AIM： To compare two different daily doses of lansoprazole given for 12 weeks and to assess the role of gastrointestinal （GI） investigations as criteria for selecting patients. METHODS： Out of 45 patients referred ...AIM： To compare two different daily doses of lansoprazole given for 12 weeks and to assess the role of gastrointestinal （GI） investigations as criteria for selecting patients. METHODS： Out of 45 patients referred for unexplained chronic persistent cough, 36 had at least one of the GI investigations （endoscopy, 24-h esophageal pH- metry and a 4-week trial of proton pump inhibitor （PPI） therapy） positive and were randomly assigned to receive either 30 mg lansoprazole o.d. or 30 mg lansoprazole b.i.d, for 12 weeks. Symptoms were evaluated at baseline （visit 1） after the PPI test （visit 2） and after the 12-week lansoprazole treatment period （visit 3）. RESULTS： Thirty-five patients completed the study protocol. Twenty-one patients （60.0%） reported complete relief from their cough with no difference between the two treatment groups （58.8% and 61.1% had no cough in 30 mg lansoprazole and 60 mg lansoprazole groups, respectively）. More than 80% of the patients who had complete relief from their cough at the end of the treatment showed a positive response to the PPI test. CONCLUSION： Twelve weeks of lansoprazole treatment even at a standard daily dose, is effective in patients with chronic persistent cough. A positive response to an initial PPI test seems to be the best criterion for selecting patients who respond to therapy.展开更多
Peroral cholangioscopy(POC) is an important tool for the management of a selected group of biliary diseases. Because of its direct visualization, POC allows targeted diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. POC can be p...Peroral cholangioscopy(POC) is an important tool for the management of a selected group of biliary diseases. Because of its direct visualization, POC allows targeted diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. POC can be performed using a dedicated cholangioscope that is advanced through the accessory channel of a duodenoscope or via the insertion of a small-diameter endoscope directly into the bile duct. POC was first described in the 1970 s, but the use of earlier generation devices was substantially limited by the cumbersome equipment setup and high repair costs. For nearly ten years, several technical improvements, including the single-operator system, high-quality images, the development of dedicated accessories and the increased size of the working channel, have led to increased diagnostic accuracy, thus assisting in the differentiation of benign and malignant intraductal lesions, targeting biopsies and the precise delineation of intraductal tumor spread before surgery. Furthermore, lithotripsy of difficult bile duct stones, ablative therapies for biliary malignancies and direct biliary drainage can be performed under POC control. Recent developments of new types of conventional POCs allow feasible, safe and effective procedures at reasonable costs. In the current review, we provide an updated overview of POC, focusing our attention on the main current clinical applications and on areas for future research.展开更多
文摘AIM： To compare two different daily doses of lansoprazole given for 12 weeks and to assess the role of gastrointestinal （GI） investigations as criteria for selecting patients. METHODS： Out of 45 patients referred for unexplained chronic persistent cough, 36 had at least one of the GI investigations （endoscopy, 24-h esophageal pH- metry and a 4-week trial of proton pump inhibitor （PPI） therapy） positive and were randomly assigned to receive either 30 mg lansoprazole o.d. or 30 mg lansoprazole b.i.d, for 12 weeks. Symptoms were evaluated at baseline （visit 1） after the PPI test （visit 2） and after the 12-week lansoprazole treatment period （visit 3）. RESULTS： Thirty-five patients completed the study protocol. Twenty-one patients （60.0%） reported complete relief from their cough with no difference between the two treatment groups （58.8% and 61.1% had no cough in 30 mg lansoprazole and 60 mg lansoprazole groups, respectively）. More than 80% of the patients who had complete relief from their cough at the end of the treatment showed a positive response to the PPI test. CONCLUSION： Twelve weeks of lansoprazole treatment even at a standard daily dose, is effective in patients with chronic persistent cough. A positive response to an initial PPI test seems to be the best criterion for selecting patients who respond to therapy.
文摘Peroral cholangioscopy(POC) is an important tool for the management of a selected group of biliary diseases. Because of its direct visualization, POC allows targeted diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. POC can be performed using a dedicated cholangioscope that is advanced through the accessory channel of a duodenoscope or via the insertion of a small-diameter endoscope directly into the bile duct. POC was first described in the 1970 s, but the use of earlier generation devices was substantially limited by the cumbersome equipment setup and high repair costs. For nearly ten years, several technical improvements, including the single-operator system, high-quality images, the development of dedicated accessories and the increased size of the working channel, have led to increased diagnostic accuracy, thus assisting in the differentiation of benign and malignant intraductal lesions, targeting biopsies and the precise delineation of intraductal tumor spread before surgery. Furthermore, lithotripsy of difficult bile duct stones, ablative therapies for biliary malignancies and direct biliary drainage can be performed under POC control. Recent developments of new types of conventional POCs allow feasible, safe and effective procedures at reasonable costs. In the current review, we provide an updated overview of POC, focusing our attention on the main current clinical applications and on areas for future research.
