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Objective. To assess whether professional endoscopists need additional training on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnosis. Methods. This retrospective study was conducted in patients with IBD, including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), which were diagnosed and treated for the first time in our hospital between January 2005 and December 2020. Doctors including gastroenterologists (group G) and professional endoscopists (group E) participated in the study. The data divided into CD or UC and group G or group E were compared. Results. Patients with CD exhibited higher rates of terminal ileal lesions, reexamined colonoscopy within 6 months, and intestinal stenosis than patients with UC (P < 0.001). The positive endoscopic IBD diagnosis rate was significantly higher in group G than in group E (89.6% vs. 74.0%, P < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis for patients with CD, the positive endoscopic IBD diagnosis rate was significantly higher for group G than for group E (81.5% vs. 41.8%, P < 0.001). However, the two groups exhibited no significant difference in the subgroup analysis for patients with UC (94.1% vs. 86.5%, P = 0.060). Group G exhibited a higher rate of terminal ileal intubation (83.1% vs. 65.3%, P < 0.001) and standard pathological biopsy (72.7% vs. 26.0%, P < 0.001) than Group E. Conclusion. Professional endoscopists showed lower rates of terminal ileal intubation, positive endoscopic diagnosis, and standard pathological biopsy than gastroenterologists. Hence, additional training on IBD, particularly on CD, must be provided to professional endoscopists to increase their efficiency for terminal ileal intubation and positive endoscopic diagnosis and to enhance their awareness regarding standard biopsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The purpose of the current study was to analyze the influence of radiological "disappearing liver metastasis" (DLM) on the efficacy and prognosis of patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) undergoing conversion therapy. Methods. Patients with CRLM by the multidisciplinary team (MDT) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were retrospectively enrolled from January 2014 to January 2021. The relationship between the occurrence and recurrence of DLM and different clinical factors was analyzed. Results. Thirty-five of the 113 patients (31.0%) with initially unresectable CRLM developed DLM, and of the 361 lesions, 177 disappeared (49.0%). Within 6 months, 6-12 months, and 12-24 months groups, the recurrence rate was 3.4%, 16.8%, and 34.8%, but there is no recurrence in after 24 months group. There was a statistical difference between chemotherapy alone and chemotherapy combined with the targeted therapy group on the occurrence of DLM (58.3% vs. 37.1%, P < 0.001). There were significant differences between <5 mm group and >10 mm group on occurrence of DLM（76.7% vs. 30.4%, P < 0.001) and between 5-10 mm group and >10 mm group also (70.0% vs. 30.4%, P < 0.001). Through univariate and multivariate analyses, it was concluded that age (P = 0.026 , 95 % CI = 3.690) and treatment regimens (P = 0.033 , 95 % CI = 2.703) had a significant influence on the progression-free survival (PFS) time of DLM. Conclusion. Younger patients, who use chemotherapy alone to achieve a therapeutic effect, might have better survival benefits when the lesions do not progress within 2 years after the appearance of DLMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. To identify the most effective laxative for bowel preparation in unsedated colonoscopy. Methods. Between April 2019 and April 2020, a total of 586 outpatients scheduled for unsedated colonoscopy at the First Hospital of Jilin University (Changchun, China) were randomized into one of two groups, namely, the polyethylene glycol (PEG) group or the oral sodium phosphate solution (OSP) group. The cleaning efficiency and other relevant clinical parameters were compared between the two groups. Results. Each group consisted of 293 patients. There were no significant differences in gender, body mass index, and history of abdominal surgery between the two groups. There were more cases of laxative intolerance in the PEG group than in the OSP group (7.5% vs. 0.7%, P < 0.05). After tube insertion, we found that the cleaning efficiency of OSP was better than that of PEG (P < 0.05). After cleaning, there was no significant difference in bowel cleanliness between the two groups (P > 0.05). The colonoscopic insertion time of the PEG group was significantly shorter than that of the OSP group (10.0 vs. 12.0 min, P = 0.002), and colonoscopic insertion was more difficult in the OSP group than in the PEG group (P = 0.036). The VAS score of the PEG group patients was significantly lower than that of OSP group patients (4.0 ± 1.3 vs. 5.2 ± 1.7 , P ≤ 0.001). There were no significant differences in the cecal intubation rate and the detection rate of polyps and ulcers/erosion between the two groups. Conclusion. The cleaning efficiency and tolerability of OSP were preferable to those of PEG, but there was no significant difference in bowel cleanliness after washing the colon and suctioning the fluid. Compared with patients of the OSP group, those of the PEG group required a shorter colonoscopic insertion time and reported a more comfortable experience. Therefore, for cases that are tolerant of PEG, PEG is a better choice for unsedated colonoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims. Balloon-assisted enteroscopy (BAE) can be used to retrieve small intestinal foreign bodies (FBs). Here, we aimed at exploring the clinical usefulness of BAE for the retrieval of small intestinal FBs. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 34 patients who underwent BAE to retrieve small intestinal FBs at 3 tertiary referral centers between April 2005 and June 2017. Results. The retained materials included capsule endoscopes (CEs; n = 18 [52.9%]), self-expandable metal stents (SEMSs; n = 5 [14.7%]), biliary drainage catheters (n = 4 [11.8%]), gallstones (n = 3 [8.8%]), an embolization coil (2.9%), a needle, an intragastric bariatric balloon, and a razor blade. FBs were located or stuck in the ileum (n = 17 [50%]), jejunum (n = 16 [47.1%]), and an undetermined small intestinal segment (n = 1). Seventeen cases of FBs (50%; 7 CEs, 3 biliary drainage catheters, 3 SEMSs, 2 gallstones, 1 intragastric balloon, and 1 needle) were successfully retrieved enteroscopically. FBs of 4 asymptomatic patients (3 CEs and 1 razor blade) passed spontaneously. The remaining 13 patients underwent surgery for persistent or symptomatic FBs: 12 were successfully removed and 1 CE removal procedure failed due to severe peritoneal adhesions. The presence of symptoms was the only independent predictor of successful retrieval using BAE (odds ratio 13.40, 95% confidence interval 1.10–162.56, P = 0.042). BAE-related complications such as bowel perforation and acute pancreatitis occurred in 2 patients (5.9%). Conclusions. BAE can be the first option for FB removal in the small intestine. The presence of symptoms was associated with successful enteroscopic retrieval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Although immunomodulators are increasingly used in Crohn’s disease (CD), a significant number of gastroenterologists still use 5-aminosalicylate (5-ASA) in combination with azathioprine (AZA) or 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP); there is limited evidence regarding the benefit of concomitant 5-ASA with AZA/6-MP compared with AZA/6-MP monotherapy for the treatment of CD. Study Design. A total of 106 patients who received AZA/6-MP for more than 3 months between January 1991 and May 2014 were identified retrospectively. Each patient was matched with 3 randomly selected controls who were treated with concomitant therapy during the same period. Results. The cumulative probabilities of steroid use at 5 and 10 years were 24.9% and 75.8% in the 5-ASA + AZA/6-MP group and 31.2% and 87.8% in the AZA/6-MP group, respectively (P=0.187). The cumulative probabilities of anti-TNF use, resectional surgery, and disease-related hospitalization were comparable between the groups. The younger age and the use of lower doses of immunomodulators were associated with higher requirement of rescue therapy. Conclusions. This study did not demonstrate that the concomitant use of 5-ASA with AZA/6-MP showed the proof or effect in terms of steroid requirements, anti-TNF use, resectional surgery, or disease-related hospitalization compared with that of AZA/6-MP alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crohn’s disease (CD) is an idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease involving the small and/or large intestine. More than 50% of Western CD patients and up to 88% of Asian CD patients may have small intestinal involvement. Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) has a higher diagnostic yield than small bowel barium radiography and computed tomography enterography for the detection of small intestinal involvement of CD. VCE also provides diagnostic yields comparable to magnetic resonance- (MR-) based enterography or enteroclysis and may have several advantages over MR-based tests for the detection of early small intestinal lesions. Several studies have suggested the use of VCE-based disease activity scoring systems to evaluate small intestinal mucosal disease activity, although their clinical relevance needs to be further studied. A possible indication for VCE is recurrence monitoring after complete surgical excision of CD-involved segments but its usefulness and efficacy compared with conventional endoscopy should be evaluated. The capsule retention rate ranges from 0 to 5.4% in suspected CD patients and from 0 to 13.2% in established CD patients. If VCE is necessary, significant small bowel stricture should be ruled out before VCE by performing a patency capsule study and/or small bowel radiological study in suspected or established CD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]