Ectopic pancreas at the ampulla of Vater diagnosed with endoscopic snare papillectomy: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Ectopic pancreas is a rare developmental anomaly that results in a variety of clinical presentations.Patients with ectopic pancreas are mostly asymptomatic,and if symptomatic,symptoms are usually nonspecific and determined by the location of the lesion and the various complications arising from it.Ectopic pancreas at the ampulla of Vater(EPAV)is rare and typically diagnosed after highly morbid surgical procedures such as pancreaticoduodenectomy or ampullectomy.To our knowledge,we report the first case of confirmed EPAV with a minimally invasive intervention.CASE SUMMARY A 71-year-old male with coronary artery disease,presented to us with new-onset dyspepsia with imaging studies revealing a‘double duct sign’secondary to a small subepithelial ampullary lesion.His hematological and biochemical investigations were normal.His age,comorbidity,poor diagnostic accuracy of endoscopy,biopsies and imaging techniques for subepithelial ampullary lesions,and suspicion of malignancy made us acquire histological diagnosis before morbid surgical intervention.We performed balloon-catheter-assisted endoscopic snare papillectomy which aided us to achieve en bloc resection of the ampulla for histopathological diagnosis and staging.The patient’s post-procedure recovery was uneventful.The en bloc resected specimen revealed ectopic pancreatic tissue in the ampullary region.Thus,the benign histopathology avoided morbid surgical intervention in our patient.At 15 mo follow-up,the patient is asymptomatic.CONCLUSION EPAV is rare and remains challenging to diagnose.This rare entity should be included in the differential diagnosis of subepithelial ampullary lesions.Endoscopic en bloc resection of the papilla may play a vital role as a diagnostic and therapeutic option for preoperative histological diagnosis and staging to avoid morbid surgical procedures.

Hypertrophic Anal Papillotomy by Transparent Cap-Assisted Endoscopic Hot Snare Resection

Background/Aim: Conventional treatment for hypertrophic anal papillae (HAP) has effectiveness and safety concerns. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of transparent cap-assisted endoscopic hot snare resection for the treatment of HAP. Methods: Endoscopic and clinical data of patients treated with transparent cap-assisted endoscopic hot snare resection for HAP at the Department of Gastroenterology, First Affiliated Hospital of Yangtze University from June 2019 to June 2021, were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Results: A total of 56 patients with HAP were treated with transparent cap-assisted endoscopic hot snare resection, including 53 patients (94.6%) with single hypertrophic anal papillae and 3 patients (5.4%) with multiple HAP;51 patients (83.6%) with basal diameter <5 mm and 10 patients (16.4%) with basal diameter ≥5 mm. The procedures that were performed together with transparent cap-assisted endoscopic hot snare resection for HAP treatment included total colon examination in 56 cases (100%), endoscopic polypectomy in 20 cases (35.7%), endoscopic sclerotherapy for hemorrhoids in 29 cases (51.8%), and endoscopic rubber band ligation for hemorrhoids in 11 cases (19.6%). No patient experienced bleeding during or after HAP with transparent cap-assisted endoscopic hot snare resection. Pain level was evaluated by the visual analog score (VAS) method. 52 patients (92.9%) did not have pain and 4 patients (7.1%) had mild pain 3 days after surgery. At a postoperative follow-up of 2 to 18 months, patient satisfaction with transparent cap-assisted endoscopic hot snare resection for HAP treatment was 100% (56/56). Conclusion: Transparent cap-assisted endoscopic hot snare resection is safe and effective for treating HAP.