Background and Aim
Although several meta‐analyses suggested that sequential therapy (SQT) is superior to standard triple therapy (STT) for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori, these results were ...mainly based on the studies from Italy. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of 10‐day SQT for H. pylori infection compared with STT in Asian adults.
Methods
We performed an electronic search of the Cochrane Library, Medline, and Embase up to April 21, 2013, with no language restrictions. Randomized controlled trials comparing 10‐day SQT with STT for H. pylori eradication in Asian adults were included in this analysis. The primary outcome measures were the risk ratios (RRs) for successful eradication of H. pylori based on intention to treat comparing SQT with STT. The secondary outcome measures were the RRs for side effects.
Results
Seventeen randomized controlled trials with a total of 3419 participants (1591 for SQT and 1828 for STT) met the inclusion criteria. The eradication rate was 81.8% (95% CI: 78.9−84.6) for SQT and 74.3% (95% CI: 69.6−78.8) for SST, respectively. The pooled RR was 1.10 (95% CI: 1.04−1.16, P = 0.0005), which demonstrated significant superiority of SQT over STT, and the number needed to treat was 14 (95% CI: 9–29). There were no significant differences between SQT and STT in the risk of side effects (the pooled RR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.87−1.10, P = 0.73).
Conclusion
Ten‐day SQT appears to be superior to STT for H. pylori eradication in Asian adults. However, the pooled efficacy is lower than results from earlier European studies.
Peripancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) usually occur as a local complication of acute pancreatitis. In the Atlanta classification revised in 2012, local complications are categorized into acute PFC, ...acute necrotic collection, pancreatic pseudocyst, and walled-off necrosis. The latter two are indications for drainage. With the development of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided interventions, EUS-guided drainage of PFCs is now established as a standard treatment due to the advantages of lower cost, shorter hospital stay, and faster recovery. This article provides a brief introduction of PFCs and information on EUS-guided drainage of PFCs with a review of literature.
We investigated the clinical and radiological features of focal mass-forming autoimmune pancreatitis (FMF AIP) to help physicians avoid performing unnecessary surgery because of an improper ...diagnosis.
We evaluated 23 patients with chronic inflammatory pancreatic masses and who underwent pancreatectomy for presumed pancreatic cancer from April 1995 to December 2005. These patients were distinguished into 8 FMF AIP patients and 15 ordinary chronic pancreatitis patients through a histological review, along with considering the immunoglobulin G4 staining. Twenty-six randomly selected pancreatic cancer patients were also evaluated as a control group.
On the portal venous phase of computed tomography, 6 (85.7%) of 7 FMF AIP patients showed homogeneous enhancement, whereas only 3 chronic pancreatitis patients (25%) and none of the pancreatic cancer patients showed homogeneous enhancement (P < 0.001). None of the FMF AIP patients showed upstream main pancreatic duct dilatation greater than 5 mm or proximal pancreatic atrophy.
For patients with a pancreatic mass, if their radiological images show homogeneous enhancement on the portal venous phase, the absence of significant upstream main pancreatic duct dilatation greater than 5 mm, and the absence of proximal pancreatic atrophy, then conducting further evaluations should be considered to avoid performing unnecessary surgery.
The efficacy of propofol in gastrointestinal endoscopy for patients with midazolam-induced paradoxical reactions remains unclarified. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ...propofol-based sedation in patients who previously experienced paradoxical reactions.
This was a prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled pilot study. Participants with a history of paradoxical reactions to midazolam during a previous esophagogastroduodenoscopy were recruited and randomly assigned to group I (propofol monosedation) or group II (combination of propofol and midazolam). The primary endpoint was the occurrence of a paradoxical reaction.
A total of 30 participants (mean age, 54.7±12.6 years; male, 19/30) were randomly assigned to group I (n=16) or group II (n=14). There were no paradoxical reactions in group I, but there were two in group II, without a significant difference (p=0.209). The mean dose of propofol was higher in group I than in group II (p=0.002). Meanwhile, the procedure and recovery times did not differ between groups.
Propofol-based sedation was safe and effective for patients who experienced paradoxical reactions to midazolam. However, caution is needed because few cases of paradoxical reaction again can happen in group II in which midazolam was readministered.
The association between acute pancreatitis (AP) and gastrointestinal cancers in diabetic patients is currently not well understood. The study aim was to investigate the association between AP and ...gastrointestinal cancers in diabetic patients. Data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database were analyzed. Participants with diabetes who underwent a health examination between 2009 and 2012 were followed up till December 2018. The primary outcome was the occurrence of gastrointestinal cancer. A total of 2,263,184 patients were included in the final analysis. Patients with a history of AP (
= 2390) were found to have a significantly higher risk of gastrointestinal cancer, except for esophageal cancer, as follows: gastric cancer (aHR = 1.637, 95% CI: 1.323-2.025), colorectal cancer (aHR = 2.183, 95% CI: 1.899-2.51), liver cancer (aHR = 2.216, 95% CI: 1.874-2.621), pancreatic cancer (aHR = 4.558, 95% CI: 4.078-5.095), bile duct cancer (aHR = 3.996, 95% CI: 3.091-5.269), and gallbladder cancer (aHR = 2.445, 95% CI: 1.459-4.099). The history of AP is associated with the increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer in diabetic patients. It is necessary to investigate the history of AP and more actively recommend screening for gastrointestinal cancers in such patients.
Background/Aims: Biliary complications including biliary strictures and bile leaks are the most common complications that occur after liver transplantation (LT). Endoscopic treatment with endoscopic ...retrograde cholangiography (ERC) is considered the first-line treatment, and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) can serve as an alternative or rescue therapy. However, nationwide clinical data on the frequency of ERC and PTC following LT have not yet been investigated.
Methods: Using the nationwide claims database, we investigated patients who underwent LT between 2012 and 2014 in Korea and followed them until 2015. We analyzed the prevalence and characteristics of patients and biliary procedures, including ERC and PTC implemented after LT.
Results: A total of 3,481 patients underwent LT during the 3-year study period. Among them, 3.0% of patients underwent biliary intervention postoperatively during the same hospitalization period, and 21.4% of patients received biliary intervention later on after initially being discharged from the hospital following LT. A total of 16.9% and 12.1% of patients underwent ERC and PTC after LT, respectively. The median period from LT to the first biliary intervention was 7.8 months (interquartile range, 3.5 to 14.6 months), and these patients underwent an average of 3.2±2.8 biliary procedures during the follow-up period. Patients undergoing living donor LT were more than twice as likely to undergo biliary procedures as those undergoing deceased donor LT (25.5% vs 12.1%).
Conclusions: Approximately one-fourth of patients in Korea who underwent LT subsequently underwent ERC or PTC. Compared with deceased donor LT patients, those undergoing living donor LT underwent more biliary interventions and were more difficult to treat. (Gut Liver 2022;16:300-307)
Acute pancreatitis can range from a mild, self-limiting disease requiring no more than supportive care, to severe disease with life-threatening complications. With the goal of providing a ...recommendation framework for clinicians to manage acute pancreatitis, and to contribute to improvements in national health care, the Korean Pancreatobiliary Association (KPBA) established the Korean guidelines for acute pancreatitis management in 2013. However, many challenging issues exist which often lead to differences in clinical practices. In addition, with newly obtained evidence regarding acute pancreatitis, there have been great changes in recent knowledge and information regarding this disorder. Therefore, the KPBA committee underwent an extensive revision of the guidelines. The revised guidelines were developed using the Delphi method, and the main topics of the guidelines include the following: diagnosis, severity assessment, initial treatment, nutritional support, convalescent treatment, and the treatment of local complications and necrotizing pancreatitis. Specific recommendations are presented, along with the evidence levels and recommendation grades. (Gut Liver 2023;17:34-48)
Background: Malignant biliary obstruction (MBO) is usually caused by biliary tract cancer or pancreatic cancer. This study was performed to summarize the current situation regarding palliative ...endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD) for MBO in Korea and to determine its clinical significance by analyzing representative nationwide data.
Methods: Patients that underwent palliative ERBD for MBO between 2012 and 2015 were identified using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment database, which covers the entire Korean population. We assessed clinical characteristics and complications and compared the clinical impacts of initial metal and plastic stenting in these patients.
Results: A total of 9,728 subjects (mean age, 65 ± 11.4 years; male, 61.4%) were identified and analyzed. The most common diagnosis was malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile ducts (32.1%) and this was followed by extrahepatic or Ampulla of Vater cancer and pancreatic cancer. Initial plastic stent(s) placement was performed in 52.9% of the study subjects, and metal stent(s) placement was performed in 23.3%. The number of sessions of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) was significantly higher in patients that underwent initial plastic stenting than in patients that underwent metal stenting (2.2 ± 1.7 vs 1.8 ± 1.4, P < 0.0001), but rates of post-ERCP pancreatitis, hospital days, and time to second ERCP or PTBD were not significantly different.
Conclusion: This nationwide assessment study suggests that initial metal stenting is associated with fewer sessions of total ERCP or PTBD following the initial procedure, despite the preference for initial plastic stenting in Korea.