Efficacy and safety of limited endoscopic sphincterotomy before self-expandable metal stent insertion for malignant biliary obstruction

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of limited endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) before placement of self-expandable metal stent (SEMS).METHODSThis was a retrospective analysis of 244 consecutive patients with unresectable malignant biliary obstruction, who underwent placement of SEMSs following limited ES from December 2008 to February 2015. The diagnosis of malignant biliary obstruction and assessment of patient eligibility for the study was established by a combination of clinical findings, laboratory investigations, imaging and pathological results. All patients were monitored in the hospital for at least 24 h following endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography (ERCP). The incidence of immediate or early post-ERCP complications such as post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) and bleeding related to limited ES were considered as primary outcomes. Also, characteristics and complications according to the cancer type were classified.RESULTSAmong the 244 patients included, the underlying diagnosis was cholangiocarcinoma in 118 patients, pancreatic cancer in 79, and non-pancreatic or non-biliary malignancies in the remaining 47 patients. Early post-ERCP complications occurred in 9 patients (3.7%), with PEP in 7 patients (2.9%; mild, 6; moderate, 1) and mild bleeding in 2 patients (0.8%). There was no significant association between the incidence of post-ERCP complications and the type of malignancy (cholangiocarcinoma vs pancreatic cancer vs others, P = 0.696) or the type of SEMS used (uncovered vs covered, P = 1.000). Patients who had more than one SEMS placed at the first instance were at a significantly higher risk of post-ERCP complications (one SEMS vs two SEMS, P = 0.031). No other factors were predictive of post-ERCP complications.CONCLUSIONLimited ES is feasible and safe, and effectively facilitates the placement of SEMS, without any significant risk of PEP or severe bleeding.

Assessment of disease activity by fecal immunochemical test in ulcerative colitis

AIM To evaluate the efficacy of quantitative fecal immunochemical test(FIT) as biomarker of disease activity in ulcerative colitis(UC).METHODS Between February 2013 and November 2014, a total of 82 FIT results, obtained in conjunction with colonoscopies, were retrospectivelyevaluated for 63 patients with UC. The efficacy of FIT for evaluation of disease activity was compared to colonoscopic findings. Quantitative fecal blood with automated equipment examined from collected feces. Endoscopic disease severity were assessed using the Mayo endoscopic subscore(MES) classification. The extent of disease were classified by proctitis(E1), left sided colitis(E2), and extensive colitis(E3). Clinical activity were subgrouped by remission or active.RESULTS All of 21 patients with MES 0 had negative FIT(< 7 ng/mL), but 22 patients with MES 2 or 3 had a mean FIT of > 134.89 ng/m L. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value(PPV), negative predictive value(NPV) and accuracy of negative FIT about mucosal healing were 73.33%, 81.82%, 91.49%, 51.43% and 73.17%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of predictive value of positive FIT(cutoff value > 100 ng/mL) about active disease status were 45.45%, 93.33%, 71.43%, 82.35%and 26.83%, respectively. Among patients with clinical remission, FIT was negative in 31(81.6%) of 38 cases, with a mean fecal hemoglobin concentration of 6.12 ng/mL(range, negative to 80.9 ng/mL) for this group of patients. Among patients with clinical active disease, FIT was negative in 16(36.4%) out of 44 cases, with a mean fecal hemoglobin concentration > 167.4 ng/mL for this group of patients. FIT was positively correlated with endoscopic activity(r = 0.626, P < 0.01) and clinical activity(r = 0.496, P < 0.01). But, FIT did not correlate with the extent of disease(r =-0.047, P = 0.676)CONCLUSION Quantitative FIT can be a non-invasive and effective biomarker for evaluation of clinical and endoscopic activity in UC, but not predict the extent of disease.