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Multifocal stenosing enteritis, not related to Crohn's disease or drug intake, has been described under two different terms: "cryptogenic multifocal ulcerous stenosing enteritis" (CMUSE) and "neuromuscular and vascular hamartoma" (NMVH). We present three new cases of this condition and argue that the two terms reflect the same disease entity. Although etiology and pathogenesis of the disease remain largely unclear, obliterative vascular changes may play an important role., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Intussusception following gastric surgery is a rare postoperative complication. It may develop in clinical situations following gastroenterostomy, Billroth II gastric surgery with or without Braun anastomosis, or Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy. The patients may present with either an acute surgical emergency or with a chronic, relapsing form. The mortality may be up to 50 % in these cases if not treated appropriately, but little is known about the mechanism underlying the condition. Early diagnosis with a high index of suspicion and prompt treatment of the acute form are therefore important. Surgical reduction with laparotomy is mandatory, although definitive corrective and preventative measures have not yet been established.

We showed a newly developed method, retrograde double-balloon enteroscopy, to be useful for preoperative diagnosis in a case of inflammatory fibroid polyp accompanied by small-bowel intussusception. A 64-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with small-bowel intussusception. Results of radiographic and ultrasonographic examination were suggestive of a small-bowel mass. Retrograde double-balloon enteroscopy was performed in an attempt to make a preoperative diagnosis. Endoscopic observation, in combination with histological findings derived from endoscopic biopsy, was suggestive of an inflammatory fibroid polyp. The patient then underwent laparotomy with minimal incision, which revealed a polypoid mass leading to a jejunojejunal intussusception, without bowel necrosis, and a partial small-bowel resection was performed. The pathological diagnosis was an inflammatory fibroid polyp.

Background and Study Aims: Endoscopic examination of the small bowel (enteroscopy) has become an important modality in the investigation of patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding/anaemia. The aim of this study was to look at our clinical experience and also to determine the clinical outcomes following push enteroscopy (PE) in patients with suspected small intestinal bleeding., Patients and Methods: The indications for PE were iron-deficiency anaemia/occult or obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (50 patients) and overt gastrointestinal bleeding (28 patients). Out of these 78 patients, a subgroup of 21 unselected patients with suspected small intestinal bleeding (six men, 15 women; mean age 59, range 26-85) was recruited to determine the clinical outcomes following PE. The principal outcome measures in this study were a) whether the procedure led to a change in the management of the patients referred for PE and b) whether it saved them from having further investigations., Results: In those patients with undiagnosed gastrointestinal bleeding/anaemia, small-bowel arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) were detected in 24/78 (31%). Heater probe ablation therapy was performed in 23 patients with small-bowel and gastric AVMs. In total, seven of these 23 patients (30%) re-bled or required transfusion; these seven had repeat enteroscopy and heater probe ablation therapy. Three of these seven re-bled and required further enteroscopy and therapy. PE resulted in a change in management and treatment plans in eight of 20 patients (40%). The certainty of diagnosis increased in seven of 20 patients (35%). It increased from a mean value of 1.35 before PE to 2.40 following PE ( P = 0.01). The test was assigned a median "usefulness score" of 3 by the requesting physicians on an integer scale from 1 (not helpful) to 5 (very helpful)., Conclusions: We conclude that (i) PE can establish a diagnosis in a high proportion of patients with undiagnosed gastrointestinal bleeding/anaemia; (ii) heater probe ablation therapy of vascular lesions can be performed routinely at the time of PE; (iii) a significant proportion of patients (42%) referred for enteroscopy have lesions in the stomach/proximal duodenum that are missed at diagnostic endoscopy; (iv) PE provides helpful information in routine clinical practice and is perceived as a helpful test by requesting physicians; (v) PE improves certainty of diagnosis as perceived by requesting physicians, and plays an important role in altering management plans.

Background and Study Aims: Postoperative fistulas and abscesses pose difficult management problems. We report our experience in the use of fistuloscopy in postoperative fistulas and abscesses after upper gastrointestinal surgery., Patients and Methods: From June 1993 to January 1997, nine patients (seven men, two women; mean age 65) with postoperative fistulas and abscesses were treated with therapeutic fistuloscopy. Diagnostic fistuloscopy was carried out using a 5-mm choledochoscope under fluoroscopic guidance. Therapeutic procedures included mechanical debridement, irrigation, and sealing of fistula with fibrin sealant and gelatin sponge., Results: The patients were suffering from duodenal stump fistula (three cases), gastrojejunostomy dehiscence after gastrectomy (three cases), gastropleurocutaneous fistula (two cases), and subphrenic abscesses (two cases). Fistuloscopy was performed 4-19 days (mean 12 days) after the diagnosis of the fistula. The median number of sessions required was 2 (range 1-4). The average daily fistula output prior to fistuloscopy was 154 ml (range 30-560 ml), and all fistulas healed in an average of 18.7 days (range 2-46 days) after index fistuloscopy. No procedure-related complications occurred. The mean hospital stay was 61 days. During a mean follow-up period of 12 months, no recurrent abscesses or fistulas developed., Conclusions: Fistuloscopy provides a new means of managing patients with postoperative fistula and abscess formation.

In 2 patients suffering from multiple ulcerations of the jejunum preoperative diagnostic measures were unsuccessful. Only by oral intraoperative endoscopy was it possible to diagnose the cause of bleeding and treat it successfully.