Global geoepidemiology of gastrointestinal surgery rates in Crohn’s disease

BACKGROUND Data regarding the worldwide gastrointestinal surgery rates in patients with Crohn’s disease(CD)remains limited.AIM To systematically review the global variation in the rates of surgery in CD.METHODS A comprehensive search analysis was performed using multiple electronic databases from inception through July 1,2020,to identify all full text,randomized controlled trials and cohort studies pertaining to gastrointestinal surgery rates in adult patients with CD.Outcomes included continent based demographic data,CD surgery rates over time,as well as the geoepidemiologic variation in CD surgery rates.Statistical analyses were conducted using R.RESULTS Twenty-three studies spanning four continents were included.The median proportion of persons with CD who underwent gastrointestinal surgery in studies from North America,Europe,Asia,and Oceania were 30%(range:1.7%-62.0%),40%(range:0.6%-74.0%),17%(range:16.0%-43.0%),and 38%respectively.No clear association was found regarding the proportion of patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery over time in North America(R^(2)=0.035)and Europe(R^(2)=0.100).A moderate,negative association was seen regarding the proportion of patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery over time(R^(2)=0.520)in Asia.CONCLUSION There appears to be significant inter-continental variation regarding surgery rates in CD.Homogenous evidencebased guidelines accounting for the geographic differences in managing patients with CD is prudent.Moreover,as a paucity of data on surgery rates in CD exists outside the North American and European continents,future studies,particularly in less studied locales,are warranted.

Recording the direct surgeon’s view with an operating microscopic view improves microscopic ophthalmic surgery training

AIM:To establish a recording system with a direct view of the surgeon to supplement video recording under an operating microscope,which lacks information on the movement and position of the surgeon’s hands,and to facilitate the reproduction of a skilled surgeon’s technique by a surgeon in training.METHODS:A small camera was attached to the operating microscope with a custom adapter.Microscopic surgeon’s view and direct surgeon’s view through this new camera were recorded in the surgical recording system.Both movies were synchronized and analyzed how do surgeons handle the instruments.RESULTS:A small camera attached to the operating microscope allowed the surgeon’s hands motion to be recorded without interfering with the surgeon’s movements.Different surgeons used different methods to manipulate the ultrasound handpiece and the irrigation/aspiration device.Even in the simple paracentesis procedure,different surgeons used different methods.Surgeons-in-training were able to identify and improve their weaknesses by watching synchronized movies of their hand motions and microscopic view.CONCLUSION:Simultaneous recording the surgical field out of the operating microscopic view by a small camera set on the microscope is comprehensive and improves surgeons-in-training understanding and learning surgeries.

New method of local adjuvant therapy with bicarbonate Ringer’s solution for tumoral calcinosis: A case report

BACKGROUND Tumoral calcinosis is a condition characterized by deposits of calcium phosphate crystals in extra-articular soft tissues,occurring in hemodialysis patients.Calcium phosphate crystals are mainly composed of hydroxyapatite,which is highly infilt-rative to tissues,thus making complete resection difficult.An adjuvant method to remove or resolve the residual crystals during the operation is necessary.CASE SUMMARY A bicarbonate Ringer’s solution with bicarbonate ions(28 mEq/L)was used as the adjuvant.After resecting calcium phosphate deposits of tumoral calcinosis as much as possible,while filling with the solution,residual calcium phosphate deposits at the pseudocyst wall can be gently scraped by fingers or gauze in the operative field.A 49-year-old female undergoing hemodialysis for 15 years had swelling with calcium deposition for 2 years in the shoulders,bilateral hip joints,and the right foot.A shoulder lesion was resected,but the calcification remained and early re-deposition was observed.Considering the difficulty of a complete rection,we devised a bicarbonate dissolution method and excised the foot lesion.After resection of the calcified material,the residual calcified material was washed away with bicarbonate Ringer’s solution.CONCLUSION The bicarbonate dissolution method is a new,simple,and effective treatment for tumoral calcinosis in hemodialysis patients.

Pre-operative visceral adipose tissue radiodensity is a potentially novel prognostic biomarker for early endoscopic post-operative recurrence in Crohn’s disease

BACKGROUND Evidence suggests inflammatory mesenteric fat is involved in post-operative recurrence(POR)of Crohn’s disease(CD).However,its prognostic value is INTRODUCTION Crohn’s disease(CD)is a debilitating chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease(IMID)of the gastrointestinal tract that is increasing in incidence and prevalence globally[1].CD patients often undergo surgery for disease-related complic-ations and/or medically refractory disease.Unfortunately,surgery is not curative,and many patients develop post-operative recurrence(POR)of CD with a significant proportion eventually requiring additional surgeries.With advances in early detection and therapeutics,the contemporary 10-year risk of surgery has improved from 50%to 26%,but the risk of recurrent surgery has remained unchanged at 30%,suggesting a need to improve post-operative management strategies[2].Presently,there are two accepted strategies to mitigate POR,but each have potential limitations.Firstly,patients start early post-operative pharmacologic prophylaxis within 4-6 wk after surgery.This strategy can potentially overtreat a subset of patient who may not develop long-term disease recurrence off therapy.Consequently,these patients are at risk of medication-related adverse events and the direct and indirect costs associated with therapy with little or no benefit[3].The second strategy is performing early colonoscopy within 6-12 months after surgery and escalating therapy based on FOOTNOTES Author contributions:Gu P is the guarantor of the article and was involved in concept and design,data collection,statistical analysis,drafting of manuscript,and final approval of manuscript;Dube S and Choi SY were involved in statistical analysis,drafting of the manuscript,and final approval of manuscript;Gellada N,Win S,Lee YJ and Yang S were involved in the data collection,drafting of the manuscript,and final approval of manuscript;Haritunians T and Li D were involved in data analysis and interpretation,drafting of manuscript and final approval of manuscript;Melmed GY,Yarur AJ,Fleshner P,Kallman C and Devkota S were involved in study concept and design,data interpretation,drafting of manuscript and final approval of manuscript;Vasiliauskas EA,Bonthala N,Syal G,Ziring D and Targan SR were involved in data interpretation,drafting of manuscript and final approval of manuscript;Rabizadeh S was involved in study concept and design,drafting of manuscript and final approval of manuscript;McGovern DPB was involved in concept and design,statistical analysis,drafting of manuscript and final approval of manuscript.

可吸收止血绒S-100在骨折内固定手术患者中的应用效果

目的:分析可吸收止血绒S-100在骨折内固定手术患者中的应用效果。方法:回顾性选取2022年3月—2023年6月河南省胸科医院收治的106例骨折内固定手术患者作为研究对象。根据可吸收止血绒S-100的使用情况将其分为对照组和观察组,各53例。对照组术中采用气囊止血带止血,观察组术中采用可吸收止血绒S-100。比较两组围手术期指标,引流量及引流管拔管时间,术前及术后第3天凝血功能。结果:观察组手术时间及住院时间均短于对照组,术中出血量少于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。观察组术后24 h、48 h引流量少于对照组,引流管拔管时间短于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。术后第3天,两组凝血酶原时间(PT)、活化部分凝血活酶时间(APTT)均降低,纤维蛋白原(FIB)及D-二聚体(D-D)均明显升高,观察组PT及APTT均高于对照组,FIB及D-D均低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:可吸收止血绒S-100应用在骨折内固定手术中止血效果显著,能减少局部渗出,缩短引流周期,对患者凝血功能影响较小。

转基因水稻中GUS蛋白质的检测及其表达特征

【目的】建立转基因水稻中GUS蛋白质的免疫学检测方法,并了解花椰菜花叶病毒(CaMV)35S启动子驱动的GUS蛋白质在转基因水稻中的表达特征。【方法】以细菌基因组DNA为模板,PCR扩增GUS基因后克隆到表达载体pET30a中,测序验证的重组子转入大肠杆菌表达菌BL21中,IPTG诱导获得重组表达的GUS蛋白质,用HIS-tag beads纯化后作为免疫原免疫小鼠制备GUS蛋白质特异的抗体,通过免疫印迹分析筛选高特异性的单克隆抗体,用Broadford法对重组的GUS蛋白质进行定量,对不同浓度的GUS蛋白质进行免疫印迹分析,绘制检测GUS蛋白质的标准曲线,通过与标准曲线的比较对水稻叶片中GUS蛋白质进行定量分析。提取不同时期、不同部位的水稻总蛋白质,包括苗期的地上部、地下部,分蘖期的茎、茎节、叶鞘、叶枕、叶片上部、叶片中部和叶片下部,孕穗期的茎、穗轴、叶鞘、叶枕、叶片、幼穗(长度分别为1、2、10和20 cm),开花期的茎、穗轴、叶鞘、叶片、穗子,成熟期的茎、叶片、授粉后不同时期的种子(分别为授粉后10、20、30和40 d)、乳熟期的胚、胚乳和颖壳、成熟种子的全种子、胚、胚乳和颖壳以及不同时期的叶片和根部材料等。SDS-PAGE分离后用抗体检测其GUS蛋白质的丰度。【结果】筛选获得了高特异性的抗GUS单克隆抗体(编号为#27),用该抗体检测转基因水稻中及重组的GUS蛋白质均呈现特异条带,没有可见的背景信号,用本研究建立的免疫印迹方法对重组GUS蛋白质的检测下限约为4 ng,可检出转基因水稻单粒大米2.5%样品中(约0.6 mg)的GUS蛋白质。在不同时期的转基因水稻叶片中GUS蛋白质的表达丰度基本稳定,而在水稻根部的GUS丰度随生长急剧减少,5叶期根中的表达量不到3叶期的三分之一,到6叶期检测不到GUS蛋白质。在水稻苗期叶片中,GUS蛋白质约占鲜重的0.02‰。另外,除分蘖期以后的根部之外,GUS蛋白质几乎在所有的水稻组织部位中呈组成型表达,只是不同组织中的表达量略有差异,如在孕穗期和开花期的茎及颖壳中的表达量较低。【结论】建立了具有应用价值的对转基因水稻中GUS蛋白质丰度检测的免疫印记方法。该方法特异性高、样品用量少、不依赖于GUS蛋白质的酶活性、测定结果易于在不同实验室间比较。证明了35S启动子驱动的GUS蛋白质在转基因水稻中基本呈组成型表达。

CaMV 35S启动子在菊花中驱动GUS外源基因的表达分析

[目的]由于CaMV 35S启动子转化菊花存在外源基因表达量低、基因沉默等问题,本研究对35S启动子、2×35S启动子在菊花中驱动GUS外源基因的表达进行了分析,以期为高效菊花转化提供理论指导。[方法]通过设计引物,利用PCR从p CAMBIA1301 Vector中克隆了35S启动子、2×35S启动子的序列并插入pORE R2载体中,分别获得了重组载体p ORE R2-35S:GUS和p ORE R2-2×35S:GUS,通过农杆菌介导法将构建的遗传转化载体分别导入切花菊品种‘神马’中。[结果]试验共转化2 296个菊花叶盘,经过筛选共得到16个过量表达的转基因株系。经PCR验证,目标片段已经成功插入转基因株系基因组。荧光定量PCR分析和染色分析显示,在转基因菊花中2×35S比35S启动子表现出驱动GUS基因高量表达的特性。[结论]在选择合适菊花品种的基础上,2×35S比35S启动子可以更加高效地促进基因表达。

Surgery for luminal Crohn's disease

Many patients with Crohn’s disease(CD)require surgery.Indications for surgery include failure of medical treatment,bowel obstruction,fistula or abscess formation.The most common surgical procedure is resection.In jejunoileal CD,strictureplasty is an accepted surgical technique that relieves the obstructive symptoms,while preserving intestinal length and avoiding the development of short bowel syndrome.However,the role of strictureplasty in duodenal and colonic diseases remains controversial.In extensive colitis,after total colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis(IRA),the recurrence rates and functional outcomes are reasonable.For patients with extensive colitis and rectal involvement,total colectomy and end-ileostomy is safe and effective;however,a few patients can have subsequent IRA,and half of the patients will require proctectomy later.Proctocolectomy is associated with a high incidence of delayed perineal wound healing,but it carries a low recurrence rate.Patients undergoing proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis had poor functional outcomes and high failure rates.Laparoscopic surgery has been introduced as a minimal invasive procedure.Patients who undergo laparoscopic surgery have a more rapid recovery of bowel function and a shorter hospital stay.The morbidity also is lower,and the rate of disease recurrence is similar compared with open procedures.

Evolution and future of laparoscopic colorectal surgery

The advances of laparoscopic surgery since the early 1990 s have caused one of the largest technical revolutions in medicine since the detection of antibiotics(1922,Flemming),the discovery of DNA structure(1953,Watson and Crick),and solid organ transplantation(1954,Murray).Perseverance through a rocky start and increased familiarity with the chop-stick surgery in conjunction with technical refinements has resulted in a rapid expansion of the indications for minimally invasive surgery.Procedure-related factors initially contributed to this success and included the improved postoperative recovery and cosmesis,fewer wound complications,lower risk for incisional hernias and for subsequent adhesionrelated small bowel obstructions; the major breakthrough however came with favorable long-term outcomes data on oncological parameters.The future will have to determine the specific role of various technical approaches,define prognostic factors of success and true progress,and consider directing further innovation while potentially limiting approaches that do not add to patient outcomes.

Long-term outcome of infliximab combined with surgery for perianal fistulizing Crohn's disease

AIM:To evaluate the efficacy and long-term outcome of infliximab combined with surgery to treat perianal fistulizing Crohn’s disease(CD).METHODS:The work was performed as a prospective study.All patients received infliximab combined withsurgery to treat perianal fistulizing CD,which was followed by an immunosuppressive agent as maintenance therapy.RESULTS:A total of 28 patients with perianal fistulizing CD were included.At week 30,89.3%(25/28)of the patients were clinically cured with an average healing time of 31.4 d.The CD activity index decreased to70.07±77.54 from 205.47±111.13(P<0.01)after infliximab treatment.The perianal CD activity index was decreased to 0.93±2.08 from 8.54±4.89(P<0.01).C-reactive protein,erythrocyte sedimentation rate,platelets,and neutrophils all decreased significantly compared with the pretreatment levels(P<0.01).Magnetic resonance imaging results for 16 patients after therapy showed that one patient had a persistent presacral-rectal fistula and another still had a cavity without clinical symptoms at follow-up.After a median follow-up of 26.4 mo(range:14-41 mo),96.4%(27/28)of the patients had a clinical cure.CONCLUSION:Infliximab combined with surgery is effective and safe in the treatment of perianal fistulizing CD,and this treatment was associated with better longterm outcomes.

Effect of nursing intervention based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs in patients with coronary heart disease interventional surgery

BACKGROUND It is very important to provide effective nursing programs to regulate the physical and mental state of patients and to improve treatment compliance after interventional surgery for coronary heart disease(CHD).AIM To explore the effect of a nursing intervention based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory on patients with CHD undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.METHODS Ninety-four patients with CHD undergoing interventional surgery in our hospital from January 2020 to February 2021 were randomly divided into a research group(n=47)and a control group(n=47).The control group received routine nursing,and the research group received a nursing intervention based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory.The scores of self-efficacy,negative emotion[depression(SDS),anxiety(SAS)],intervention compliance(standardized medication,moderate exercise,healthy diet,and regular review),and nursing satisfaction were calculated before and after intervention for the two groups.RESULTS Before intervention,there was no significant difference in the scores of disease general management self-efficacy,disease management self-efficacy,and total self-efficacy between the two groups(P=0.795,0.479,and 0.659,respectively).After intervention,these three scores in the research group were higher than those in the control group(P<0.001).Before intervention,there was no significant difference in the scores of SAS and SDS between the two groups(P=0.149 and 0.347,respectively).After intervention,the scores of SAS and SDS in the research group were lower than those in the control group(P<0.001).The standardized drug use rate(97.87%),moderate exercise rate(97.87%),healthy diet rate(95.74%),and regular reexamination rate(97.87%)in the research group were higher than those in the control group(85.11%,82.98%,80.85%,and 87.23%,respectively)(P=0.027,0.014,0.025,and 0.049,respectively).Nursing job satisfaction in the research group(93.62%)was higher than that in the control group(78.72%)(P=0.036).CONCLUSION A nursing program based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory can effectively alleviate negative emotion,enhance self-efficacy and intervention compliance,and ensure that the patients are highly satisfied with the nursing work.

Advances in minimally invasive neonatal colorectal surgery

Over the last two decades,advances in laparoscopicsurgery and minimally invasive techniques have transformed the operative management of neonatal colorectal surgery for conditions such as anorectal malformations(ARMs) and Hirschsprung's disease.Evolution of surgical care has mainly occurred due to the use of laparoscopy,as opposed to a laparotomy,for intraabdominal procedures and the development of trans-anal techniques.This review describes these advances and outlines the main minimally invasive techniques currently used for management of ARMs and Hirschsprung's disease.There does still remain significant variation in the procedures used and this review aims to report the current literature comparing techniques with an emphasis on the short- and long-term clinical outcomes.

Is early limited surgery associated with a more benign disease course in Crohn's disease?

AIM:To analyze the difference in disease course and need for surgery in patients with Crohn’s disease(CD).METHODS:Data of 506 patients with incident CD were analyzed(age at diagnosis:31.5±13.8 years).Both hospital and outpatient records were collected prospectively with a complete clinical follow-up and comprehensively reviewed in the population-based Veszprem province database,which includes incident CD patients diagnosed between January 1,1977 and December 31,2008.Follow-up data were collected until December 31,2009.All patients included had at least 1year of follow-up available.Patients with indeterminate colitis at diagnosis were excluded from the analysis.RESULTS:Overall,73 patients(14.4%)required resective surgery within 1 year of diagnosis.Steroid exposure and need for biological therapy were lower in patients with early limited surgery(P<0.001 and P=0.09).In addition,surgery rates during follow-up in patients with and without early surgery differed significantly after matching on propensity scores(P<0.001,HR=0.23).The need for reoperation was also lower in patients with early limited resective surgery(P=0.038,HR=0.42)in a Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression(P=0.04)analysis.However,this advantage was not observed after matching on propensity scores(PLogrank=0.656,PBreslow=0.498).CONCLUSION:Long-term surgery rates and overall exposure to steroids and biological agents were lower in patients with early limited resective surgery,but reoperation rates did not differ.

Early surgery in Crohn's disease a benefit in selected cases

AIM: To compare the outcomes of a cohort of Crohn's disease(CD) patients undergoing early surgery(ES) to those undergoing initial medical therapy(IMT).METHODS: We performed a review of a prospective database CD patients managed at a single tertiary institution. Inclusion criteria were all patients with ileal or ileocolonic CD between 1995-2014. Patients with incomplete data, isolated colonic or perianal CD were excluded. Primary endpoints included the need for, and time to subsequent surgery. Secondary endpoints included the number and duration of hospital admissions, and medical therapy. RESULTS: Forty-two patients underwent ES and 115 underwent IMT. The operative intervention rate at 5 years in the ES group was 14.2% vs IMT 31.3%(HR = 0.41, 95%CI: 0.23-0.72, P = 0.041). The ES group had fewer hospital admissions per patient [median 1 vs 3(P = 0.012)] and fewer patients required anti-TNF therapy than IMT(33.3% vs 57%, P = 0.003). A subgroup analysis of 62 IMT patients who had undergone surgery were compared to ES patients, and showed similar 5 year(from index surgery) re-operation rates 16.1% vs 14.3%. In this subset, a significant difference was still found in median number of hospital admissions favouring ES, 1 vs 2(P = 0.002).CONCLUSION: Our data supports other recent studies suggesting that patients with ileocolonic CD may have a more benign disease course if undergoing early surgical intervention, with fewer admissions to hospital and atrend to reduced overall operation rates.

Minimally invasive surgery for inflammatory bowel disease: Current perspectives

The surgical management of complicated and recurrent inflammatory bowel disease(IBD),has remained a challenge.Minimally invasive surgery(MIS),in the form of laparoscopic resections,single port approach and robotic-assisted dissections in the management of IBD,have been examined in several prospective studies.All of them have shown advantages over open surgeryin terms of reduction of physical trauma of surgery,recovery time,better cosmetic outcomes and shorter hospitalization.However,it is important to appreciate that not all patients with IBD are suitable for MIS,so a combination of both open and MIS should be adopted to achieve optimum outcomes.A review on this subject performed by Neumann et al in this issue of World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pharmacology and Therapeutics have provided evidence in support of the contemporary practice of MIS in the management of IBD and the accompanying commentary further critically evaluates their application in clinical practice.

Review of minimally invasive pancreas surgery and opinion on its incorporation into low volume and resource poor centres

Pancreatic surgery has been one of the last areas for the application of minimally invasive surgery(MIS)because there are many factors that make laparoscopic pancreas resections difficult.The concept of service centralization has also limited expertise to a small cadre of high-volume centres in resource rich countries.However,this is not the environment that many surgeons in developing countries work in.These patients often do not have the opportunity to travel to high volume centres for care.Therefore,we sought to review the existing data on MIS for the pancreas and to discuss.In this paper,we review the evolution of MIS on the pancreas and discuss the incorporation of this service into low-volume and resource-poor countries,such as those in the Caribbean.This paper has two parts.First,we performed a literature review evaluating all studies published on laparoscopic and robotic surgery of the pancreas.The data in the Caribbean is examined and we discuss tips for incorporating this operation into resource poor hospital practice.Low pancreatic case volume in the Caribbean,and financial barriers to MIS in general,laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy,enucleation and cystogastrostomy are feasible operations to integrate in to a resource-limited healthcare environment.This is because they can be performed with minimal to no consumables and require an intermediate MIS skillset to complement an open pancreatic surgeon’s peri-operative experience.

Diagnostic delay in inflammatory bowel disease increases the risk of intestinal surgery

AIM To investigate the factors affecting diagnostic delay and outcomes of diagnostic delay in inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) METHODS We retrospectively studied 165 patients with Crohn's disease(CD) and 130 patients with ulcerative colitis(UC) who were diagnosed and had follow up durations > 6 mo at Korea University Ansan Hospital from January 2000 to December 2015. A diagnostic delay was defined as the time interval between the first symptom onset and IBD diagnosis in which the 76^(th) to 100^(th) percentiles of patients were diagnosed.RESULTS The median diagnostic time interval was 6.2 and 2.4 mo in the patients with CD and UC, respectively. Among the initial symptoms, perianal discomfort before diagnosis(OR = 10.2, 95%CI: 1.93-54.3, P = 0.006) was associated with diagnostic delays in patients with CD; however, no clinical factor was associated with diagnostic delays in patients with UC. Diagnostic delays, stricturing type, and penetrating type were associated with increased intestinal surgery risks in CD(OR = 2.54, 95%CI: 1.06-6.09; OR = 4.44, 95%CI: 1.67-11.8; OR = 3.79, 95%CI: 1.14-12.6, respectively). In UC, a diagnostic delay was the only factor associated increased intestinal surgery risks(OR = 6.81, 95%CI: 1.12-41.4).CONCLUSION A diagnostic delay was associated with poor outcomes, such as increased intestinal surgery risks in patients with CD and UC.

Laparoscopic surgery for small-bowel obstruction caused by Meckel's diverticulum

A 26-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of abdominal distention and vomiting. Contrastenhanced computed tomography showed a blind loop of the bowel extending to near the uterus and a fibrotic band connecting the mesentery to the top of the bowel,suggestive of Meckel's diverticulum(MD) and a mesodiverticular band(MDB). After intestinal decompression,elective laparoscopic surgery was carried out. Using three 5-mm ports,MD was dissected from the surrounding adhesion and MDB was divided intracorporeally. And subsequent Meckel's diverticulectomy was performed. The presence of heterotopic gastric mucosa was confirmed histologically. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged 5 d after the operation. She has remained healthy and symptom-free during 4 years of follow-up. This was considered to be an unusual case of preoperatively diagnosed and laparoscopically treated small-bowel obstruction due to MD in a young adult woman.

Pathophysiology and treatment of Barrett's esophagus

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects an estimated 20% of the population in the United States. About 10%-15% of patients with GERD develop Barrett’s esophagus, which can progress to adenocarcinoma, currently the most prevalent type of esophageal cancer. The esophagus is normally lined by squamous mucosa, therefore, it is clear that for adenocarcinoma to develop, there must be a sequence of events that result in transformation of the normal squamous mucosa into columnar epithelium. This sequence begins with gastroesophageal reflux, and with continued injury metaplastic columnar epithelium develops. This article reviews the pathophysiology of Barrett’s esophagus and implications for its treatment. The effect of medical and surgical therapy of Barrett’s esophagus is compared.

Impact of gastroesophageal reflux control through tailored proton pump inhibition therapy or fundoplication in patients with Barrett's esophagus

AIM To determine the impact of upwards titration of proton pump inhibition(PPI) on acid reflux, symptom scores and histology, compared to clinically successful fundoplication.METHODS Two cohorts of long-segment Barrett's esophagus(BE) patients were studied. In group 1(n = 24), increasing doses of PPI were administered in 8-wk intervals until acid reflux normalization. At each assessment, ambulatory 24 h p H recording, endoscopy with biopsies and symptom scoring(by a gastroesophageal reflux disease health related quality of life questionnaire, GERD/HRLQ) were performed. Group 2(n = 30) consisted of patients with a previous fundoplication. RESULTS In group 1, acid reflux normalized in 23 of 24 patients, resulting in improved GERD/HRQL scores(P = 0.001), which were most pronounced after the starting dose of PPI(P < 0.001). PPI treatment reached the same level of GERD/HRQL scores as after a clinically successful fundoplication(P = 0.5). Normalization of acid reflux in both groups was associated with reduction in papillary length, basal cell layer thickness, intercellular space dilatation, and acute and chronic inflammation of squamous epithelium. CONCLUSION This study shows that acid reflux and symptom scores co-vary throughout PPI increments in long-segment BE patients, especially after the first dose of PPI, reaching the same level as after a successful fundoplication. Minor changes were found among GERD markers at the morphological level.