Search

Unlabelled: Perianal fistulizing Crohn's disease (PFCD) treatment is based on fistula drainage, antibiotics, immunosuppressant (IS) drugs, and infliximab. Our aim was to study the effectiveness of combination therapy on PFCD and to search for clinical or imaging features associated with the initial complete clinical response and its stability overtime., Patients and Methods: All patients with PFCD treated in our tertiary center between 2000 and 2005 by infliximab in combination with seton placement and/or IS and evaluated by MRI before treatment were included in the study. Basal clinical and MRI characteristics were recorded. Response to treatment was evaluated after the infliximab induction regiment and at the end of the follow-up., Results: Twenty-six patients were included and followed-up for an average 4.9 years. A complex fistula was present in 69% (18/26 patients) of cases and eight (8/26 patients) had an ano-vaginal fistula. After infliximab induction therapy, 13 patients (50%) achieved a complete clinical response. The initial clinical response was significantly associated with the absence of both, active intestinal disease (54% vs. 8%, P = 0.03) and active proctitis (77% vs. 23%, P = 0.01). No initial MRI characteristics were linked to the initial response. In multivariate analysis, only the presence of active proctitis was associated with the lack of response (P = 0.047). At the end of the follow-up, 42% of the patients remained in clinical remission. No clinical characteristics were associated to sustained response when among long-standing responders two exhibited a normal post-treatment MRI., Conclusion: An initial complete response of PFCD was observed in half of the patients after combined therapy including infliximab that decreased to 42% later on. Complete healing of fistulas on MRI was possible but unusual. The initial response seemed related to the absence of active intestinal disease, especially in the rectum, when the long-term response could not be predicted by the basal characteristics of patients.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role as a nonadrenergic, noncholinergic inhibitory neurotransmitter in the GI tract. Our study aims were to investigate the effect of a single intragastric L-arginine (L-Arg) administration, as a source of NO, on proximal stomach tone in basal and postintragastric administration of a polymeric diet in humans and to evaluate concomitantly the effect on antral area as an indirect assessment of gastric emptying. Eight healthy volunteers were studied in a randomized double-blind crossover study after, respectively, 15 g L-Arg, 30 g L-Arg, or placebo administered in the stomach through a gastric tube. The drug administration was followed by a polymeric diet infusion (500 ml/500 kcal) at a rate of 250 ml/hr. Gastric tone variations were recorded with an electronic barostat, gastric emptying was concomitantly estimated by repeated ultrasound measurements of antral area, and symptoms were recorded throughout the experiment.L-Arg administration was associated with significantly higher increases in barostat bag volumes at both dosages, 30 g (117+/-16 ml) and 15 g (67+/-15 ml), compared to placebo (46+/-11 ml; P < 0.05). In response to the polymeric diet the 30-g L-Arg challenge was associated with a smaller increase in intrabag volume, whereas postinfusion final volumes did not differ in the three treatment conditions. Antral areas were not different at any time of measurement among the three challenges. Bloating and diarrhea were observed after 30-g L-Arg administration in five subjects of eight. Short-term L-Arg administration was able to induce proximal stomach relaxation that allowed a secondary response to enteral feeding only at the 15-g dosage. This 15-g dosage was as well tolerated as the placebo and was associated with no significant changes in gastric emptying patterns.