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Objective To evaluate the efficacy of the EDAP LT 02 lithotripter for the in situ treatment of ureteric calculi. Patients and methods One hundred consecutive patients presenting with ureteric calculi were treated with in situ piezoelectric extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) using the EDAP LT 02 lithotripter. There were 49 patients with upper, nine with mid and 42 with lower ureteric stones. The largest diameter of the stones varied from 7 to 21 mm (mean 9.6 mm). Mild or severe hydronephrosis was present in 53 cases. Mid and lower ureteric stones were treated with the patients in the prone position, with no anaesthesia or pre-medication, and upper ureteric stones in the supine position, with intravenous sedation in 44 cases. Results Localization of the stones was easy in 81 cases and more difficult in 19, but an intravenous pyelogram was only necessary in three cases. The number of sessions per patient varied from 1 to 3 (mean 1.17). Complete success rate was achieved in 75% of patients and partial success (residual stones ≤ 3 mm) in 6%. The stone-free rate was statistically affected by stone size but was independent of stone localization or the degree of obstruction. The rate of infective and obstructive complications was 14% and auxiliary treatments were necessary in 5% of patients. Conclusion In situ piezoelectric ESWL with the EDAP LT 02 device is a convenient and efficient method for the treatment of ureteric stones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics and the beta-adrenoceptor blocking activity according to time of conventional (C) and long acting (LA) propranolol in cirrhotic patients. Twenty-four patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and oesophageal varices were randomly assigned to receive either 160 mg C propranolol, 160 mg LA propranolol or placebo acutely and then following repeated administration (acute and chronic phases). Thereafter propranolol concentrations and beta-adrenoceptor blockade (resting and exercise heart rates) were measured at different intervals. 2. The Cmax was significantly higher with C propranolol in both phases. The time of Cmax was significantly later with LA propranolol in both phases. The AUCs were significantly higher after chronic administration with both formulations of propranolol. 3. The exercise peaks of beta-adrenoceptor blockade were similar between the two formulations and between the two phases of administration of propranolol. The duration of effective beta- adrenoceptor blockade was significantly longer in the chronic phase and seemed to be longer with LA than with C propranolol although this was not significant (72 +/- 31 vs 48 +/- 18 h, respectively). 4. There was a significant correlation between the log propranolol concentration and exercise heart rate but not with resting heart rate. No correlation could be demonstrated between pharmacological data and the Child Pugh score. 5. We conclude that in cirrhotic patients exercise testing was a reliable method in the assessment of beta-adrenoceptor blockade. Pharmacology of propranolol was found to be different according to the formulation or to the phase of administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Appropriate prescription of Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) remains an important concern amid the rising overuse. A gap exists in the literature regarding the benefit of PPI prophylaxis and the consequences of underprescription in patients at risk for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB)., Aims: This study aims to describe the characteristics of hemorrhage in relation to PPI use in patients experiencing UGIB, with a focus on high-risk individuals requiring gastroprotection., Methods: Data from a French multicentric cohort of patients experiencing UGIB were analyzed. Patients using PPI were compared to those without PPI considering bleeding etiologies and outcomes of peptic ulcer disease (PUD)-related hemorrhage. The rate of PPI use and its effect on bleeding characteristics in high-risk populations, defined based on international guidelines, were also assessed., Results: Among 2497 included patients, 31.1% were on PPI at bleeding onset. PPI users exhibited a significantly lower rate of PUD-related bleeding in comparison with those without PPI (24.7 vs 40.8%, respectively, p < 0.0001). Similar difference was observed in high-risk populations, of whom, only 40.3% had gastroprotection with PPI before bleeding onset. PPI prophylaxis, however, did not influence the severity of bleeding in the general study population or in high-risk groups. Multivariate analysis identified age, comorbidities, and having more than two anti-thrombotic agents as predictors of severe bleeding., Conclusions: PPI users appear to have a lower rate of bleeding ulcers compared to non-users. However, underprescription in high-risk groups raises the need for standardized care to ensure appropriate PPI use., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) navigation has become routinely used in spine surgery, allowing more accurate and safe procedures. However, radiation exposure related to the use of imaging is an unresolved issue, and information about it is relatively scarce. The "as low as reasonably achievable" (ALARA) principle aims to reduce the radiation exposure for the patients as low as possible. The objective of this study was to compare the effective dose related to the use of the O-arm in standard settings with adapted features for dose reduction during percutaneous cementoplasty., Methods: From March 2021 to October 2022, all consecutive patients who underwent navigated percutaneous cementoplasty with the use of the O-arm were prospectively included. Demographic, operative, irradiation, and radiological data were collected. The main outcome was the effective dose (E) in millisievert (mSv). Secondary outcomes were the absolute risk of cancer (AR) in percent equivalent to a whole-body exposition, operative time, and radiological results according to Garnier. In group A, patients were operated on with standard settings of the O-arm, whereas in group B, navigation on the field of view, collimation, and low-dose settings were used., Results: A total of 70 patients were included in the study: 43 in group A and 27 in group B. Also, 109 vertebrae were operated: 59 in group A and 50 in group B. Mean E was significantly higher in group A than in group B (9.94 and 4.34 mSv, respectively; P < 0.01). The 3D-related E followed the same trend (7.82 and 3.97 mSv, respectively), as did 2-dimensional-related E (2.12 and 0.37 mSv, respectively; P < 0.01). Average AR was also significantly higher in group A than in group B (5.10 -4 % and 2.10 -4 % respectively; P < 0.01). Operative time was similar in both groups, but the rate of satisfactory radiological results was higher in group A than in group B (95% and 84%, respectively; P = 0.11), and we found similar rates of cement leakage (22% and 24%, respectively; P = 0.71)., Conclusions: The application of settings of the O-arm in accordance with the ALARA principle helped to significantly reduce the radiation exposure and should be routinely used for O-arm-assisted cementoplasty procedures., Clinical Relevance: This study details technical aspects and settings that may help users of the O-arm to decrease radiation exposure to patients and surgeons alike, especially in cementoplasty procedures, as well as in other procedures performed under O-arm guidance., (This manuscript is generously published free of charge by ISASS, the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Copyright © 2023 ISASS. To see more or order reprints or permissions, see http://ijssurgery.com.)

Background: PRSS1 and PRSS2 constitute the only functional copies of a tandemly-arranged five-trypsinogen-gene cluster (i.e., PRSS1, PRSS3P1, PRSS3P2, TRY7 and PRSS2) on chromosome 7q35. Variants in PRSS1 and PRSS2, including missense and copy number variants (CNVs), have been reported to predispose to or protect against chronic pancreatitis (CP). We wondered whether a common trypsinogen pseudogene deletion CNV (that removes two of the three trypsinogen pseudogenes, PRSS3P2 and TRY7) might be associated with CP causation/predisposition., Methods: We analyzed the common PRSS3P2 and TRY7 deletion CNV in a total of 1536 CP patients and 3506 controls from France, Germany, India and Japan by means of quantitative fluorescent multiplex polymerase chain reaction., Results: We demonstrated that the deletion CNV variant was associated with a protective effect against CP in the French, German and Japanese cohorts whilst a trend toward the same association was noted in the Indian cohort. Meta-analysis under a dominant model yielded a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 0.68 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.52-0.89; p = 0.005) whereas an allele-based meta-analysis yielded a pooled OR of 0.84 (95% CI 0.77-0.92; p = 0.0001). This protective effect is explicable by reference to the recent finding that the still functional PRSS3P2/TRY7 pseudogene enhancers upregulate pancreatic PRSS2 expression., Conclusions: The common PRSS3P2 and TRY7 deletion CNV was associated with a reduced risk for CP. This finding provides additional support for the emerging view that dysregulated PRSS2 expression represents a discrete mechanism underlying CP predisposition or protection., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors are unaware of any conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Vertebral compression fractures (VCF) are usually treated by cementoplasty. Computerized navigation allows more accurate surgery without additional imaging acquisition for guidance and related radiation exposure. New technologies trend to optimize the irradiation for patients and surgeons. The objective was to investigate the radiological results and radiation exposure of O-arm navigation compared with the all-in-one 2-dimensional/3-dimensional (2D/3D) Surgivisio device in navigated cementoplasty procedures., Methods: Patients in the O-arm group comprised an O-arm prospective cohort as well as previous patients. Operations for VCF by navigated cementoplasty took place over 18 months. Patients in the Surgivisio group were the first patients operated on using Surgivisio and were prospectively recruited. Demographic, operative, and irradiation data were collected, as well as the image quality subjectively evaluated by the surgeon. The vertebal filling was evaluated using the Garnier classification and quoted as satisfactory, acceptable, or poor. The effective dose in millisievert (mSv) was calculated for radiation exposure estimation, and the absolute risk of cancer (AR) in percent equivalent to a whole-body irradiation was also calculated., Results: A total of 123 patients were included: 62 in the O-arm group and 61 in the Surgivisio group. A total of 166 vertebrae were analyzed. Compared with the Surgivisio group, the effective dose was significantly higher in the O-arm group, with a mean of 11.47 vs 1.14 mSv, respectively ( P < 0.001). The 2D part of the effective dose received by the surgeon was significantly higher in the O-arm group, with an average of 2.25 vs 0.47 mSv, respectively ( P < 0.001). Overall AR followed the same trend, with a mean of 4.9 × 10 -4 % in the O-arm group and 5.7 × 10 -5 % in the Surgivisio group ( P < 0.001). Operative time was significantly higher in the O-arm group (34.52 vs 30.12 minutes respectively, P = 0.03). Image quality was similarly sufficient in 3D, but in 2D, image quality was significantly better in the O-arm group ( P = 0.01). Vertebral filling was significantly better in the O-arm group, with 100% of results reported as satisfactory and acceptable versus 85% in the Surgivisio group ( P < 0.001)., Conclusions: The O-arm delivered a 10-times higher effective dose during navigated cementoplasty in comparison with the Surgivisio device. The O-arm also had a longer operative time, but it had better image quality and radiological results., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (This manuscript is generously published free of charge by ISASS, the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Copyright © 2022 ISASS. To see more or order reprints or permissions, see http://ijssurgery.com.)

Background: Low miR-31-3p expression was identified as predictive of anti-EGFR efficacy in RAS-wt mCRC. Primary tumor side was also proposed as a predictive factor of anti-EGFR benefit. This retrospective multicentric study evaluated the predictive role of miR-31-3p in right-sided RAS-wt mCRC patients treated with first-line CT+anti-EGFR or CT+bevacizumab (Beva)., Methods: Seventy-two right-sided RAS-wt mCRC patients treated in first-line with CT+anti-EGFR (n = 43) or Beva (n = 29) were included. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and response rate (RR) were analyzed and stratified according to tumor miR-31-3p expression level and targeted therapy (TT)., Results: BRAF V600E mutation was more frequent in high vs low miR-31-3p expressers (60.6% vs 15.4%, P < 0.001). PFS was significantly longer with CT+Beva than with CT+anti-EGFR (13 vs 7 months; P = 0.024). Among low miR-31-3p expressers, PFS, OS and RR were not significantly different between the two groups, while in high miR-31-3p expressers, only PFS was longer in the CT+Beva group (11 vs 6 months; P = 0.03). In patients treated with CT+anti-EGFR, low miR-31-3p expressers had a significantly longer OS (20 vs 13 months; P = 0.02) than high miR-31-3p expressers. ORR was not significantly different between the two groups of treatment, in both low and high miR-31-3p expressers. MiR-31-3p expression status was statistically correlated between primary tumors and corresponding metastases., Conclusion: In this study, miR-31-3p couldn't identify a subgroup of patients with right-sided RAS-wt mCRC who might benefit from anti-EGFR and suggest that Beva is the TT of choice in first-line treatment of these patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest EB reports nonfinancial support from Merck Serono, MSD, Sandoz, Amgen, Pfizer. ALespagnol and AP report nonfinancial support from IntegraGen SA. MDT reports nonfinancial support from IntegraGen SA. NRL reports lectures for Astra Zeneca, Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squib. SML declares non financial support from Integragen SA. PA reports board membership for Roche, Amgen, Merck, Pierre Fabre, Servier, and Bayer, with travel funded by Roche, Servier, Amgen, and Pierre Fabre. PGP reports grants, personal fees and nonfinancial support from Servier, nonfinancial support from Novartis, nonfinancial support from Astellas, nonfinancial support from Amgen, nonfinancial support from AbbVie, personal fees and nonfinancial support from Ipsen, personal fees and nonfinancial support from Bayer, and personal fees and nonfinancial support from Sanofi outside the submitted work. JB reports personal fees from Roche, Astra-Zeneca, MSD, Servier, Bayer, and Bristol Myers Squib. TL reports personal fees from Sanofi Genzyme, Merck Serono, Amgen and Servier and nonfinancial support from Amgen and Servier. SG declares personal fees from MSD and AstraZeneca and nonfinancial support from Roche SA, MSD, AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squib. DG reports grants from Sanofi Genzyme, Servier, Novartis, Roche. KBLP reports personal fees from IPSEN and Novartis and nonfinancial support from IPSEN. FBibeau reports personal fees from Bristol Myers Squib, MSD, Astra-Zeneca, Merck, Diaceutics, Amgen, and Bayer and nonfinancial support from Bristol Myers Squib and MSD. ALièvre reports grants from Bayer, Lilly, and Novartis; personal fees from AAA, Amgen, Bayer, HalioDx, Incyte, Ipsen, Mylan, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Roche, Sanofi and Servier; and nonfinancial support from Amgen, Bayer, Boerhinger, Ipsen, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Roche, Sandoz, Servier and IntegraGen SA. MDG reports board membership with AZ, Amgen, Pfizer, and Roche and nonfinancial support from IntegraGen SA. PC, LD, DC, CB, RCoriat, FBeuvon, LB, FL, RChautard and RD declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background and study aims  Prognostic and risk factors for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) might have changed overtime because of the increased use of direct oral anticoagulants and improved gastroenterological care. This study was undertaken to assess the outcomes of UGIB in light of these new determinants by establishing a new national, multicenter cohort 10 years after the first. Methods  Consecutive outpatients and inpatients with UGIB symptoms consulting at 46 French general hospitals were prospectively included between November 2017 and October 2018. They were followed for at least for 6 weeks to assess 6-week rebleeding and mortality rates and factors associated with each event. Results  Among the 2498 enrolled patients (mean age 68.5 [16.3] years, 67.1 % men), 74.5 % were outpatients and 21 % had cirrhosis. Median Charlson score was 2 (IQR 1-4) and Rockall score was 5 (IQR 3-6). Within 24 hours, 83.4 % of the patients underwent endoscopy. The main causes of bleeding were peptic ulcers (44.9 %) and portal hypertension (18.9 %). The early in-hospital rebleeding rate was 10.5 %. The 6-week mortality rate was 12.5 %. Predictors significantly associated with 6-week mortality were initial transfusion (OR 1.54; 95 %CI 1.04-2.28), Charlson score > 4 (OR 1.80; 95 %CI 1.31-2.48), Rockall score > 5 (OR 1.98; 95 %CI 1.39-2.80), being an inpatient (OR 2.45; 95 %CI 1.76-3.41) and rebleeding (OR 2.6; 95 %CI 1.85-3.64). Anticoagulant therapy was not associated with dreaded outcomes. Conclusions  The 6-week mortality rate remained high after UGIB, especially for inpatients. Predictors of mortality underlined the weight of comorbidities on outcomes., Competing Interests: Competing interests Dr. Nahon has received lecture fees from MSD, Takeda and Sandoz, and consulting fees from MSD, Takeda, Janssen, Sandoz, Ferring, and Vifor. Dr. Arotcarena has received funds from Gilead and Abbvie to attend meetings. Dr. Macaigne has received funding from Jansen, Takeda, Abbvie, and Tillots to attend meetings., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).)

Background: Wrong-level surgery is a rare but unresolved issue in spine surgery. Some proposed protocols with high success rates, but it remains a risk with potential complications for the patient. Surgical navigation offers more accurate surgery, without additional irradiation related to the imaging device, in order to optimize the surgical guidance., Methods: We describe our institutional technique with a needle placed under fluoroscopy at 3 cm from the incision line at the disc level to be operated, in order to guide the surgical approach; and we report a prospective evaluation of all patients during a six-month period operated by microdiscectomy for symptomatic lumbar discus hernia, whose hernia level was landmarked with this technique. We collected demographic, clinical-such as visual analog scale (VAS) of pain and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores-operative and irradiation data for effective dose calculation., Results: Thirty patients were included in the study. No wrong-level procedure was performed. Mean time for landmarking was 2.22 [1-5] minutes. Average operative time was 54.5 [30-150] minutes. The effective dose related to the imaging device use was 0.032 (0.007-0.092) mSv. The effective dose was also correlated to body mass index and disc level (P=0.05). The operative duration, complication rate and postoperative VAS and ODI scores were similar to the current literature., Conclusions: We advocate the use of percutaneous needle guidance, avoiding wrong-level microdiscectomy and helping the surgeon as a "navigation-like" device with minimal additional irradiation for the patient., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jss-20-671). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Journal of Spine Surgery. All rights reserved.)

A 57-year-old immunocompetent male patient presented himself to our emergency department with lumbar pain for 10 days, after a lumbar torsion. He was neurologically intact, but showed signs of systemic inflammatory syndrome. A lumbar MRI found a spinal epidural abscess from L3-L4 to L5-S1 levels. The patient was operated early before occurrence of neurological deficit. The abscess cultures found a Streptococcus mitis infection. The patient made a good recovery after surgical decompression, washout with samples taken for cultures and targeted antibiotic therapy for 6 weeks., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: In Europe, the number of cases of Campylobacter enteritis and their quinolone resistance is increasing. The aims of this work were to evaluate: (1) the hospital epidemiology of bacterial enteritis between 2010 and 2015. (2) The proportion of Campylobacter and Salmonella enteritis. (3) Resistance to quinolones in adult and paediatric populations. (4) To investigate possible regional epidemiological and bacteriological disparities., Patients and Methods: This is a multicentric study carried out in 21 general hospitals (CHG) representing 14 French regions with a prospective collection of the results of coprocultures from 2010 to 2015 in adult and paediatric populations (children < 15 years old not exposed to quinolones). The epidemiological and bacteriological data were collected from software laboratory for positive stool cultures for Campylobacter and Salmonella. The results were compared year by year and by a period of 2 years., Results: In adults, Campylobacter enteritis was each year significantly more frequent than Salmonella (P < 0.001), with a significant increase from 2010 to 2015 (P < 0.05). In children, there was also a significant and stable predominance of Campylobacter enteritis over the study period (P = 0.002). The quinolone resistance of Campylobacter was greater than 50% on the whole territory, with no North-South difference over the three periods studied. It increased significantly from 2012 to 2015 in adults (48% to 55%, P < 0.05) and in children (54% to 61%, P = 0.04)., Conclusion: Our results confirm the increase in the prevalence of Campylobacter enteritis compared to Salmonella between 2010 and 2015. The quinolone resistance of Campylobacter is greater than 50% on the whole territory, stable between 2010 and 2015 in adults and significantly increased in children., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Background and Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the mortality and re-bleeding rates, and the risk factors involved, in a cohort of patients with previous diverticular bleeding (DB)., Methods: In 2007, data on 2462 patients with lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding were collected prospectively at several French hospitals. We studied the follow-up of patients with DB retrospectively. The following data were collected: age, mortality rates and re-bleeding rates, drug intake, surgery and comorbidities., Results: Data on 365 patients, including 181 women (mean age 83.6 ± 9.8 years) were available. The median follow-up time was 3.9 years (IQR 25-75: 1.7-5.4). Of these, 148 patients died (40.5%). Among the 70 patients (19.2%) who had at least one re-bleeding episode, nine died and three underwent surgical procedures. Anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy was discontinued in 70 cases (19.2%). The independent risk factors contributing to mortality were age > 80 years (HR = 3.18 (2.1-4.9); p  < 0.001) and a Charlson comorbidity score > 2 (1.91 (1.31-2.79); p  = 0.003). Discontinuation of therapy was not significantly associated with a risk of death due to cardiovascular events. No risk factors responsible for re-bleeding were identified, such as antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy in particular., Conclusions: In this cohort, the rates of mortality and DB re-bleeding after a median follow-up time of 3.9 years were 19.2% and 40.5%, respectively. The majority of the deaths recorded were not due to re-bleeding.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the performance of a new strip (Periscreen) for the rapid diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP)., Methods: Ascitic fluid (AF) of cirrhotic patients hospitalized between March 2014 and August 2015 was independently tested by two readers using the new strip, which has four colorimetric graduations (negative, trace, small, and large). SBP was diagnosed on neutrophils in ascites>250/mm 3 . Ascites not related to portal hypertension were excluded., Results: Overall, 649 patients from 21 French centers were included and 1,402 AF (803 AF samples from 315 outpatients and 599 samples from 334 inpatients) were assessed. Eighty-four AF samples (17 AF in 9 outpatients and 67 AF in 31 inpatients) were diagnosed as SBP. The prevalence of SBP was 6% (2.1% in outpatients vs. 11.2% in inpatients; P<0.001) and 7.2% in patients with symptoms suggestive of SBP (3% in outpatients vs. 11.3% in inpatients; P<0.001). The κ value for inter-reader agreement was 0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.77-0.84) when using the "trace" threshold. Considering discordant results (n=131) as positive to interpret the diagnostic performance of the strip at the "trace" threshold, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were 91.7, 57.1, 12.0, and 99.1%, respectively. At this "trace" threshold, sensitivity and NPV were both 100% in outpatients, and 89.5 and 97.9% in inpatients, respectively. At the "small" threshold, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 81.0, 85.9, 25.9 and 98.7%, respectively., Conclusions: The Periscreen strip is a rapid and highly efficient tool for excluding SBP in the outpatient setting.

Background: In 2006, bevacizumab, a targeted therapy agent was combined with FOLFIRI for the firstline treatment of patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer., Methods/results: A study on a homogenous series of 111 patients from the Brittany and Pays de la Loire areas who received bevacizumab-FOLFIRI as first-line treatment in 2006 showed the following results: 51 responses, 29 stabilisations, 21 progressions and 10 cases of toxicity prior to assessment. Median overall survival (OS) was 25.1 months and median progression-free survival was 10.2 months. Surgery secondary to treatment tripled median OS which reached 59.2 months in resected patients versus 18.8 months in unresected patients. Comparison of patients aged more or less than 70 years showed no differences in terms of benefits or risks., Conclusion: Bevacizumab-FOLFIRI could be administered as part of a routine care protocol to elderly patients previously evaluated by a geriatric assessment and validated by a multidisciplinary staff.

Background and Study Aims: The prevalence of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma in high-risk patients and the advantages of systematic Lugol staining during esophagoscopy have not yet been evaluated in a large prospective study. In this study we aimed to assess the prevalence of this type of tumor in high-risk patients, to examine the role of Lugol staining in endoscopic screening for esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma, and to establish whether it is possible to identify a particularly high-risk group which would benefit from systematic screening., Patients and Methods: A prospective study was undertaken in 62 endoscopy centers. A total of 1095 patients were enrolled, none of whom had any esophageal symptoms. These patients had presented with either a past history of or a recent head and neck or tracheobronchial squamous-cell carcinoma (group 1), with alcoholic chronic pancreatitis (group 2), with alcoholic cirrhosis (group 3), or were alcohol and tobacco addicts (group 4). The patients underwent a meticulous endoscopic examination of the esophagus, followed by Lugol staining., Results: The prevalence of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma was 3.2 %. The group 1 patients showed the highest prevalence of carcinoma (5.3 %) and the highest prevalence of dysplasia (4.5 %). Of the 35 carcinomas detected in the 1095 patients, seven (20 %) were early lesions, and 20 % were only detected after Lugol staining (P = 0.02). High-grade dysplasia was only observed in group 1 patients and two-thirds of these lesions were only diagnosed after Lugol staining. The overall prevalence of low-grade dysplasia was 2.4 %, and 77 % of these were detected only after Lugol staining (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Lugol dye staining increases the sensitivity of esophageal endoscopy for the detection of high-grade dysplasia and cancer. The prevalence of dysplasia and cancer reached 9.9 % in group 1, and we therefore believe that an endoscopic screening program could be justified for patients with head and neck or tracheobronchial cancer.

Objectives: To evaluate in naive patients with chronic hepatitis C 1- the efficacy and safety of one month interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) induction regimen; 2- the potential virological benefit of a secondary adjunction of ribavirin among HCV RNA negative patients after 20 weeks of IFN therapy, with or without an initial 4-week IFN induction., Material and Methods: 151 naive HCV-RNA positive patients presenting with biopsy- proven chronic hepatitis C and elevated ALT were randomised in a 2: 1 ratio in two arms: IFN-alpha 3 MU thrice a week (tiw) for 24 weeks (non-induced patients); IFN-alpha 6 MU daily for two weeks, then 3 MU daily for two weeks then 3 MU tiw for 20 weeks (induced patients). At week 24, HCV-RNA negative patients were randomised to receive in addition or not ribavirin 1-1.2 g daily for 24 additional weeks. Induction efficacy was assessed on the early viral response (EVR) defined as undetectable HCV RNA at week 4 then week 20. Ribavirin efficacy was assessed on the proportion of maintained complete response until the end of follow-up, 24 weeks after discontinuation of treatment. Data were analysed on an intent-to-treat basis., Results: Efficacy of IFN-alpha induction: 104 patients were randomised to the non-induction group, 47 to the induction group. Gender, age, genotype distribution and HCV viral load at baseline did not differ significantly between the two groups. There was one treatment discontinuation because of adverse events in induced patients versus four in non-induced patients (P > 0.05). The 4 week EVR was significantly greater in induced patients in patients with HCV genotype 1, 4 or 5 (47% vs 12%, P=0.0002) only. There was no impact of induction in patients with HCV genotype 2 or 3. Efficacy of ribavirin: at week 24, 28 and 26 HCV-RNA negative patients were randomised to addition of ribavirin or not, respectively. Patients randomised to secondary additive ribavirin were more often HCV-RNA negative at the end of follow-up than patients treated with IFN-alpha alone: 18/28 (64%) vs 10/26 (39%); P=0.06. Among patients randomised to bitherapy, the relapse rate was significantly lower in patients with genotype 2 or 3 (0/12 vs 6/13, P=0.01) and not in those with genotype 1, 4 or 5 (5/11 vs 3/6, P=0.99)., Conclusion: A 4 week IFN-alpha induction significantly increases the EVR rate in patients with HCV genotype 1, 4 or 5. Late secondary adjunction of ribavirin to IFN-alpha for 6 months in HCV-RNA negative patients after 6 months of IFN-alpha significantly decreases the relapse rate in patients with HCV genotype 2 or 3, but not in patients with genotypes 1, 4 or 5.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the EDAP LT 02 lithotriptor for the treatment of lower pole nephrolithiasis., Methods: From January 1994 to September 1995, 91 patients presenting with solitary radiopaque calculi of the lower pole calix were treated by piezoelectric extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) with the EDAP LT 02. Among them, 82 were available for follow-up. The stones' largest diameter of these patients varied from 5 to 15 mm (mean = 8.1). Indications for ESWL were pain in 63 (77%), hematuria in 5 (6%), associated infection in 6 (7.5%) and stone size in 8 (10%) asymptomatic patients. Stone localization was assessed as very easy in 74 cases (90%) and difficult in 8 cases (10%) but no intraoperative IVP was needed. ESWL sessions were performed with intravenous sedo-analgesia in 69 cases (80%) and general anesthesia in 17 cases (20%). After ESWL we advised patients to combine a diuresis with postural drainage., Results: Most patients were treated with one session of ESWL: none required more that two (mean = 1.05). The mean hospital stay for one session was 1.2 +/- 0.7 days. Obstructive complication rate was 11% and auxiliary treatments were necessary in 6%. The stone-free rate of in situ piezoelectric ESWL monotherapy was overall 84%, and 95% of patients with pain were cured., Conclusion: In the absence of abnormality of the upper urinary tract, the vast majority of small lower pole caliceal stones can be completely removed by piezoelectric ESWL without recourse to more invasive methods.

Objective: To evaluate the crystalline composition of encrustations on double-J ureteric stents in order to prevent their formation on the base of urolithiasis prophylaxis., Patients: 40 patients had a polyurethane double-J ureteric stent inserted between June 1994 and March 1995. Group 1 comprised 22 stone formers whose stents were placed in support of endourological treatment or extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy of renal or ureteric calculi. Group 2 comprised 18 patients whose stents were inserted for advanced and obstructive malignancy (n = 8) or as an adjunct to reconstructive surgery or endourological techniques (n = 10). After removal, stents were examined for encrustation and obstruction. A biochemical semiquantitative analysis was performed for deposits > 5 mg, and smaller sediments were examined with a polarizing optical microscope., Results: The incidence of encrustation was significantly higher (p = 0.009) for stone formers. In addition, in this group indwelling times of encrusted and obstructed stents were significantly shorter (p = 0.03 and 0.02, respectively). No particular relationship was found between the incidence of encrustation and indwelling times for stone formers. Conversely, for patients without urolithiasis, indwelling times were significantly longer for encrusted or obstructed stents than for unaffected ones (p = 0.05 and 0.02, respectively). Biochemical and optical analyses of encrustations mainly revealed calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate and ammonium magnesium phosphate. Calcium oxalate was the main crystalline phase, especially in the absence of urinary infection., Conclusion: Calcium oxalate represents the principal component of double-J ureteric stent encrustations. Thus, prophylaxis of encrustation may consist of preventive measures usually applied in cases of recurrent idiopathic calcium oxalate urolithiasis.

We describe an "inflammatory pseudotumor" of the liver that, which on detailed investigation, proved that the spindle-cell component of this lesion is derived from follicular dendritic reticulum cells (FDRC). This contention is supported by morphologic observations and by immunophenotype. The FDRC population contain Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It is known that FDRC express the EBV receptor CD21. In this particular case, the FDRC contained clonal EBV genomes, EBV RNA (EBER) transcripts, and expressed EBV latent membrane protein (LMP1). DNA sequencing of PCR products showed three point mutations compared with the standard LMP1 sequence of the EBV strain B95-8. The findings in this case corroborate those of other investigators concerning the possible role of EBV in the development of some inflammatory pseudotumors, including the recent production of functionally active EBV-transformed FDRC-like cell lines. This association could prove instructive in delineating the histogenesis of these tumors and further assist in making prognostic and therapeutic decisions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of the morning calcium oxalate crystalluria in detecting stone formers particularly prone to recurrence., Methods: Over a 24-hour period of urine collection, the morning calcium oxalate crystalluria was evaluated as well as the risk of stone formation, established with Tiselius and Parks indices, for 25 recurrent stone formers (group 1) and 25 normal controls (group 2)., Results: Morning crystalluria (type, size, number/ml and state of aggregate) and the Tiselius index were comparable in the two groups. Conversely, calciuria as well as the citrate/ calcium ratio and the Parks index varied significantly for stone formers and normal controls. No particular correlation appeared between crystalluria and indices of Tiselius and Parks, calciuria, calcium-oxalate product or calcium/ oxalate and citrate/calcium ratios., Conclusions: Morning calcium oxalate crystalluria does not enable an efficient characterization of recurrent stone formers. Its discordance with others potential indicators of the risk of stone formation poses the problem of their respective validity and evokes the prevalence of still unknown inhibiting agents in the phenomenon of crystallization.

Objective: To evaluate the management of urolithiasis in children since the development of extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL)., Methods: Between 1988 and 1994, 37 children, aged from 2 to 15 years (mean 10), with upper tract urolithiasis were evaluated and treated. Lithogenic metabolic disorders or anomalies of the urinary tract were present in 11 children (30%) Urolithiasis was multiple in 9 cases and bilateral in 2 cases. A total of 47 renal (30) or ureteral (17) stones were managed, of which 5 were partial or complete staghorn calculi. Initial treatment was surgery in 4 cases (1 nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy and 2 pyelolithotomies) and piezoelectric ESWL in 43 cases., Results: The overall ESWL success rate was 82.2%, with auxillary endoscopic procedures in 3 cases. ESWL failures required surgical stone removal in 5 cases, endoscopic ureterolithotripsy in 1 case and electrohydraulic ESWL in 1 case. Residual fragments after pyelolithotomies were also treated by ESWL., Conclusion: ESWL is the mainstay of treatment of childhood upper tract urolithiasis, but other therapeutic methods retain specific indications. Its application requires great vigilance and its long-term effects are uncertain. It is therefore important to rule out any underlying pathology and where possible to prevent further stone formation.

From May 1988 to September 1994, 15 spinal cord injury patients were treated by piezoelectric extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. Aged from 23 to 71 years (mean = 39), they presented with a total of 23 stones, of which 18 were located in the calyces, three in the renal pelvis and two in the proximal ureter. The maximum dimensions of calculi varied from 5 to 35 mm (mean = 11). Patients were placed in a dorsal decubitus position during the sessions, three being sedated with diazepam, while the other 12 remained unsedated. All were treated routinely with systemic antibiotics. Auxiliary procedures consisted of two pyelocalyceal flushings, three double J ureteral stenting and three ureteroscopies with fragment removal with a Dormia basket. No episode of autonomic dysreflexia was observed. Short term side effects were limited to a few cases of gross haematuria which regressed spontaneously. Overall, eight successes (53%), and seven failures (47%), were registered. Of the failures, one was the result of a partial fragmentation, while six were related to intrarenal retention of residual fragments resulting in four cases in rapid recurrences. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy can be easily applied to spinal cord injury patients. Its usefulness and limitations need to be well understood and a global consideration must be applied to the prevention and early detection of the upper urinary calculi in this exposed population of patients.

Different indices of the risk of urinary calcium oxalate crystallization were compared to determine their usefulness in detecting the stone-formers particularly prone to recurrence. Urine volume and calcium, oxalate, citrate, magnesium or creatinine were determined in 55 patients presenting with an idiopathic calcium oxalate urolithiasis, as well as in 50 control subjects. On 24-hour urine samples, these elements allowed for the calculation and comparison of different indices of lithogenous risk as proposed by Parks and Tiselius. Both Parks' indices and the urinary citrate-calcium ratio varied significantly between the two groups, but conversely Tiselius' indices were statistically comparable. The three Tiselius' indices taking the 24-hour urine volume into account were also strongly correlated. Parks' index and the urinary citrate-calcium ratio are highly discriminating and potentially relevant to select the stone-formers with a high risk of relapse. Tiselius' indices basically reflect urinary calcium oxalate saturation, and can only be used clinically to control the treatment interfering with this. In this respect, the formula based simply on urine volume, calcium and oxalate over 24 h (Ca0.71.Ox.V-1.2) appears to be sufficient.

From May 1992 to October 1993, 150 ureteral stones, impervious to piezoelectric extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) with ultrasound localization (EDAP LT.01), were treated with the Lithoclast. The maximum dimensions varied from 5 to 25 mm with a mean of 11 mm. 46 calculi were situated in the pelvic ureter, 82 in the abdominal ureter, and 22 were stuck in the ureteropelvic junction. There was no complete failure of fragmentation, but 39 abdominal calculi (48%) required additional treatment by ESWL due to migration of the fragments into the calyces. Apart from a few needle-sized perforations, ureteral tissue was not damaged by the Lithoclast. The use of this endoscopic lithotripter, which is highly efficient and painless, is, however, limited by the significant effect of retrograde propulsion of very mobile stones or fragments in the urinary tract.

Polygraphic exploration during sleep using cystomanometry was performed in 20 patients aged 7-17 years with primary (17) or secondary (3) enuresis. In this group of patients, 9 presented with isolated nocturnal enuresis while 11 patients had associated diurnal micturition troubles. During this study we documented 24 episodes of enuresis. There was no disturbance in sleep architecture or correlation between the uncontrolled micturition and any particular state or stage of sleep. Most episodes of enuresis occurred in a unique pattern in which a sudden or progressive intravesical increased pressure was associated with an awakening reaction. From a physiopathologic point of view, our findings are in favor of immaturity of the central system of inhibition of micturition reflex during sleep.