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The introduction of molecularly targeted therapies, particularly the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRIs), has had a positive impact by increasing the life expectancy of patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). The most used anti-EGFRIs monoclonal antagonist, Cetuximab, induces skin responses in most patients, leading to a reduction of dosages or even therapy discontinuation, all with devastating effects. Our study aimed to assess the predictive role and the possible correlations of clinical features, imaging aspects (dermatoscopy), and laboratory tests (anti-alpha-galactosyl IgE levels) for early detection of Cetuximab skin toxicity in patients with metastatic CRC. The association of IgE antibodies against goat alpha-1,3-galactose serum levels with various degrees of skin toxicity encountered during the oncologic treatment resulted in higher concentrations in patients with pruritus and hair changes. Incorporating dermatoscopy into the routine dermatological consultation allowed us to perform a severity assessment, dynamically record, and identify even the erupting lesions previously invisible to classical examination. Hence, we were enabled to generate a broad report and to classify various degrees of skin toxicity severity linked to Cetuximab treatment in 19 patients with metastatic CRC. Detecting the emergent lesions and initiating dermatological treatment in the early stages decreased the severity of skin toxicity. As a result, the duration of the antibiotic treatment was much shorter, and the risk of dose reduction or interruption of the cancer treatment was diminished. In conclusion, we emphasize the need for a regular dermatological examination with dermatoscopy of CRC patients undergoing Cetuximab treatment. Skin toxicity is a significant concern for these patients, and healthcare providers should be vigilant in monitoring and managing this side effect in order to optimize patient care. The correlation between anti-alpha-Gal IgE levels and Cetuximab-induced skin toxicities is an emerging area. More extensive studies need to be published in order to establish this relationship directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Checking and correctly preparing the patient for endoscopic procedures is a mandatory step for the safety and quality of the interventions. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance and necessity of a "team time out" as well as the implementation of a customized "checklist" before the actual procedure. Material and Methods: We developed and implemented a checklist for the safe conduct of endoscopies and for the entire team to thoroughly know about the patient's medical history. The subjects of this study were 15 physicians and 8 endoscopy nurses who performed overall 572 consecutive GI endoscopic procedures during the study period. Results: This is a prospective pilot study performed in the endoscopy unit of two tertiary referral medical centers. We customized a safety checklist that includes the steps to be followed before, during and after the examination. It brings together the whole team participating in the procedure in order to check the key points during the following three vital phases: before the patient falls asleep, before the endoscope is inserted and before the team leaves the examination room. The perception of team communication and teamwork was improved after the introduction of the checklist. The checklist completion rates, identity verification rates of patients by the endoscopist, adequate histological labeling management and explicit recording of follow-up recommendations are some of the parameters that improved post-intervention. Conclusions: Using a checklist and adapting it to local conditions is a high-level recommendation of the Romanian Ministry of Health. In a medical world where safety and quality are essential, a checklist could prevent medical errors, and team time out can ensure high-quality endoscopy, enhance teamwork and offer patients confidence in the medical team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Pancreatic cystic lesions are diagnosed with an increasing frequency, thus comprising a significant routine condition in clinical practice. In addition to the current approaches, which include surgery and surveillance, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) provides the potential of an additional therapeutic tool. This review collected the existing literature regarding EUS-guided ablation techniques for pancreatic cystic lesions and assessed its efficacy and safety. The cumulative effect in treating pancreatic cysts was 44% (95%CI: 31–57), with the highest rate achieved when a combination of ethanol and paclitaxel was injected into the cysts (70%; 95%CI: 64–76). Considering safety, most adverse events were mild and occurred after ethanol injection. EUS-guided pancreatic cyst ablation seems to be an acceptable and safe procedure, with promising results in appropriately selected patients. Background: Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCL) represent an increasingly diagnosed condition with significant burden to patients' lives and medical resources. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) ablation techniques have been utilized to treat focal pancreatic lesions. This systematic review with meta-analysis aims to assess the efficacy of EUS ablation on PCL in terms of complete or partial response and safety. Methods: A systematic search in Medline, Cochrane and Scopus databases was performed in April 2023 for studies assessing the performance of the various EUS ablation techniques. The primary outcome was complete cyst resolution, defined as cyst disappearance in follow-up imaging. Secondary outcomes included partial resolution (reduction in PCL size), and adverse events rate. A subgroup analysis was planned to evaluate the impact of the available ablation techniques (ethanol, ethanol/paclitaxel, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and lauromacrogol) on the results. Meta-analyses using a random effects model were conducted and the results were reported as percentages with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Results: Fifteen studies (840 patients) were eligible for analysis. Complete cyst resolution after EUS ablation was achieved in 44% of cases (95%CI: 31–57; 352/767; I2 = 93.7%), and the respective partial response rate was 30% (95%CI: 20–39; 206/767; I2 = 86.1%). Adverse events were recorded in 14% (95%CI: 8–20; 164/840; I2 = 87.2%) of cases, rated as mild in 10% (95%CI: 5–15; 128/840; I2 = 86.7%), and severe in 4% (95%CI: 3–5; 36/840; I2 = 0%). The subgroup analysis for the primary outcome revealed rates of 70% (95%CI: 64–76; I2 = 42.3%) for ethanol/paclitaxel, 44% (95%CI: 33–54; I2= 0%) for lauromacrogol, 32% (95%CI: 27–36; I2 = 88.4%) for ethanol, and 13% (95%CI: 4–22; I2 = 95.8%) for RFA. Considering adverse events, the ethanol-based subgroup rated the highest percentage (16%; 95%CI: 13–20; I2 = 91.0%). Conclusion: EUS ablation of pancreatic cysts provides acceptable rates of complete resolution and a low incidence of severe adverse events, with chemoablative agents yielding higher performance rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent cause of chronic liver disease, affecting approximately 2 billion individuals worldwide with a spectrum that can range from simple steatosis to cirrhosis. Typically, the diagnosis of NAFLD is based on imaging studies, but the gold standard remains liver biopsies. Hence, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in this field, which has recently undergone rapid development in various aspects of medicine, has the potential to accurately diagnose NAFLD and steatohepatitis (NASH). This paper provides an overview of the latest research that employs AI for the diagnosis and staging of NAFLD, as well as applications for future developments in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image fusion of CT, MRI, and PET with endoscopic ultrasound and transabdominal ultrasound can be promising for GI malignancies as it has the potential to allow for a more precise lesion characterization with higher accuracy in tumor detection, staging, and interventional/image guidance. We conducted a literature review to identify the current possibilities of real-time image fusion involving US with a focus on clinical applications in the management of GI malignancies. Liver applications have been the most extensively investigated, either in experimental or commercially available systems. Real-time US fusion imaging of the liver is gaining more acceptance as it enables further diagnosis and interventional therapy of focal liver lesions that are difficult to visualize using conventional B-mode ultrasound. Clinical studies on EUS guided image fusion, to date, are limited. EUS–CT image fusion allowed for easier navigation and profiling of the target tumor and/or surrounding anatomical structure. Image fusion techniques encompassing multiple imaging modalities appear to be feasible and have been observed to increase visualization accuracy during interventional and diagnostic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer remains a health problem, with treatment indications varying with the TNM stage. We aimed in this study to highlight the role of EUS in GC patients and also to calculate the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of EUS for T and N staging in our group of patients with this disease. In this study, we included 41 GC patients, and individual values for every T stage accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, correct staging, understaging, and overstaging were calculated. EUS overall accuracy for T staging was 58.53%, with the highest sensitivity reached for the T4 stage, 95.83%. For N+vs. N-staging, EUS accuracy was 68.29%, with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 44.44%. The positive and negative predicted values for the presence or absence of nodal disease were 82.75%, respectively 33.33%. In conclusion, this study confirmed the importance of EUS for the assessment of GC T and N stage and highlighted the role of this tool in the detection of liver micrometastasis unrevealed by other imaging techniques like abdominal ultrasound or MSCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) after neoadjuvant therapy (NT) for gastric cancer restaging by meta-analysis. We conducted a systematic search of studies published on PubMed and Web of Science up to 30th August 2021. Assessing the risk of bias in the included studies was done with the QUADAS-2 tool. We used R and Review Manager 5.4.1 for calculations and statistical analysis. To evaluate the diagnostic value of EUS after NT for gastric cancer restaging, we performed a meta-analysis on six studies, with a total of 283 patients, including true-positive, true-negative, false-positive, and false-negative results for T1-T4, N0. EUS as a diagnostic test for GC patients after chemotherapy has a relatively low DOR for the T2 (3.96) and T4 stages (4.79) and a relatively high partial AUC for the T2 (0.85) and T4 (0.71) stages. Our results reveal that the pooled sensitivity for T stages after chemotherapy is rather low (29–56%), except for the T3 stage (71%). A potential limitation of our study was the small number of included studies, but no significant heterogeneity was found between them. Our meta-analysis concludes that EUS is not recommended or is still under debate for GC restaging after NT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical utility of ancillary features (AFs) in contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS®) is yet to be established. In this study, we assessed the diagnostic yield of CEUS LI-RADS and AFs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We retrospectively included patients with risk factors for HCC and newly diagnosed focal liver lesions (FLL). All lesions have been categorized according to the CEUS LI-RADS v2017 by an experienced sonographer blinded to clinical data and to the final diagnosis. From a total of 143 patients with 191 FLL, AFs favoring HCC were observed in 19.8% cases as hypoechoic rim and in 16.7% cases as nodule-in nodule architecture. From the total of 141 HCC cases, 83.6% were correctly classified: 57.4%- LR-5 and 26.2%- LR-4. In 9.21% cases, CEUS indicated LR-M; 2.12% cases- LR-3. The LR-5 category was 96.2% predictive (PPV) of HCC. LR-5 had 60.4% sensitivity and 93.6% specificity. PPV for primitive malignancy (LR-4 + LR-5) was 95.7%, with 88% sensitivity, 89.3% specificity and 88.4% accuracy for HCC. LR-4 category had 94.8% PPV and 26.2% sensitivity. CEUS LR4 + LR5 had 81,8% sensitivity for HCCs over 2 cm and 78.57% sensitivity for smaller HCCs. CEUS LR-5 remains an excellent diagnostic tool for HCC, despite the size of the lesion. The use of AFs might improve the overarching goal of LR-5 + LR-4 diagnosis of high specificity for HCC and exclusion of non-HCC malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Real-world assessments of efficacy and safety of advanced therapies used for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are limited. We aimed to report safety, efficacy and treatment persistence of new molecules (infliximab, adalimumab, vedolizumab, tofacitinib, ustekinumab) in a retrospective multicentric national Romanian analysis. Methods: We conducted a nationwide, retrospective observational multicentric study. Data were collected retrospectively from electronic and paper files. Patients who started on one of the five investigated molecules during December 2019-December 2021 were included. The main outcome measures were clinical remission, endoscopic healing, persistence on treatment and safety data. Results: A total of 678 adult patients from 24 Romanian IBD centers with a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease were included. Participants had previously failure to one (268, 39.5%), two (108, 15%) or more treatment lines and only 38% (259) were biologic naïve. In the 24 months study period, most patients were started on vedolizumab (192, 28%), followed by adalimumab, infliximab, ustekinumab and tofacitinib. In biologic-naïve patients, most physicians (72%) preferred anti-TNF treatment as first line biologic (93 patients started on infliximab, 92 on adalimumab), followed by vedolizumab, ustekinumab and tofacitinib. During follow-up, 71% (470, p=0.05) of patients achieved clinical remission and 36% (134, p=0.03) achieved mucosal healing. The 6 months milestone for persistence was reached in 78% (530) of cases. Almost half of patients (47%, 316 patients) persisted on their current treatment for over 12 months. Overall, an adverse reaction was reported for 67 (10.4%) patients, with no lethal events. Conclusions: Population of biologic-experienced IBD patients in Romania is increasing and is becoming more difficult to achieve long-term disease control. Discontinuation rates for advanced therapies are high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasound (CEH-EUS) parameters may be used to predict prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between several perfusion parameters on CEH-EUS performed before treatment and survival outcome in patients with PDAC or pNET. Material and methods: Thirty patients with PDAC or pNET who underwent CEH-EUS and EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) were included. Quantitative analysis of tumor vascularity was performed using time-intensity curve (TIC) analysis-derived parameters, obtained from processing CEH-EUS recordings with a commercially available software (VueBox). Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine associations with survival outcome. Results: Median overall survival (OS) for PDAC patients was 9.61 months (95% CI: 0.1-38.7) while the median OS for pNET patients was 15.81 months (95% CI: 5.8-24.75. In a multivariate model for OS, a lower peak enhancement (HR=1.76, p=0.02) and a lower wash-in area under the curve (HR=1.06, p=0.001) were associated with worse survival outcome for patients with PDAC. Conclusions: CEH-EUS parameters may be used as a surrogate to predict PDAC aggressiveness and survival before treatment. After validation by large-scale studies, CEH-EUS perfusion parameters have the potential to be used in pretreatment risk stratification of patients with PDAC and in evidence-based clinical decision support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historic. A 59-year-old patient, a chronic ethanol user, without any medical history, presents with hematemesis and abdominal pain. Methods. The level of hemoglobin was 8.2 g/dL, without any other biological modification. The emergency upper digestive endoscopy revealed a large clot that almost completely occupied the esophageal and gastric lumen, up to the duodenal angle. Endoscopic re-evaluation at 24 hours: esophagus and stomach with free lumen, gastric body with extrinsic compression on the posterior face towards the greater curvature and intensely edematous mucosa at that level. Abdominal ultrasound revealed multiple calcifications at the level of the pancreatic head and body and at the level of the tail of the pancreas, a cystic formation of approximately 5 cm was visualized, with a pulsed Doppler signal. CEUS:hyperinhancement in the center of the lesion and lack of contrast in the periphery, an aspect that was maintained in the portal and parenchymal phases. The abdominal CT showed a corporeo-caudal pancreatic pseudoaneurysm of the splenic artery with dimensions of 65 mm, with parietal thrombosis with a stratified appearance, affecting about 40% of the lumen, with contrast extravasation, in direct contact with the posterior gastric wall. Results. The suspicion of upper digestive hemorrhage secondary to a fistula between the pseudo-aneurysm of the splenic artery and the stomach was raised, but also the possibility of a wirsungorrhagia, given the direct contact of the lesion with the pancreatic tail. Abdominal angiography with angioplasty was performed, secondary to the extravasation of the contrast substance at the level of the splenic artery with a 3/18 mm Bentley type stent graft, with an optimal result, without extravasation of contrast. Diagnosis. Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage secondary to a splenic artery pseudoaneurysm. Chronic ethanolic pancreatitis. Conclusions. Bleeding from splenic artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare and often fatal cause of gastrointestinal bleeding The most common causes are pancreatitis and abdominal trauma. In pancreatitis, pancreatic enzymes can cause vascular necrosis and rupture of elastic tissue, leading to pseudoaneurysm formation. Another way can be through pseudocysts (41% of patients with pseudoaneurysms), In this patient's case, the pseudoaneurysm most likely occurred secondary to a pseudocyst that eroded the splenic artery, with intracystic hemorrhage, which led to a localized hemorrhage and not to a hemoperitoneum, and subsequently to the digestive tract, transgastric or through the main pancreatic duct. After stent placement by angiography, the patient had a favorable evolution at ultrasound reevaluation at 1 month, with remission of the lesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Among the non-invasive methods of evaluation in cirrhotic patients, the shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) method has been used to quantify the stiffness in chronic liver disease with good accuracy. Several studies have shown that each complication of cirrhosis is associated with a certain amount of liver stiffness. The objective of the study we performed was to quantify the use of elastography (liver and spleen) in predicting the risque and the grade of gastro-esophageal varices in patients diagnosed with hepatic cirrhosis. Methods. We used the GE Logiq E9/E10 ultrasound system for 34 pacients. We excluded the pacients with liver neoplasia, infiltrative liver disease, acute virale hepatitis and obstructive cholestasis. The value cutt-off used for liver stiffness was >11.88 kPa (>1.99 m/s), correspondent for F4 Metavir. The procedure was realized after 4 hours of fasting, intercostal at 1.5-2 cm below liver and spleen capsule avoiding vessels. Six measurements were obtained for each patient. The results were compared with upper digestive endoscopy. Results. We performed liver elastography for 34 patients known with liver cirrhosis, 94.2% due to ethanol consumption, of which 29.4% (n:10) were female and 70.5% (n:24) were male. We compared the degree of esophageal varices with the value of elastography. Elastography can differentiate patients without esophageal varices from patients with moderate (p value=0.072) or large esophageal varices (p value=0.013), but it cannot differentiate between patients without esophageal varices and those with small esophageal varice (p value=0.8249). However, there was a lack of correlation between the elastographic values of the spleen and the degree of esophageal varices (p value= 0.5860). Conclusions. The results obtained are indicating that 2D-SWE of the liver can be used for ruling-out varices needing treatment in patients with cACLD, knowing that the presence of varices and especially of varices needing treatment indicates distinct prognostic stages in patients with compensated ACLD (cACLD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by an intense fibrosis which enhances the growth of tumor cells and drives an epithelialmesenchymal transition. The consequence is the uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells, including pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSC), which can enhance the metastatic potential. Objective. The aim of this study is to assess the expression of pancreatic cancer stem cells, on pancreatic endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) specimens. Material and Methods. A total of 21 patients diagnosed with PDAC after EUS-FNB within the Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology of Craiova, were included in the study, and the samples were sent for immunohistochemical assessment. Anti-Human CD 24 (policlonal, Abcam, ab 199140) and EpCAm (Epr 20532-225, Rb monoclonal, Abcam, ab 223582) were used. Results. All cases were positive for CD24 and EpCAM. In NOS ductal adenocarcinomas, CD24 immunomarking was heterogeneous, with variable intensity and a variable number of positive cells within the same case. Well and moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas that formed tubular or papillary structures showed a higher intensity CD24 expression compared to poorly differentiated or undifferentiated adenocarcinomas. EpCam showed a stronger immunolabeling intensity in the analyzed samples. PDAC EpCam expression was of moderate and high intensity and with a heterogeneous appearance in NOS G1 adenocarcinomas, but the intensity of the immunomarking tended to decrease with increasing histological grade. Conclusions. EUS-FNB PCSC immunohistochemistry is feasible. At the subcellular level, the basolateral membranous and cytoplasmic staining of EpCam in PDAC could be correlated with tumor invasion and possibly with the unfavorable evolution of this type of carcinoma, while CD24 frequently presents an apical immunostaining pattern and could suggest the presence of an epithelial-type phenotype of tumor cells, with a lower potential for invasiveness and metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. An 84-year-old patient with a history of high blood pressure presented to the emergency room with lower abdominal pain and haematochezia. Methods. Clinical:hemodynamically stable. Biological: WBC 32700/microL, Hb=8.1 g/dL, PLT = 321 000/microL, INR=1.23, CRP = 292 mg/L. CTscan: no contrast extravasation in the digestive tract, infrarenal aortic aneurysm (130 mm cranio-caudal), with parietal thrombus plus a retroaortic abscess with stenosis of the inferior vena cava. Vascular surgery consultation: no surgical indication ->admission to the gastroenterology department. Emergency upper GI endoscopy: adherent clot in the fornix, stasis fluid. 60 cm rectosigmoidoscopy: mucosal lesions suggestive of ischemic colitis. Reevaluation after 12 h: WBC = 26 000/microL, hemoglobin = 7.1 g/dL Results. Re-evaluation of the CT-scan: suspicion of an aorto-duodenal fistula. Second upper GI endoscopy: gastric mucosa, bulb and D2 lined with fresh blood. On withdrawal, an infrapapillary lesion suggestive for an aortoenteric fistula. Duodenoscopesecond look:an erosion with a diameter of 10 mm with a deep punctate hole: most likely aortoenteric fistula. The patient was transferred to cardio-vascular surgery: double-layer duodenorrhaphy and aorto-aortic interposition of a silver Dacron prosthesis were done. Conclusion. The particularity of the case was represented by the rare cause of haemorrhage with difficult diagnosis. The approach and treatment required a multidisciplinary team and a good collaboration. The patient was discharged after 17 days with a good general condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Variceal bleeding is a common and severe cause of hospitalization in cirrhotic patients. We analyzed how the COVID-19 waves modified the outcome of the patients compared to COVID-19 extra-wave intervals. Methods. We retrospectively included all patients hospitalized between March 2020 and December 2021 for variceal bleeding. They were separated in 2 categories: hospitalizations during COVID-19 extrawaves period and the COVID-19 waves. Variables like sex, age, hemoglobin at presentation, endoscopic timing, hemostatic methods, transfusion necessity, duration of hospitalization and mortality were analyzed. Results. Out of 76 patients (2020-2021), 20patients were hospitalized during the COVID-19 waves. The median age did not differ significantly across groups (61 years [IQR: 52-65] vs 58years [IQR: 44-64]), 59 patients being male and 17 being female. The number of admissions for variceal bleeding and gastroscopy requirement and timing were similar regardless of the studied period (p > 0.05). Median hemoglobin admission values were significantly lower in the following subgroups: patients in whom gastroscopy was performed in less than 6 hours or more than 12 hours (p = 0.045) and patients requiring PRBC transfusion (p = 0.018). There were also no differences in duration of hospitalization and mortality between the two studied periods (p>0.05). Conclusions. The number of patients remained relatively constant in both periods. We found no differences in the management and outcomes of patients with variceal bleeding throughout the COVID pandemic. Our results might be influenced by the low number of patients and need confirmation on larger cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic pseudoaneurysm is a rare condition usually associated with pancreatic disorders: pancreatitis, neoplasm, or cystic lesions of the pancreas. Almost 10% of patients with chronic pancreatitis develop during disease progression a pseudoaneurysm. Usually appears secondary to a communication between a pseudocyst and a nearby artery. We present the case of a patient with chronic pancreatitis, with recurrent exacerbations and pseudocyst of 4 cm diameter located posterior of the pancreatic body. The conventional abdominal ultrasound revealed the hypoechoic mass, suspected at that moment for complicated pseudocyst. Contrast enhanced ultrasound revealed a hypervascular area 1.5 cm diameter inside de cystic lesion, suspected of pseudoaneurysm. The digital arteriography confirms the diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm originated form first branch of superior mesenteric artery (SMA), but without treatment options at that time. EUS confirmed the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic pseudoaneurysm, no other suspected masses were detected. Two weeks later, the patient presented again in the emergency room for severe abdominal pain, laboratory tests showing an increased serum amylase and lipase level. Ultrasound revealed the same lesion of 5 cm diameter posterior of the body, with color Doppler suggestive of pseudoaneurysm, this time 3 cm in diameter. During hospitalization patient presented upper GI bleeding without any lesion found at upper GI endoscopy. Further emergency arteriography was performed, with coils angioembolization of the lesion, without complications. CT scan and ultrasound performed at one week confirm the successful treatment of pseudoaneurysm. The review of the literature in the field of pancreatic pseudoaneurysm revealed isolated cases reports, few data series. Although the role of CEUS in pancreatic disorders is largely discussed in the literature, in pancreatic pseudoaneurysm, due to the rarity of the cases, is not well standardized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Midgut carcinoid tumors are rare neuroendocrine tumors that can spread to the intestinal mesentery. Although the mesenteric tumor is usually the first finding due to abdominal discomfort, some patients with hepatic metastases might experience symptoms of carcinoid syndrome. We present the case of a 74 year old male with weight loss, diffuse abdominal pain, facial flushing and diarrhea for about 2 months who was diagnosed with an ill-defined mesenteric mass andhepatic, pulmonary and lymph node metastatic lesions. To better characterize the hepatic lesions, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) was performed. It revealed hypervascular lesions in the arterial phase and complete washout during the portal phase, suggestive for liver metastases. Surprisingly, a reflux of contrast into the inferior vena cava was also noticed in the arterial phase. This can be an uncommon finding on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) or computed tomography (CECT) that may indicate right-sided heart disease or high flow contrast injection rates. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) confirmed the diagnosis of peripancreaticlymph node and liver metastases of neuroendocrine tumor. This case report illustrates the role of ultrasound imaging for the diagnosis of rare tumors such as carcinoid tumors and also a peculiar finding on liver CEUS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiogenesis is a critical process for tumor growth and metastasis, it is now considered an important marker of disease prognosis and sensitivity to anticancer therapy. However, gastric cancer (GC) studies are rather scarce. CHI-EUS was proposed in this study as a useful method to assess GC vascularization patterns. Patients initially diagnosed with GC, only adenocarcinoma type, who subsequently performed CHI-EUS examinations before any treatment decision, were included in this study. Dedicated software named Vuebox (Bracco Imaging S.p.A., Milan, Italy) was used to quantitatively evaluate angiogenesis in the chosen regions of interest (ROI). As a result, this software generated automatically parameters derived from time-intensity curve (TIC) like peak enhancement (PE), rise time (RT), time to peak (TTP), wash in perfusion index (WiPI), ROI area, and others were compared to immunohistopathological data. CD105 and CD31 immunostaining was performed to calculate the vascular diameter (vd) and the microvascular density (MVD). The final results were compared with CHI-EUS parameters. A total of eighty CHI-EUS video sequences were assessed. Multiple high statistical correlations (p<0.05) were highlighted between TIC analysis parameters, MVD, and vd CD31. Also, strong correlations were found between tumor grade and CHI-EUS parameters, p<0.005. Differences in TIC parameters and immunohistochemical markers between the group of patients without (M0) versus the group with (M1) metastasis were noted. Our study demonstrated that GC angiogenesis assessed by CHI-EUS was a feasible method and may be considered for future studies based on TIC analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]