Usefulness of Contrast-Enhanced CT on Arrival in Colonic Diverticular Bleeding

Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and colonoscopy are very useful for the diagnosis and treatment of colonic diverticular bleeding. However, the timing of CT has been reported in few cases. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of contrast-enhanced CT on arrival in colonic diverticular bleeding. We conducted a review of the data of patients that were diagnosed with colonic diverticular bleeding between July 2010 and December 2021. Eighty-two patients (51 males, 31 females, average age 69.1 years) were admitted with diagnosis of colonic diverticular bleeding after undergoing contrast-enhanced CT. We retrospectively investigated the relationship between the initial diagnosis by contrast-enhanced CT on arrival at the hospital and the results of endoscopic identification. Contrast-enhanced CT showed extravasation of contrast medium in 30 cases. The time from the onset of bloody stool to the implementation of contrast-enhanced CT was significantly shorter in cases with extravasation images in the CT (average 7.9 hours) than in cases without extravasation images in the CT (average 15.3 hours). The identification rate of diverticular bleeding sites with colonoscopy was significantly higher in cases with extravasation images in the CT (83%) than in cases without extravasation images in the CT (36.5%). The final treatment methods were endoscopic hemostasis in 46 cases, medical treatment alone in 26 cases, transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) in 8 cases, and surgery in 2 cases. For patients suspected of colonic diverticular bleeding, performing contrast-enhanced CT early and estimating the bleeding site before colonoscopy may lead to the success of endoscopic hemostasis. To identify and treat successfully colonic diverticular bleeding by colonoscopy, the early use of contrast-enhanced CT before colonoscopy is highly recommended.

A body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with acute pancreatitis: a study of Japanese patients

BACKGROUND:In Asian population, there is limited infor mation on the relevance between obesity and poor outcomes in acute pancreatitis(AP). The objective of this study was to examine the clinical impact of obesity based on body mass index(BMI) on prognosis of AP in Japanese patients.METHODS:A total of 116 patients with AP were enrolled in this study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine relations between BMI and patients’ outcomes. Additionally, to investigate whether including obesity as a prognostic factor improved the predic tive accuracy of a Japanese prognostic factor score(PF score)a receiver-operating characteristic(ROC) curve analysis of mortality was conducted.RESULTS:Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that BMI ≥25 kg/m2was associated with a significant higher mor tality [odds ratio(OR)=15.8; 95% confidence interval(CI):1.1-227; P=0.043]. The area under the ROC curve(AUC) for the combination of PF score and BMI ≥25 kg/m2(AUC=0.881;95% CI:0.809-0.952) was higher than that for the PF score alone(AUC=0.820; 95% CI:0.713-0.927)(P=0.034).CONCLUSIONS:The negative impact of a high BMI on the prognosis of AP was confirmed in a Japanese population Including BMI ≥25 kg/m2 as an additional parameter to PF score enhanced the predictive value of the PF score for AP-related mortality.