Detachable string magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy for the noninvasive diagnosis of esophageal diseases:A prospective,blind clinical study

BACKGROUND Traditional esophagogastroduodenoscopy(EGD),an invasive examination method,can cause discomfort and pain in patients.In contrast,magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy(MCE),a noninvasive method,is being applied for the detection of stomach and small intestinal diseases,but its application in treating esophageal diseases is not widespread.AIM To evaluate the safety and efficacy of detachable string MCE(ds-MCE)for the diagnosis of esophageal diseases.METHODS Fifty patients who had been diagnosed with esophageal diseases were pros-pectively recruited for this clinical study and underwent ds-MCE and conven-tional EGD.The primary endpoints included the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,and diagnostic accuracy of ds-MCE for patients with esophageal diseases.The secondary endpoints consisted of visualizing the esophageal and dentate lines,as well as the subjects'tolerance of the procedure.RESULTS Using EGD as the gold standard,the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,and diagnostic accuracy of ds-MCE for esophageal disease detection were 85.71%,86.21%,81.82%,89.29%,and 86%,respectively.ds-MCE was more comfortable and convenient than EGD was,with 80%of patients feeling that ds-MCE examination was very comfortable or comfortable and 50%of patients believing that detachable string v examination was very convenient.CONCLUSION This study revealed that ds-MCE has the same diagnostic effects as traditional EGD for esophageal diseases and is more comfortable and convenient than EGD,providing a novel noninvasive method for treating esophageal diseases.

Esophageal squamous papillomas with focal dermal hypoplasia and eosinophilic esophagitis

Focal dermal hypoplasia(FDH) is a rare disorder of the mesodermal and ectodermal tissues. Here we present an eight-year-old female known to have FDH who presents with poor weight gain and dysphagia. She was diagnosed with multiple esophageal papillomas and eosinophilic esophagitis. She was successfully treated with argon plasma coagulation and ingested fluticasone propionate, which has not been described previously in a child.

Isolated Esophageal Crohn’s Disease with Diffuse Stricture

Background: Esophageal strictures are considered to be one of the most challenging matters for gastroenterologist, general and thoracic surgeons in diagnosis and management. They can be grouped into three general categories: intrinsic diseases, extrinsic diseases, and diseases that disrupt esophageal peristalsis and/or lower esophageal sphincter (LES) function. Crohn’s disease (CD) is a very rare cause of esophageal stricture. The prevalence of esophageal CD ranges from 1% to 2% in adults with CD. It is almost diagnosed lately when complications have occurred as Strictures, fissures, esophagobronchial fistulas, and mediastinal abscesses. Case Report: Thirty-nine years old Kurdish patient, referred to our department for evaluation. Although many consultations during the last two years, the Pt was still undiagnosed. She had progressive dysphagia, and weight loss of about 25 kg. She had no other digestive or extra digestive complaint, nor caustic ingestion history and nor drug history. Chest CT scan and UGI Contrast study revealed diffuse smooth and regular esophageal stenosis. Attempts to do upper endoscopy and biopsy failed due to severe stenosis. Prolonged medical history and radiologic signs exclude malignancy, so esophagectomy with stomach pull-through was done by the aid of VATS and laparoscopy with excellent results. Pathological finding of the resected esophagus suggested the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease CD. Conclusions: CD is a rare cause of esophageal stricture and still to be a challenging early diagnosis due to the low specificity of clinical manifestations (aphthous ulcers), histologic findings (absence of granulomas), and endoscopic findings. So many patients have been diagnosed with complications (esophageal strictures, fistulas) which needed surgical treatment, adding greater morbidity and mortality. MIS (thoracoscopy-laparoscopy) is valuable in decreasing the morbidity and mortality and improving the quality of life for those patients.

Diagnostic advances of artificial intelligence and radiomics in gastroenterology

Traditional medical imaging,including ultrasound,computed tomography,magnetic resonance imaging,or positron emission tomography,remains widely used diagnostic modalities for gastrointestinal diseases at present.These modalities are used to assess changes in morphology,attenuation,signal intensity,and enhancement characteristics.Gastrointestinal tumors,especially malignant tumors,are commonly seen in clinical practice with an increasing number of deaths each year.Because the imaging manifestations of different diseases usually overlap,accurate early diagnosis of tumor lesions,noninvasive and effective evaluation of tumor staging,and prediction of prognosis remain challenging.Fortunately,traditional medical images contain a great deal of important information that cannot be recognized by human eyes but can be extracted by artificial intelligence(AI)technology,which can quantitatively assess the heterogeneity of lesions and provide valuable information,including therapeutic effects and patient prognosis.With the development of computer technology,the combination of medical imaging and AI technology is considered to represent a promising field in medical image analysis.This new emerging field is called“radiomics”,which makes big data mining and extraction from medical imagery possible and can help clinicians make effective decisions and develop personalized treatment plans.Recently,AI and radiomics have been gradually applied to lesion detection,qualitative and quantitative diagnosis,histopathological grading and staging of tumors,therapeutic efficacy assessment,and prognosis evaluation.In this minireview,we briefly introduce the basic principles and technology of radiomics.Then,we review the research and application of AI and radiomics in gastrointestinal diseases,especially diagnostic advancements of radiomics in the differential diagnosis,treatment option,assessment of therapeutic efficacy,and prognosis evaluation of esophageal,gastric,hepatic,pancreatic,and colorectal diseases.