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To determine the prevalence of endoscopic lesions unrelated with portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis.Cross-sectional study including a consecutive cohort of patients with liver cirrhosis enrolled in a screening program of oesophageal varices who underwent an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy from November, 2013, to November, 2018. Clinical predictors of endoscopic lesions unrelated to portal hypertension were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression.A total of 379 patients were included. The most frequent aetiology of liver disease was alcohol consumption (60.4%). The prevalence of endoscopic lesions unrelated with portal hypertension was 39.6% (n=150). Among 96 patients with peptic lesions, urease was obtained in 56.2% of patients (positive in 44.4% of them). The prevalence of endoscopic lesions unrelated to portal hypertension was not associated with age, gender, liver function or ultrasound findings of portal hypertension. The prevalence of endoscopic lesions unrelated to portal hypertension was not associated with age, gender, liver function or ultrasound findings of portal hypertension. Smokers had a trend to increased prevalence of endoscopic lesions unrelated to portal hypertension (43.2% vs. 34.6%; p=0.09), particularly peptic ulcer (6.4% vs. 0.6%; p=0.05) and peptic duodenitis (17.3% vs. 6.3%; p=0.002). Active smoking was the only independent predictor of peptic ulcer or duodenitis (OR=2.56; p=0.017).Active smoking is a risk factor for endoscopic lesions unrelated to portal hypertension. This finding should be further investigated to reassess endoscopic screening programs in cirrhotic smokers.

Background and aims MELD allocation system has changed the clinical consequences on waiting list (WL) for LT, but its impact on mortality has been seldom studied. We aimed to assess the ability of MELD and other prognostic scores to predict mortality after LT. Methods 301 consecutive patients enlisted for LT were included, and prioritized within WL by using the MELD-score according to: hepatic insufficiency (HI), refractory ascites (RA) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The analysis was performed to predict early mortality after LT (8 weeks). Results Patients were enlisted as HI (44.9%), RA (19.3%) and HCC (35.9%). The major aetiologies of liver disease were HCV (45.5%). Ninety-four patients (31.3%) were excluded from WL, with no differences among the three groups (p = 0.23). The remaining 207 patients (68.7%) underwent LT, being HI the most frequent indication (42.5%). HI patients had the shortest length within WL (113.6 days vs 215.8 and 308.9 respectively; p

In patients who have undergone partial gastric resections, the difficulty of performing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is increased due to the resulting anatomic abnormality.To review our experience of ERCP in patients with Billroth II gastrectomy and other types of gastrectomy (Billroth I and indeterminate) in our center.We included all patients with Billroth II gastrectomy or other types of gastrectomy undergoing ERCP in a 19-year period.We included 233 patients (91% men and 9% women) from 1993 to 2012. A total of 88.4% of the patients had undergone Billroth II and 11.6% had undergone other types of gastrectomy, with an ERCP success rate of 51.9% and 55.6%, respectively. The most common causes of failure were inability to cannulate (44%) and failure to identify the papilla (39.6%). The final diagnosis was choledocholithiasis in 31.8%. The mean number of sessions was 1.09. The complications rate was 2.6%.The success of ERCP is influenced by the technical difficulty. For this reason, the success rate in our center was slightly over 50%, but with few complications.

Pneumatic dilation and surgical myotomy are currently the procedures of choice to treat achalasia. The selection of one or other treatment depends on the experience of each center and patient preferences.To review the experience of pneumatic dilation in patients with achalasia in our center.We included all patients with a clinical, endoscopic and manometric diagnosis compatible with achalasia who underwent pneumatic dilation in a 19-year period. All dilations were routinely performed with a Rigiflex(®) balloon, usually at pressures of 250, 250 and 300mm Hg in three inflations of one minute, each separated by one minute. The success of the dilation was assessed on the basis of the patient's symptoms, the number of sessions, the need for surgery, and the presence of complications.A total of 171 patients were included, 53.2% men and 46.8% women, with a mean age of 51.53±17.78 years (16-87 years), from June 1993 to October 2012. A 35-mm balloon was used in 157 patients, a 30-mm balloon in 9 patients and a 40-mm balloon in 7 patients. A single dilation session was required in 108 patients, two sessions were required in 56 patients, with a mean time between the first and second sessions of 25.23±43.25 months (1-215 months), and 3 sessions were required in 7 patients with a mean time between the second and third sessions of 6.86±5.33 months (1-15 months). Outcome after dilation was successful in 81% of the patients. Of the 140 responders, 121 had complete response (complete disappearance of symptoms without recurrence) and 19 partial response (initial disappearance of symptoms with subsequent reappearance). Surgery (Heller myotomy) was required in 15.8% of the patients. Perforation occurred in 4 of the 171 patients as a complication of the technique; these perforations were satisfactorily resolved, two by conservative treatment and two by surgery. There was no mortality associated with the technique or its complications.In our series, pneumatic dilation had a high success rate. In most patients, a single session was required and the complications rate was low. These results show that this technique is safe and effective in these patients, avoiding a large number of surgical interventions.

Evaluation of patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (AGB) requires early clinical evaluation and analysis. The aim of this study is to evaluate early concordance of hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (HTC) levels determined by conventional venous blood gas analysis (VBG) and by conventional Laboratory in Emergencies (LAB).Observational and prospective study of patients admitted in the Gastrointestinal Haemorrhage Unit with both high and low AGB. Demographic and clinical variables and simultaneous venous blood samples were obtained to determine Hb and HTC by VBG and LAB. Concordance in both methods was analysed by intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis.One hundred and thirty-two patients were included: 87 (65.9%) males, average age 66.8 years. VBG overestimated Hb in 0.49 g/dl (95% confidence interval: 0.21-0.76) with respect to LAB. Concordance was very high in Hb (ICC 0.931) and high in HTC (0.899), with the Bland-Altman graphs showing both concordance and overestimation of Hb levels determined by VBG. In 19 patients (14.39%), Hb by VBG exceeded in more than 1g/dL the final determination obtained by LAB.Early determination of Hb and HTC in patients with AGB by VBG provides reliable results in the initial evaluation of anaemia. VBG systematically overestimates Hb values by less than 0.5 g/dl, and therefore clinical and hemodynamic evaluation of the bleeding patient should prevail over analytical results.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is an underdiagnosed disease that should be suspected in all patients with dysphagia and food impaction. Although these are the leading symptoms, the clinical and endoscopic spectrum is highly varied. Clinicians should be aware of the risk of endoscopy-related complications in this disorder. Precautions should be maximized in endoscopic examinations to avoid iatrogenic damage. We describe the case of a young patient with esophageal stricture and dysphagia who suffered a perforation following a biopsy.

Ischemic gastropathy is highly infrequent in daily medical practice. In the last few years, the number of reported cases has increased. Although the guiding symptom is usually abdominal pain, the clinical spectrum of the disease is highly variable. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to change the natural history of the disease. We present the case of a 75-year-old man with chronic abdominal pain who developed a fulminant form of necrotizing gastric ischemia and died within less than 24h.