Recurrence of choledocholithiasis following endoscopic bile duct clearance: Long term results and factors associated with recurrent bile duct stones

AIM To evaluate the rate of recurrence of symptomatic chol-edocholithiasis and identify factors associated with the recurrence of bile duct stones in patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP) and endoscopic sphincterotomy(EST) for bile duct stone disease.METHODS All patients who underwent ERCP and EST for bile duct stone disease and had their bile duct cleared from 1/1/2005 until 31/12/2008 was enrolled. All symptomatic recurrences during the study period(until 31/12/2015) were recorded. Clinical and laboratory data potentially associated with common bile duct(CBD) stone recurrence were retrospectively retrieved from patients' files.RESULTS A total of 495 patients were included. Sixty seven(67) out of 495 patients(13.5%) presented with recurrent symptomatic choledocholithiasis after 35.28 ± 16.9 mo while twenty two(22) of these patients(32.8%) experienced a second recurrence after 35.19 ± 23.2 mo. Factors associated with recurrence were size(diameter) of the largest CBD stone found at first presentation(10.2 ± 6.9 mm vs 7.2 ± 4.1 mm, P = 0.024), diameter of the CBD at the first examination(15.5 ± 6.3 mm vs 12.0 ± 4.6 mm, P = 0.005), use of mechanical lithotripsy(ML)(P = 0.04) and presence of difficult lithiasis(P = 0.04). Periampullary diverticula showed a trend towards significance(P = 0.066). On the contrary, number of stones, angulation of the CBD, number of ERCP sessions required to clear the CBD at first presentation, more than one ERCP session needed to clear the bile duct initially and a gallbladder in situ did not influence recurrence. CONCLUSION Bile duct stone recurrence is a possible late complication following endoscopic stone extraction and CBD clearance. It appears to be associated with anatomical parameters(CBD diameter) and stone characteristics(stone size, use of ML, difficult lithiasis) at first presentation.

Adipokines levels are associated with the severity of liver disease in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis

AIM:To investigate the adipokine levels of leptin,adiponectin,resistin,visfatin,retinol-binding protein 4(RBP4),apelin in alcoholic liver cirrhosis(ALC).METHODS:Forty non-diabetic ALC patients[median age:59 years,males:35(87.5%),Child-Pugh(CP)score:median 7(5-12),CP A/B/C:18/10/12,Model for End-stage Liver Disease(MELD):median 10(6-25),follow-up:median 32.5 mo(10-43)]were prospectively included.The serum adipokine levels were estimated in duplicate by ELISA.Somatometric characteristics were assessed with tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance analysis.Pearson’s rank correlation coefficient was used to assess possible associations with adipokine levels.Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine independent predictors for overallsurvival.RESULTS:Body mass index:median 25.9(range:20.1-39.3),fat:23.4%(7.6-42.1),fat mass:17.8(5.49-45.4),free fat mass:56.1(39.6-74.4),total body water(TBW):40.6(29.8-58.8).Leptin and visfatin levels were positively associated with fat mass(P<0.001/P=0.027,respectively)and RBP4 with TBW(P=0.025).Median adiponectin levels were significantly higher in CPC compared to CPA(CPA:7.99±14.07,CPB:7.66±3.48,CPC:25.73±26.8,P=0.04),whereas median RBP4 and apelin levels decreased across the spectrum of disease severity(P=0.006/P=0.034,respectively).Following adjustment for fat mass,visfatin and adiponectin levels were significantly increased from CPA to CPC(both P<0.001),whereas an inverse correlation was observed for both RBP4 and apelin(both P<0.001).In the multivariate Cox regression analysis,only MELD had an independent association with overall survival(HR=1.53,95%CI:1.05-2.32;P=0.029).CONCLUSION:Adipokines are associated with deteriorating liver function in a complex manner in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis.

Pituitary hormone circadian rhythm alterations in cirrhosis patients with subclinical hepatic encephalopathy

AIM:To analyze pituitary hormone and melatonin circadian rhythms, and to correlate hormonal alterations with clinical performance, hepatic disease severity and diagnostic tests used for the detection of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis. METHODS:Twenty-six patients with cirrhosis were enrolled in the study. Thirteen patients hospitalized for systemic diseases not affecting the liver were included as controls. Liver disease severity was assessed by the Child-Pugh score. All patients underwent detailed neurological assessment, electroencephalogram (EEG), brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), assays of pituitary hormone, cortisol and melatonin, and complete blood chemistry evaluation. RESULTS: Pituitary hormone and melatonin circadian patterns were altered in cirrhosis patients without clinical encephalopathy. Circadian hormone alterations were different in cirrhosis patients compared with controls. Although cortisol secretion was not altered in any patient with cirrhosis, the basal cortisol levels were lowand correlated with EEG and brain MRI abnormalities. Melatonin was the only hormone associated with the severity of liver insufficiency. CONCLUSION: Abnormal pituitary hormone and melatonin circadian patterns are present in cirrhosis before the development of hepatic encephalopathy. These abnormalities may be early indicators of impending hepatic encephalopathy. Factors affecting the human biologic clock at the early stages of liver insufficiency require further study.

Impact of muscle wasting on survival in patients with liver cirrhosis

Muscle wasting is defined as the progressive and generalized loss of muscle mass. Muscle depletion is a common feature of chronic liver disease foundin approximately 40% of patients with cirrhosis. Its etiology is multifactorial subsequent to liver failure and its prevalence increases along with disease severity. Cross-sectional analytic morphometry using computed tomography(CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging are considered by consensus the gold standards to assess muscle size in cirrhosis for research purposes because they are not biased by fluid accumulation. Several studies have assessed the impact of muscle wasting on overall survival of patients in the waiting list for liver transplantation and there is a general agreement that decreased muscle size assessed by CT scan is an independent predictor for mortality in cirrhosis. It has been proposed that the addition of cross-sectional muscle area into the Model for End-stage Liver Disease can increase its prognostic performance. Nevertheless, the use of CT scan in assessing muscle size is inappropriate for routine clinical practice and an alternative cost-effective, easy to use and accurate tool should be developed. In conclusion, muscle wasting has a detrimental impact on survival of patients with cirrhosis and, thus, it remains to be elucidated if nutritional interventions and exercise could improve muscle wasting and, subsequently, survival in this setting.

Changes in the esophageal mucosa of patients with non erosive reflux disease:How far have we gone?

The normal esophageal mucosa creates a protective epithelial barrier that constrains the acidic reflux in the esophageal lumen. Microscopic findings and functional studies indicate that this barrier might be impaired in patients with non erosive reflux disease(NERD) but not in patients with functional heartburn(FH). Whereas endoscopy and pH monitoring are the most important diagnostic tools in the diagnosis of NERD, recent studies suggest that esophageal biopsies might have a complementary role. Particularly in the differential diagnosis between NERD and FH, the application of histological severity scores showed very promising results. Further evaluation of the scores could lead to routine application of histology in specific NERD populations.