Effect of precut sphincterotomy on post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis:A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM:To conduct a systemic review and meta-analysis to investigate the role of early precut technique.Multiple randomized controlled trails(RCTs)have reported conflicting results of the early precut sphincterotomy.METHODS:MEDLINE/PubMed,EMBASE,Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Systematic Reviews,and recent abstracts from major conference proceedings were searched(June 2013).Randomized and non-randomized studies comparing early precut technique with prolonged standard methods were included.Pooled estimates of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)pancreatitis(PEP),cannulation and adverse events were analyzed by using odds ratio(OR).Random and fixed effects models were used as appropriate.Publication bias was assessed by funnel plots.Heterogeneity among studies was assessed by calculating I2 measure of inconsistency.RESULTS:Seven randomized and seven non-randomized trials met inclusion criteria.Meta-analysis of RCTs showed a decrease trend for PEP with early precut sphincterotomy but was not statistically significant(OR=0.58;95%CI:0.32-1.05;P=0.07).No heterogeneity was noted among the studies with I2 of 0%.CONCLUSION:Early precut technique for common bile duct cannulation decreases the trend of post-ERCP pancreatitis.

Bowel preparation prior to colonoscopy:A continual search for excellence

Bowel preparation prior to colonoscopy is essential to maximize the benefits of colonoscopy.Numerous bowel preparations have been studied,ranging from 4 L polyethylene glycol(PEG) to split-dose regimens to 2 L PEG with an adjunct laxative(senna,bisacodyl,ascorbic acid).Due to the large volume of PEG required for adequate bowel preparation,many studies have focused on reducing this large volume to only 2 L PEG with the addition of an adjunct.Recently,a randomized controlled trial by Tajika et al showed that the addition of mosapride to only 1.5 L PEG was non-inferior to mosapride and 2 L PEG for bowel cleansing but did provide improvements in patient tolerance.This study offers yet another potential bowel preparation for patients undergoing colonoscopy and may trigger further studies with 1.5 L PEG with an adjunct.In this letter,we discuss the current state of bowel preparation prior to colonoscopy and offer information to guide clinicians on choosing the appropriate bowel preparation for their patients.

Obstructive jaundice due to a rare periampullary tumor

Gangliocytic paraganglioma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor predominantly arising in the second part of the duodenum with rare local recurrence or metastasis to regional lymph nodes.A 92-year-old female presented with obstructive jaundice.On exam she had pale conjunctiva and icteric sclera.Abdominal examination revealed tenderness in the upper abdomen.Laboratory data was consistent with obstructive jaundice.Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a dilated gall bladder and a common bile duct(CBD)with no evidence of liver lesions or pancreatic head mass.Endoscopic ultrasonography revealed a 1 cm isoechoic submucosal nodule at the periampullary area,dilated CBD(9 mm),a prominent pancreatic duct(4.1 mm)and a hydropic gall bladder with no stones.Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography was performed to relieve obstruction and showed a 1 cm periampullary mass which underwent an en-bloc snare resection.Histopathology analyses with immunohistochemical stains were positive for cytokeratin,synaptophysin,S-100 protein,neuron specific enolase and negative for actin and desmin consistent with periampullary gangliocytic paraganglioma.Periampullary gangliocytic paraganglioma is a rare benign tumor of the small bowel.Common presentation includes abdominal pain and obstructive jaundice which should be included in differential diagnosis of obstructive jaundice.Endoscopic resection is a curative therapy in the absence of local invasion or distant metastasis.

Hyoscine for polyp detection during colonoscopy: A meta-analysis and systematic review

AIM: To assess the role of hyoscine for polyp detectionduring colonoscopy.METHODS: Studies(randomized controlled trials orRCTs) that compared the use of hyoscine vs no hyo-scine or placebo for polyp detection during colonoscopywere included in our analysis. A search on multiple da-tabases was performed in September 2013 with searchterms being "hyoscine and colonoscopy", "hyoscineand polyp", "hyoscine and adenoma", "antispasmoticand colonoscopy", "antispasmotic and adenoma", and"antispasmotic and polyp". Jadad scoring was used toassess the quality of studies. The efficacy of hyoscinewas analyzed using Mantel-Haenszel model for polypand adenoma detection with odds ratio(OR). The I2measure of inconsistency was used to assess hetero-geneity(P < 0.05 or I2 > 50%). Statistical analysis was performed by RevMan 5.1. Funnel plots was used to assess publication bias.RESULTS: The search of the electronic databases identified 283 articles. Of these articles, eight published RCTs performed at various locations in Europe, Asia, and Australia were included in our meta-analysis, seven published as manuscripts and one published as an ab-stract(n = 2307). All the studies included patients with a hyoscine and a no hyoscine/placebo group and were of adequate quality(Jadad score ≥ 2). Eight RCTs as-sessed the polyp detection rate(PDR)(n = 2307). The use of hyoscine demonstrated no statistically significant difference as compared to no hyoscine or placebo for PDR(OR = 1.06; 95%CI: 0.89-1.25; P = 0.51). Five RCTs assessed the adenoma detection rate(ADR)(n = 2015). The use of hyoscine demonstrated no statisti-cally significant difference as compared to no hyoscine or placebo for ADR(OR = 1.12; 95%CI: 0.92-1.37; P = 0.25). Furthermore, the timing of hyoscine admin-istration(given at cecal intubation or pre-procedure) demonstrated no differences in PDR compared to no hyoscine or placebo. Publication bias or heterogeneity was not observed for any of the outcomes.CONCLUSION: Hyoscine use in patients undergoing colonoscopy does not appear to significantly increase the detection of polyps or adenomas.

Ascorbic acid and low-volume polyethylene glycol for bowel preparation prior to colonoscopy:A meta-analysis

AIM: To evaluate the benefits of low-volume polyethylene glycol(PEG) with ascorbic acid compared to fulldose PEG for colonoscopy preparation. METHODS: MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL, Pub Med, and recent abstracts from major conferences were searched(January 2012). Only randomized-controlled trials on adult subjects comparing lowvolume PEG(2 L) with ascorbic acid vs full-dose PEG(3 or 4 L) were included. Meta-analysis for the efficacy of low-volume PEG with ascorbic acid and full-dose PEG were analyzed by calculating pooled estimates of number of satisfactory bowel preparations as well as adverse patient events(abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting). Separate analyses were performed for each main outcome by using OR with fixed and random effects models. Heterogeneity was assessed by calculating the I2 measure of inconsistency. Rev Man 5.1 was utilized for statistical analysis.RESULTS: The initial search identified 242 articles and trials. Nine studies(n = 2911) met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed for this meta-analysis with mean age range from 53.0 to 59.6 years. All studies were randomized controlled trials on adult patients comparing large-volume PEG solutions(3 or 4 L) with low-volume PEG solutions and ascorbic acid. No statistically significant difference was noted between lowvolume PEG with ascorbic acid and full-dose PEG for number of satisfactory bowel preparations(OR 1.07, 95%CI: 0.86-1.33, P = 0.56). No statistically significant difference was noted between low-volume PEG with ascorbic acid and full-dose PEG for abdominal pain(OR 1.09, 95%CI: 0.81-1.48, P = 0.56), nausea(OR 0.70, 95%CI: 0.49-1.00, P = 0.05), or vomiting(OR 0.99, 95%CI: 0.78-1.26, P = 0.95). No publication bias was noted.CONCLUSION: Low-volume PEG with the addition of ascorbic acid demonstrates no statistically significant difference to full-dose PEG for satisfactory bowel preparation and side-effects.