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The paper describes the occurrence of a rare complication – portal and systemic venous air embolism – after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, related to the endoscopic procedure. It can be associated with the more frequently encountered post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography complications pancreatitis or cholangitis. However, it can also be noted with perforation. The presented case suggests that in the clinical context an early abdominal ultrasound examination confirming hepatic portal venous gas and/or systemic venous air embolism could be useful for the diagnosis of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography retroduodenal perforation, and thus highlights the need for a high index of suspicion should this occurrence be noted post-procedurally, in order to ensure the best care of patients.

Background. We aimed to determine the relationship between endocan and cirrhotic cardiomyopathy.

Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) is frequently congenital and requires surgical correction. TEF can also occur secondary to malignant esophageal tumors or benign diseases and these cases are managed by endoscopic means, such as closing the defect with metallic stents. Although esophageal injury can occur secondary to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), TEF secondary to chronic NSAIDs use has not been described in the literature.

Background. Gastric neuroendocrine tumors (GI-NETs) are rare lesions, usually discovered incidentally during endoscopy. Based on their pathology, there are 4 types of GI-NETs. Type I are multiple small polypoid lesions with central ulceration located in the gastric body or the fundus, associated with atrophic gastritis usually noninvasive and very rarely metastatic. We report on a rare case of a gastric NET arising from the muscularis propria layer of the pyloric ring.

Background and aims. As already known, spondyloarthritis patients present a striking resemblance in intestinal inflammation with early Crohn’s disease. Moreover, the frequent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is an important part of their treatment. Both conditions could lead to intestinal stenoses. Therefore we proposed to investigate the usefulness of the patency capsule test in patients with spondyloarthritis.

Objectives: The role of prophylactic antibiotherapy prior to elective endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) is unclear. We aimed to determine whether patients receiving systemic antibiotics prior to ERCP had lower morbidity and mortality rates as well as shorter hospitalization compared to patients who did not receive antibiotic prophylaxis. Materials and methods: We conducted a prospective study of all patients undergoing ERCP in our unit. Antibiotic use, postERCP cholangitis rates, 30-day mortality and hospital stay were studied. Also, bacteriological examination of bile aspirates from these patients was conducted and antibiotic susceptibility was determined for the isolated pathogens. Outcomes: One hundred-thirty eight consecutive ERCPs conducted in our unit in a 9 month period were included. Cholangitis developed in 3 (4.6%) cases in the antibiotics groups and 3 (4%) cases in the control group (p=0.8). Hospital stay did not differ significantly between the two study groups (p=0.58). There was only one procedure-related death which was the result of postERCP pancreatitis in a patient with severe associated illnesses. Bile aspirates showed bacterial growth in 75% of the cases where bile was obtained, with E. coli being the most frequently isolated microorganism. No differences in bacteriological profiles were noted between the two study groups. Conclusion: There seems to be no influence on patient-related outcome of antibiotic prophylaxis prior to elective ERCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Study Aims: In videocapsule endoscopy examination (VCE), subtle variations in mucosal hue or pattern such as those seen in ulcerations can be difficult to detect, depending on the experience of the reader. Our aim was to test whether virtual chromoendoscopy (VC) techniques, designed to enhance the contrast between the lesion and the normal mucosa, could improve the characterization of ulcerative mucosal lesions., Patients and Methods: Fifteen trainees or young gastroenterologists with no experience in VCE were randomly assigned to evaluate 250 true ulcerative and 100 false ulcerative, difficult-to-interpret small bowel lesions, initially as white light images (WLI) and then, in a second round, with the addition of one VC setting or again as WLI, labeling them as real lesions or artifacts., Results: On the overall image evaluation, an improvement in lesion characterization was observed by adding any chromoendoscopy setting, especially Blue mode and FICE 1, with increases in accuracy of 13 % [95 %CI 0.8, 25.3] and 7.1 % [95 %CI - 17.0, 31.3], respectively. However, when only false ulcerative images were considered, with the same presets (Blue mode and FICE 1), there was a loss in accuracy of 10.7 % [95 %CI - 10.9, 32.3] and 7.3 % [95 %CI - 1.3, 16.0], respectively. The interobserver agreement was poor for both readings., Conclusions: VC helps beginner VCE readers correctly categorize difficult-to-interpret small bowel mucosal ulcerative lesions. However, false lesions tend to be misinterpreted as true ulcerative with the same presets. Therefore care is advised in using VC especially under poor bowel preparation.

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a disorder presenting with symptoms such as postprandial fullness, early satiety or epigastric pain. Although there is a 10 to 30% reported prevalence worldwide, there is currently no clear explanation of the pathophysiology behind this condition. Motility disorders, visceral hypersensitivity, acid disorders, Helicobacter pylori infection or psychosocial factors have all been reported to play a part in the pathophysiology of FD. The diagnosis of FD is one of exclusion, based on the Rome III criteria. The main therapeutic modalities include lifestyle changes, eradicating Helicobacter pylori infection and treatment with either proton pump inhibitors, prokinetics or antidepressants.