value of the oral ICG test was 16/16 (100%). Six of the eight negative oral ICG test patients (75%) had subcutaneous (silk-suture) abscesses that were easily closed following fistulotomy. The other two patients had fistulas confirmed either by surgery or fistulography, indicating a false negative response from the oral ICG test. The negative predictive value of the oral ICG test was 6/8 (75%); thus, the ability of the oral ICG test to correctly diagnose was 22/24 (92%). CONCLUSIONS: This oral ICG test offers a suitable methodology for those patients possessing an occult fistulous lesion at an early stage, and where a differential diagnosis is difficult using diagnostic imaging.
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We encountered 4 cases of hepatic peribiliary cysts (HPBC) in our hospital. Two were asymptomatic, one was complicated by a choledocholithiasis, and one by cholangitis and sepsis. Based on a review of the 38 cases of HPBC clinically diagnosed in Japan, the main problem associated with this disease seemed incorrect preoperative diagnosis leading to an unnecessary hepatectomy. Another problem was concomitant cholangitis, which tended to recur and in some cases needed aggressive treatment using drainage.
In Japan, nutritional therapy as both a primary and as a secondary treatment is widely used for Crohn's disease (CD). The rationale for its use is based on a variety of reasons. The first is its ability to induce remission and to ameliorate the activity of intestinal lesions in the short term by enteral (EN) or by parenteral nutritional therapy in which overexpressions of chemokine receptors in an active stage are decreased significantly in the remission stage. Second is its ability to maintain remission over the long term through home-based enteral nutrition in which tube feeding during the nighttime is encouraged. Third is its ability to reduce the steroid dosage over the period of a long-term treatment course. However, several disadvantages of this therapy such as unpalatability and sluggish effect have been pointed out. Several studies have attempted to resolve this issue and determine the best components of EN, especially in fat composition. Some data have been suggestive of too much long-chained fatty acid having a hazardous effect on EN's clinical efficacy because it works as a precursor of inflammatory prostaglandins. Our recent data show that medium-chained triglyceride did not have such a hazardous effect on clinical efficacy. Several studies suggested that the patient factors that were resistant to inducing remission in the short term were a long period of suffering CD, a high activity (on Crohn's Disease Activity Index, CDAI), hemorrhagic colitis, and colitis with marked cobblestoning. Japanese guidelines for the treatment of CD recommended nutritional therapy as a first-line therapy and as a maintenance therapy after inducing remission. This treatment policy has led to Japanese CD patients having lower mortality rates than that of patients who do not receive EN. If this therapy could be combined with other drug therapies, including strong immunosuppressants, treatment strategies would be improved over those we have at present.
Since 1997 we have experienced three cases of low-grade colonic mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas. The depth of tumor invasion was evaluated by endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and the mass lesions were all diagnosed as having extended beyond the deep region of the submucosal layer. Although all of these patients tested negative for gastric Helicobacter pylori, their tumor lesions regressed after antibiotic treatment in accordance with H. pylori eradication therapy. In general, consensus has been reached regarding antibiotic therapy for gastric MALT lymphomas. However, as a prerequisite for antibiotic therapy, the therapy has been deemed effective against these gastric tumors if the extent of infiltration, as evaluated by EUS, is limited to the mucosal layer or the superficial region of the submucosal layer. Based on the therapeutic outcomes seen in the three patients studied here, it is suggested that antibiotic therapy might be useful in treating MALT lymphomas of the colon, even in patients with advanced invasive tumors, in contrast to the extent of the lesions in the stomach suitable for antibiotic treatment. The success of the antibiotic treatment also suggests that MALT lymphomas may be caused by unknown luminal microorganisms, other than H. pylori.
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has reportedly risen in recent years. Difficulties associated with endoscopic diagnosis mean it is not easy to determine its precise prevalence. A prospective study of the prevalence of endoscopy-positive GERD (EP-GERD) was conducted at Higuchi Hospital, a general hospital in Northwestern Kyushu, Japan. The study also correlated factors that might affect prevalence (age, sex, and functions of the gastroesophageal junction). METHODS: From consecutive patients undergoing endoscopic examination at Higuchi Hospital between January 2000 and April 2003, 1234 patients without severe complications were examined for the possible presence of GERD. Patients were stratified by age and sex, and the prevalence in each group ascertained. EP-GERD was defined on the four-level scale of the Los Angeles classification. Endoscopic classification of gastroesophageal flap valve ([GEFV] functional anomalie; using a four-level scale), was done as proposed by Hill et al. in 1996, to assess flap-valve morphology. Six items were evaluated: (1) symptoms and primary diseases; (2) prevalence of development of EP-GERD classified by age and sex; (3) endoscopic morphology of the GEFV as an expression of the functions of the gastroesophageal junction, and its prevalence by age and sex; (4) regression analysis and Spearman's rank correlation of GEFV and EP-GERD grades; (5) prevalence of EP-GERD and GEFV stratified by age and analyzed; and (6) multiple regression analysis of EP-GERD and explanatory variables (age, sex, and GEFV). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of EP-GERD was 5.8% (72/1234) and this patient group was dominated by men. Aging had minimal effect on prevalence in men, but the prevalence rose among women as they aged. The age-stratified prevalence of GEFV functional anomalies was similar to the age-stratified prevalence of EP-GERD in both sexes. The correlation between EP-GERD and GEFV functional anomalies was high regardless of sex. CONCLUSIONS: We postulate that the mechanisms leading to the development of GEFV functional anomalies in men are different from those in women. Future evaluations of EP-GERD should also observe GEFV function.
We have developed and established a zoom endoscopy technique based on visualization of the mucosal microvascular architecture in units as small as the capillary in the normal stomach and early gastric cancer. With regard to the microvascular architecture of the normal stomach, the findings differed according to the section of the stomach. The gastric body showed a honeycomb-like subepithelial capillary network pattern with collecting venule, whereas the gastric antrum showed a coil-shaped subepithelial capillary network pattern. Regarding early gastric cancer, the following findings seemed to be specific for differentiated carcinoma: (1) a demarcation line between the cancerous and the noncancerous mucosa, (2) the disappearance of the regular subepithelial capillary network pattern, and (3) the presence of an irregular microvascular pattern. These findings, which were visualized by magnified observation, could be useful in clinical practice when we attempt to make a correct endoscopic diagnosis of flat reddened lesions (gastritis vs cancer) and when we attempt to determine the precise horizontal margin of early gastric cancer. This could help us to perform successful endoscopic resection based on endoscopic findings alone. In conclusion, our zoom endoscopy for visualizing the microvascular architecture in gastric mucosa could be a new system for diagnosing early gastric cancer.
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to delineate the incidence and the clinical features of abnormal pancreatic imaging in patients suffering from Crohn's disease. METHODS: The subjects of this retrospective study were 255 patients with Crohn's disease who were treated at our unit and who were followed-up for more than 3 years. RESULTS: Sixteen of the 255 Crohn's disease patients (6.3%) had morphological abnormalities of the pancreas. The cumulative incidence of abnormal pancreatic imaging as a complication of Crohn's disease was 5.2% at 5 years and 6.3% at 10 years after the initial diagnosis of Crohn's disease. Four of the patients with Crohn's disease already showed abnormal pancreatic imaging at the initial examination. Morphological examinations of the pancreas showed that none of the sixteen suffered from severe conditions. The abnormal pancreatic imaging was unrelated to the therapeutic regimens employed for Crohn's disease or to its activity. When patients with Crohn's disease with and without abnormal pancreatic imaging were compared, there were no significant differences in any of the background clinical features of Crohn's disease. When we compared pancreatic imaging according to the type of Crohn's disease, in the solely aphthous ulcerations type, the occurrence of abnormal pancreatic imaging was significantly higher (P = 0.02) than that in the other types. In 7 patients who had suffered from Crohn's disease for more than 10 years, the clinical course of abnormal pancreatic imaging was not progressive, regardless of the progression of Crohn's disease. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that abnormal pancreatic imaging is not serious a complication of Crohn's disease, and is unrelated to the course of Crohn's disease.
BACKGROUND: We aimed to elucidate the incidence and natural course of abdominal abscess complicating Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS: Of 352 patients with CD who were observed at our hospital between 1985 and October 2001, we studied 35 patients (9.9%) with abscesses in the mid-abdominal region (the abdominal wall, peritoneal cavity, retroperitoneum, and subphrenic region). RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of complication with an abscess was 9% and 25%, respectively, 10 and 20 years after CD onset. Of the 35 CD patients with abscess, 60% had had surgery by the time of the present study. The age when the abscess developed was 30.1 +/- 8.1 years, and the duration of illness from the onset of CD until development of an abscess was 10.8 +/- 6.3 years (range, 0-29 years). The location of involvement was: abdominal wall, n = 14 (40%); peritoneal cavity, n = 10 (29%); retroperitoneum or iliopsoas, n = 9 (26%); and subphrenic region, n = 2 (6%). In terms of location of abscess, it occurred most often on the right side (65.7%). Almost all abscesses occurred near the site of an anastomosis. Diseased segments of the bowel responsible for abscess formation were categorized radiographically as showing mild stenosis (6.5%), intermediate stenosis and/or simple fistula (41.9%), and severe stenosis and/or multiple fistulas (51.6%). Conservative treatment (including drainage of abscess) alone was effective in 7 patients (20%) and surgery was needed in 28 patients (80%). During the 5.3-year follow-up after treatment for the abdominal abscess, 9 of the 35 patients (26%) had recurrence of an abscess, mostly within 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: Abscess formation was noted in about 10% of patients with CD, with 46% of abscesses occurring in a diseased bowel segment near an anastomotic site. Of the diseased bowel segments responsible for abscess formation, half had neither severe stenosis nor multiple fistulas. Almost all patients underwent surgery for the abscess, and, in more than a quarter of the patients, there was recurrence within a few years after surgery.
BACKGROUND: Active Crohn's disease (CD) is often associated with elevated levels of platelets, granulocytes, and monocytes that are activated and resistant to apoptosis. The level of neutrophils in the intestinal mucosa has been quantitatively related to the severity of intestinal inflammation in CD. We postulated that patients with CD that is refractory to conventional medications might respond to a reduction of granulocytes and monocytes by adsorptive apheresis. METHODS: Twenty-one patients with a CD activity index (CDAI) of 200-399 and unresponsive to standard medication, which included nutritional intervention, received granulocyte and monocyte adsorptive apheresis (GCAP) as an adjunct to their ongoing medication. GCAP was performed with an Adacolumn, which adsorbs granulocytes, monocytes, and a small fraction of lymphocytes (FcgammaR and complement receptor-bearing leucocytes). Patients received one GCAP session/week for 5 consecutive weeks. CDAI, International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IOIBD), and IBD questionnaire (IBDQ) scores were evaluated. RESULTS: During the initial conventional/nutritional therapy, no significant improvement was seen in any patient. However, at week 7 of GCAP therapy, significant improvements in CDAI, IOIBD, and IBDQ scores were observed. The CDAI, IOIBD, and IBDQ scores before GCAP were 275.6+/-54.2, 3.4+/-1.4, and 152+/-22, respectively. The corresponding values after GCAP were 214.8+/-89.2 (P=0.0005), 2.54+/-1.5 (P=0.0224), and 165+/-29 (P=0.0327), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: GCAP could be effective for inducing remission and improving quality of life in patients with active CD that is refractory to conventional therapy.
BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy with terminal ileoscopy is crucial for the diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis. This report describes characteristic endoscopic findings in patients with intestinal tuberculosis with few or no clinical symptoms. METHODS: Data for 11 consecutive patients in whom a diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis was made during the last 15 years in one facility were reviewed. Clinical findings and the frequency of endoscopic findings were evaluated. Mucosal lesions were classified into 4 types: type 1, circumferential ulceration with nodules; type 2, round or irregularly shaped small ulcers, arranged circumferentially, without nodules; type 3, multiple erosions restricted to the large intestine; and type 4, small ulcers or erosions restricted to the ileum. The gross endoscopic appearance of healed lesions included patulous ileocecal valve, pseudodiverticular deformity, and atrophic mucosal areas with aggregated ulcer scars. RESULTS: Only one patient had remarkable clinical symptoms (anorexia and weight loss), whereas, the other 10 had few or no symptoms. The frequency of type 1, 2, 3, and 4 endoscopic findings was, respectively, 36%, 36%, 9%, and 18%. The frequencies for patulous ileocecal valve, pseudodiverticular deformity, and atrophic mucosal area were, respectively, 45%, 45%, and 91%. CONCLUSIONS: When colonoscopy is performed in asymptomatic patients, it is important to be aware of subtle endoscopic findings that are characteristic for intestinal tuberculosis. Recognition of such findings may lead to a correct diagnosis of early stage intestinal tuberculosis.
BACKGROUND: Although an accurate diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and differentiation between ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) can be made in most patients, it is sometimes impossible to distinguish UC from CD even after thorough pathological study. Recently, clinicians have used the term indeterminate colitis (IC) for patients with features of both diseases that overlap temporarily or persistently. The frequency, reasons, and outcome of patients with a clinical diagnosis of IC based on radiological, endoscopic, and histopathological findings were investigated retrospectively. METHODS: Based on records of 735 patients with IBD, IC was defined as having features of both UC and CD, with differentiation from each other impossible at least once during the observation period (average 6.8 years) based on diagnostic criteria using endoscopic, radiological, and histological findings. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were identified as having IC. They were classified into three patterns according to the clinical course and the final diagnosis: (1) UC changing to CD (n = 8); (2) CD changing to UC (n = 5); and (3) UC or CD (n = 10). The frequency of IC was 24.5%-43.4% of colitis-type CD (n = 53), 2.3%-6.5% of all CD (n = 352), and 3.1% of IBD (n = 735). The reasons for the indetermination were temporary (56.5%) or persistent (43.5%) overlapping of UC-like and CD-like presentations. Treatment of IC was inappropriate in only two patients, and the prognoses of all patients except one were fairly good. CONCLUSIONS: Overlapping of UC-like presentations (persistent bloody stool and diffuse colitis) was frequently observed with Crohn's colitis but less so in CD patients during their clinical course. The basis of differentiation and treatment of IC needs more attention.
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BACKGROUND: The diagnostic accuracy of the determination of anti- Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) and its clinical significance in Crohn's disease (CD) have been reported in Western countries, but scarcely reported in Japan, where the dietary habits of people differ markedly from those of Western countries. Th present study was undertaken to examine the diagnostic accuracy and clinical significance of ASCA determination in Japanese patients with CD or ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: Seventy-five serum samples obtained from 68 patients with CD, 34 serum samples obtained from 30 patients with UC, 35 serum samples from 35 patients with liver cirrhosis, and 31 serum samples from 31 healthy controls were examined. The optical density of each sample was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method to quantify ASCA IgA and IgG. RESULTS: The cutoff level, as determined by discriminant analysis of the data, was 0.1502 for ASCA IgA and 0.156 for ASCA IgG. Of the 68 patients with CD, 31 (45.6%) were ASCA-positive, and of the 30 patients with UC, 4 (13.3%) were ASCA-positive according to these cutoff levels. The sensitivity and specificity of ASCA determination for the differential diagnosis of CD from UC were 45.6% and 86.7%, respectively. When the relationship between ASCA and the clinical features of CD was analyzed, ASCA positivity was found to be correlated with duration of illness. CONCLUSIONS: The specificity of ASCA was high; however, the sensitivity was not. ASCA titers were generally low in the Japanese population examined. It would be desirable to determine cutoff levels for ASCA tailored to the Japanese people for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease.