Colonoscopic yield of colorectal neoplasia in daily clinical practice

AIM:To assess the prevalence and location of ad-vanced neoplasia in patients undergoing colonoscopy,and to compare the yield per indication.METHODS:In a multicenter colonoscopy survey (n = 18 hospitals) in the Amsterdam area (Northern Holland),data of all colonoscopies performed during a three month period in 2005 were analyzed. The location and the histological features of all colonic neoplasia were recorded. The prevalence and the distribution ofadvanced colorectal neoplasia and differences in yield between indication clusters were evaluated. Advanced neoplasm was defi ned as adenoma > 10 mm in size,with > 25% villous features or with high-grade dyspla-sia or cancer.RESULTS:A total of 4623 eligible patients underwent a total colonoscopy. The prevalence of advanced neo-plasia was 13%,with 281 (6%) adenocarcinomas and 342 (7%) advanced adenomas. Sixty-seven percent and 33% of advanced neoplasia were located in the distal and proximal colon,respectively. Of all patients with right-sided advanced neoplasia (n = 228),51% had a normal distal colon,whereas 27% had a syn-chronous distal adenoma. Ten percent of all colono-scopies were performed in asymptomatic patients,7% of whom had advanced neoplasia. In the respective procedure indication clusters,the prevalence of right-sided advanced neoplasia ranged from 11%-57%. CONCLUSION:One out of every 7-8 colonoscopies yielded an advanced colorectal neoplasm. Colonoscopy is warranted for the evaluation of both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.

Misdiagnosis of tuberculosis and the clinical relevance of nontuberculous mycobacteria in Zambia

Objective:To determine the accuracy of TB diagnosis of TB in Zambia in the era of increasing HIV prevalence.Methods:Sputum of the clinically diagnosed TB cases was additionally subjected to liquid culture and molecular identification.This study distinguished between TB cases confirmed by positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis(M.tuberculosis) cultures and mycobacterial disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria(NTM).Results:Only 49% of the 173 presumptively diagnosed TB cases was M.tuberculosis cultured,while in 13% (22) cases,a combination of M.tuberculosis and NTM was found.In 18% of the patients only NTM were cultured.In 28% ,no mycobacteria was cultivable.HIV positive status was correlated with the isolation of NTM(P【0.05).Conclusions:The diagnosis of tuberculosis based on symptoms, sputum smear and/or chest X-ray leads to significant numbers of false-positive TB cases in Zambia,most likely due to the increased prevalence of HIV.The role of NTM in tuberculosislike disease also seems relevant to the false diagnosis of TB in Zambia.

One-stage revision in two cases of Salmonella prosthetic hip infection

We describe two cases of prosthetic joint infection(PJI) of the hip due to Salmonella. The first patient presented with an early infection 5 d after being discharged following a total hip replacement and the second patient presented at the emergency ward with a late infection, thirteen years following a total hip replacement. Both cases occurred within one month of each other at our institution and both were successfully treated with a one-stage revision. PJI caused by Salmonella species is very rare: so far only 20 Salmonella PJIs of the hip have been described. Therefore, full consensus on the best treatment approach has not yet been reached. An aggressive two-stage approach is advised because of the virulence of Salmonella, although a limited number of successful one-stage approaches have been describedas well. According to the latest guidelines, one-stage revision has comparable success rates and less morbidity compared to two-stage treatment, when selecting the right patients. In our opinion, PJI caused by Salmonella should be treated just as PJI caused by other bacteria, with consideration of the selection criteria as mentioned in several treatment guidelines. As illustrated by these two cases, one-stage revision can be successful in both early and late Salmonella PJI of the hip.