Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition that develops when the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus leads to troublesome symptoms and/or complications. Heartburn is the cardinal symptom, often a...Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition that develops when the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus leads to troublesome symptoms and/or complications. Heartburn is the cardinal symptom, often associated with regurgitation. In patients with endoscopy-negative heartburn refractory to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy and when the diagnosis of GERD is in question, direct reflux testing by impedance-pH monitoring is warranted. Laparoscopic fundoplication is the standard surgical treatment for GERD. It is highly effective in curing GERD with a 80% success rate at 20-year follow-up. The Nissen fundoplication, consisting of a total (360°) wrap, is the most commonly performed antireflux operation. To reduce postoperative dysphagia and gas bloating, partial fundoplications are also used, including the posterior (Toupet) fundoplication, and the anterior (Dor) fundoplication. Currently, there is consensus to advise laparoscopic fundoplication in PPI-responsive GERD only for those patients who develop untoward side-effects or complications from PPI therapy. PPI resistance is the real challenge in GERD. There is consensus that carefully selected GERD patients refractory to PPI therapy are eligible for laparoscopic fundoplication, provided that objective evidence of reflux as the cause of ongoing symptoms has been obtained. For this purpose, impedance-pH monitoring is regarded as the diagnostic gold standard.展开更多
In liver haemangiomas, the risk of complication rises with increasing size, and treatment can be obligatory. Here we present a case of a 46-year-old female who suffered from a giant haemangioma causing severe portal h...In liver haemangiomas, the risk of complication rises with increasing size, and treatment can be obligatory. Here we present a case of a 46-year-old female who suffered from a giant haemangioma causing severe portal hypertension and vena cava compression, leading to therapy refractory ascites, hyponatremia and venostasis-associated thrombosis with pulmonary embolism. The patients did not experience tumour rupture or consumptive coagulopathy. Surgical resection was impossible because of steatosis of the non-affected liver. Orthotopic liver transplantation was identified as the only treatment option. The patient's renal function remained stable even though progressive morbidity and organ allocation were improbable according to the patient's lab model for end-stage liver disease(lab MELD) score. Therefore, non-standard exception status was approved by the European organ allocation network "Eurotransplant". The patient underwent successful orthotopic liver transplantation 16 mo after admission to our centre. Our case report indicates the underrepresentation of morbidity associated with refractory ascites in the lab MELD-based transplant allocation system, and it indicates the necessity of promptly applying for non-standard exception status to enable transplantation in patients with a severe clinical condition but low lab MELD score. Our case highlights the fact that liver transplantation should be considered early in patients with non-resectable, symptomatic benign liver tumours.展开更多
The introduction of wireless capsule endoscopy in 2000 has revolutionized our ability to visualize parts of the small bowel mucosa classically unreached by the conventional endoscope, and since the recent introduction...The introduction of wireless capsule endoscopy in 2000 has revolutionized our ability to visualize parts of the small bowel mucosa classically unreached by the conventional endoscope, and since the recent introduction of colon capsule endoscopy, a promising alternative method has been available for the evaluation of large bowel mucosa. The advantages of wireless capsule endoscopy include its non-invasive character and its ability to visualize proximal and distal parts of the intestine, while important disadvantages include the procedure's inability of tissue sampling and significant incompletion rate. Its greatest limitation is the prohibited use in cases of known or suspected stenosis of the intestinal lumen due to high risk of retention. Wireless capsule endoscopy plays an important role in the early recognition of recurrence, on Crohn's disease patients who have undergone ileocolonic resection for the treatment of Crohn's disease complications, and in patients' management and therapeutic strategy planning, before obvious clinical and laboratory relapse. Although capsule endoscopy cannot replace traditional endoscopy, it offers valuable information on the evaluation of intestinal disease and has a significant impact on disease reclassification of patients with a previous diagnosis of ulcerative colitis or inflammatory bowel disease unclassified/indeterminate colitis. Moreover, it may serve as an effective alternative where colonoscopy is contraindicated and in cases with incomplete colonoscopy studies. The use of patency capsule maximizes safety and is advocated in cases of suspected small or large bowel stenosis.展开更多
文摘Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition that develops when the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus leads to troublesome symptoms and/or complications. Heartburn is the cardinal symptom, often associated with regurgitation. In patients with endoscopy-negative heartburn refractory to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy and when the diagnosis of GERD is in question, direct reflux testing by impedance-pH monitoring is warranted. Laparoscopic fundoplication is the standard surgical treatment for GERD. It is highly effective in curing GERD with a 80% success rate at 20-year follow-up. The Nissen fundoplication, consisting of a total (360°) wrap, is the most commonly performed antireflux operation. To reduce postoperative dysphagia and gas bloating, partial fundoplications are also used, including the posterior (Toupet) fundoplication, and the anterior (Dor) fundoplication. Currently, there is consensus to advise laparoscopic fundoplication in PPI-responsive GERD only for those patients who develop untoward side-effects or complications from PPI therapy. PPI resistance is the real challenge in GERD. There is consensus that carefully selected GERD patients refractory to PPI therapy are eligible for laparoscopic fundoplication, provided that objective evidence of reflux as the cause of ongoing symptoms has been obtained. For this purpose, impedance-pH monitoring is regarded as the diagnostic gold standard.
文摘In liver haemangiomas, the risk of complication rises with increasing size, and treatment can be obligatory. Here we present a case of a 46-year-old female who suffered from a giant haemangioma causing severe portal hypertension and vena cava compression, leading to therapy refractory ascites, hyponatremia and venostasis-associated thrombosis with pulmonary embolism. The patients did not experience tumour rupture or consumptive coagulopathy. Surgical resection was impossible because of steatosis of the non-affected liver. Orthotopic liver transplantation was identified as the only treatment option. The patient's renal function remained stable even though progressive morbidity and organ allocation were improbable according to the patient's lab model for end-stage liver disease(lab MELD) score. Therefore, non-standard exception status was approved by the European organ allocation network "Eurotransplant". The patient underwent successful orthotopic liver transplantation 16 mo after admission to our centre. Our case report indicates the underrepresentation of morbidity associated with refractory ascites in the lab MELD-based transplant allocation system, and it indicates the necessity of promptly applying for non-standard exception status to enable transplantation in patients with a severe clinical condition but low lab MELD score. Our case highlights the fact that liver transplantation should be considered early in patients with non-resectable, symptomatic benign liver tumours.
文摘The introduction of wireless capsule endoscopy in 2000 has revolutionized our ability to visualize parts of the small bowel mucosa classically unreached by the conventional endoscope, and since the recent introduction of colon capsule endoscopy, a promising alternative method has been available for the evaluation of large bowel mucosa. The advantages of wireless capsule endoscopy include its non-invasive character and its ability to visualize proximal and distal parts of the intestine, while important disadvantages include the procedure's inability of tissue sampling and significant incompletion rate. Its greatest limitation is the prohibited use in cases of known or suspected stenosis of the intestinal lumen due to high risk of retention. Wireless capsule endoscopy plays an important role in the early recognition of recurrence, on Crohn's disease patients who have undergone ileocolonic resection for the treatment of Crohn's disease complications, and in patients' management and therapeutic strategy planning, before obvious clinical and laboratory relapse. Although capsule endoscopy cannot replace traditional endoscopy, it offers valuable information on the evaluation of intestinal disease and has a significant impact on disease reclassification of patients with a previous diagnosis of ulcerative colitis or inflammatory bowel disease unclassified/indeterminate colitis. Moreover, it may serve as an effective alternative where colonoscopy is contraindicated and in cases with incomplete colonoscopy studies. The use of patency capsule maximizes safety and is advocated in cases of suspected small or large bowel stenosis.
