Ectopic pancreas in the gallbladder with recurrent cholecystitis and mimicking biliary pancreatitis: A case report

Ectopic pancreas is a rare congenital malformation with pancreatic tissue in an aberrant loca tion and not contiguous with the main gland. Patients suffering from ectopic pancreas usually have lesions in the stomach or duodenum. Ectopic pancreatic tissue in the gallbladder is very rare, and only several cases have been reported. We report one case of a 33 year old man with ectopic pancreas presenting as repeatedly colic pain in the right upper quadrant of abdomen. He was first diagnosed as recurrent cholecys- titis accompanied by biliary pancreatitis, but surgical pathology proved he suffered from cholecystitis and ectopic pancreas in the gallbladder wall, and the laparoscopic cholecystectomy led to relief.

Pathophysiology of severe gallstone pancreatitis:A new paradigm

Severe gallstone pancreatitis(GSP)refractory to maximum conservative therapy has wide clinical variations,and its pathophysiology remains controversial.This Editorial aimed to investigate the pathophysiology of severe disease based on Opie’s theories of obstruction,the common channel,and duodenal reflux and describe its types.Severe GSP might be a hybrid disease with pathology polarized between acute cholangitis with mild pancreatitis(biliary type)and necrotizing pancreatitis uncomplicated with biliary tract disease(pancreatic type),in which hepatobiliary and pancreatic lesion severity is inversely related to the presence or absence of impacted ampullary stones.Severe GSP is caused by stones that are persistently impacted at the ampulla with biliopancreatic obstruction(biliary type),and probably,stones that are either temporarily lodged at the duodenal orifice or passed into the duodenum,thereby permitting reflux of bile or possible duodenal contents into the pancreas(pancreas type).When the status of the stones and the presence or absence of impacted ampullary stones with biliopancreatic obstruction are determined,the clinical course and outcome can be predicted.Gallstones represent the main cause of acute pancreatitis globally,and clinicians are expected to encounter GSP more often.Awareness of the etiology and pathogenesis of severe disease is mandatory.

Machine learning-based decision tool for selecting patients with idiopathic acute pancreatitis for endosonography to exclude a biliary aetiology

BACKGROUND Biliary microlithiasis/sludge is detected in approximately 30%of patients with idiopathic acute pancreatitis(IAP).As recurrent biliary pancreatitis can be prevented,the underlying aetiology of IAP should be established.AIM To develop a machine learning(ML)based decision tool for the use of endosonography(EUS)in pancreatitis patients to detect sludge and microlithiasis.METHODS We retrospectively used routinely recorded clinical and laboratory parameters of 218 consecutive patients with confirmed AP admitted to our tertiary care hospital between 2015 and 2020.Patients who did not receive EUS as part of the diagnostic work-up and whose pancreatitis episode could be adequately explained by other causes than biliary sludge and microlithiasis were excluded.We trained supervised ML classifiers using H_(2)O.ai automatically selecting the best suitable predictor model to predict microlithiasis/sludge.The predictor model was further validated in two independent retrospective cohorts from two tertiary care centers(117 patients).RESULTS Twenty-eight categorized patients’variables recorded at admission were identified to compute the predictor model with an accuracy of 0.84[95%confidence interval(CI):0.791-0.9185],positive predictive value of 0.84,and negative predictive value of 0.80 in the identification cohort(218 patients).In the validation cohort,the robustness of the prediction model was confirmed with an accuracy of 0.76(95%CI:0.673-0.8347),positive predictive value of 0.76,and negative predictive value of 0.78(117 patients).CONCLUSION We present a robust and validated ML-based predictor model consisting of routinely recorded parameters at admission that can predict biliary sludge and microlithiasis as the cause of AP.

Therapeutic effects of endoscopic therapy combined with enteral nutrition on acute severe biliary pancreatitis

Background Acute severe biliary pancreatitis （ASBP） is a severe and fatal disease, and the expenditure is huge and therapeutic effects are still not satisfactory. This study aimed to improve the therapeutic effects and reduce the expenditure of ASBP treatment.Methods One hundred and five patients diagnosed with ASBP were referred to our department from January 2004 to July 2009. Diagnosis was based on the 2007 criteria of the Chinese Society of Surgery. Patients were divided into two groups; the E group： 50 patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde choledochopancreatography （ERCP） ＋ endoscopic sphincterotomy （EST） ＋ endoscopic lithotripsy basket （ESR） ＋endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage （ERBD）and enteral nutrition （EN）, and the R group： 55 patients who underwent traditional treatment without ERCP. Subsequently,subjective symptoms, signs, biochemical analysis, serum endotoxin, tumor necrosis factor a, grades by computed tomography （CT）, cost of hospitalization and length of stay were compared between the two groups.Results All enrolled patients complied well with all therapeutic regimens. Endoscopic therapy that combined EN could significantly improve symptoms, clinical signs, laboratory values, tumor necrosis factor a and endotoxin while significantly reducing hospital expenditure and length of hospital stay. The experimental findings revealed that there were obvious advantages in the E group compared with the R group.Conclusions Endoscopic therapy combined with EN is an effective, safe and economic therapeutic regimen of ASBP.

Early versus delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy in uncomplicated biliary colic: An observational study

Objective:Biliary colic is a condition treated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy.However,the outcomes of surgery depend on early or delayed time points.Few research findings reported no benefits of early over delayed,on contra,other reported benefits.This study aims to compare the benefits associated with early and delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy among uncomplicated biliary colic patients.Methods:This observational study included patients with right upper abdominal pain and abdominal ultrasound showing cholelithiasis.Patients who were admitted at the first and second visits(within 6 weeks of the first visit)were assigned to the early and delayed groups,respectively.All participants were followed up for one-week postsurgery.The diagnosis of the patient,postoperative hospital stay,duration of surgery and complications were noted and compared primarily.Results:A total of 80 patients were included,40 each in the early group and delayed group.The patients in the two groups had comparable mean ages(40.55±13.12 y vs.40.45±12.06 y,p=0.972).The early group had more female patients(72.5%vs.45.0%,p=0.012).The duration of hospital stay(2.18±0.38 d vs.2.68±1.04 d,p=0.009)and duration of surgery(61.63±3.64 min vs.71.13±16.19 min,p=0.001)were found to be significantly different between the early and delayed groups.Only 1(2.5%)patient in both groups was converted to open cholecystectomy.Recurrent biliary colic requiring hospital admission was seen in 1(2.5%)patient and 6(15.0%)patients,acute cholecystitis in 2(5.0%)and 6(15.0%),biliary pancreatitis in 1(2.5%)and 2(5.0%),and obstructive jaundice in 1(2.5%)and 1(2.5%)in the early and delayed groups,respectively,with insignificant differences(p>0.05).Conclusion:Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy decreases the operating time and duration of hospital stay.In terms of postoperative complications,our study did not find any significant difference between the groups.

Why are we performing fewer cholecystectomies for mild acute biliary pancreatitis?Trends and predictors of cholecystectomy from the National Readmissions Database(2010–2014)

Background:Current guidelines recommend cholecystectomy for patients with mild acute biliary pancreatitis(MABP)during the index admission because it is associated with better outcomes.In this study,we aimed to assess national trends in cholecystectomy during index admissions for MABP and to identify factors associated with cholecystectomy completion and 30-day readmission.Methods:Using diagnostic codes and the National Readmissions Database,we identified patients admitted with MABP between 2010 and 2014.Differences in cholecystectomy rates were computed on the basis of various characteristics.We conducted a multivariable analysis to identify factors associated with 30-day readmission and cholecystectomy during the same admission.Results:We identified 255,695 unique index MABP cases(41.3%male)and the 30-day readmission rate was 12.6%.Overall,43.8%underwent cholecystectomy and 25%underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)with sphincterotomy.We observed a decreasing trend in both procedures during the study period(P<0.001).In multivariate analysis,odds of 30-day readmission were reduced for patients undergoing ERCP with sphincterotomy(odds ratio,0.78;95%confidence interval,0.74–0.84)or cholecystectomy(odds ratio,0.37;95%confidence interval,0.35–0.39).Conclusions:For patients with MABP,cholecystectomy or ERCP with sphincterotomy during the index admission decreased the risk of 30-day readmission.Despite this benefit and national guidelines recommending cholecystectomy during the index MABP admission,the rate of cholecystectomies performed nationally decreased during the study period.Further research is needed to understand the implications and reasons underlying this deviation from guidelines.

Migrated endoclip and stone formation after cholecystectomy:A new danger of acute pancreatitis

Endoclip migration into the common bile duct following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is an extremely rare complication. Migrated endoclip into the common bile duct can cause obstruction,serve as a nidus for stone formation,and cause cholangitis. We report a case of obstructive jaundice and acute biliary pancreatitis due to choledocholithiasis caused by a migrated endoclip 6 mo after LC. The patient underwent early endoscopic retrog-rade cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with endoscopic sphincterotomy and stone extraction.

Utility of endoscopic ultrasound in pancreatitis:A review

The close proximity of the endoscopic ultrasound probe to the pancreas results in superior spatial resolution compared to CT scan and MRI. In addition, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a minimally invasive procedure that does not share the relatively high complication rate of ERCP. Due to these advantages, EUS has evolved into an important technique to assess pancreatobiliary disease. This review will discuss the role of EUS in patients with pancreatitis. The indications can be divided into acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. In acute pancreatitis, EUS is used to determine the etiology; in suspected chronic pancreatitis it is helpful to establish the diagnosis. Lastly, this review will discuss biliary pancreatitis with suspicion for persistent choledocholithiasis.

Systemic therapy of non-colorectal gastrointestinal malignancies in the elderly

In the coming years life expectancy is expected to increase and with this the percentage of the population above age 65 will grow. Patients above 65 make up more than two thirds of those currently diagnosed with gastrointestinal malignancies. Available evidence based medicine does not focus on the average patient, above the age 70, encountered in every day practice. Most guidelines and clinical trials are not designed to take into account the special considerations needed when treating the elderly such as functional status, comorbidities, polypharmacy, life expectancy, and social support. The majority of available data is based on retrospective reviews or subset analyses of larger studies where the elderly represent a fraction of the studied population. This review focuses on the toxicities and tolerability of current standard therapies for noncolorectal gastrointestinal malignancies, including gastroesophageal, pancreatic, bile duct and hepatocellular cancers in the elderly. With careful patient selection and geriatric assessment the elderly can safely benefit from standard therapies offered to younger patients.