Citations
Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided ethanol ablation is gaining popularity for the treatment of focal pancreatic lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and treatment response after EUS-guided ethanol injection for small pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (p-NETs).
This was a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database including 11 consecutive patients with p-NETs who underwent EUS-guided ethanol injection.
EUS-guided ethanol injection was successfully performed in 11 patients with 14 tumors. The final diagnosis was based on histology and clinical signs as follows: 10 non-functioning neuroendocrine tumors and four insulinomas. During follow-up (median, 370 days; range, 152 to 730 days), 10 patients underwent clinical follow-up after treatment, and one patient was excluded because of loss to follow-up. A single treatment session with an injection of 0.5 to 3.8 mL of ethanol resulted in complete responses (CRs) at the 3-month radiologic imaging for seven of 13 tumors (response rate, 53.8%). Multiple treatment sessions performed in three tumors with residual viable enhancing tissue increased the number of tumors with CRs to eight of 13 (response rate, 61.5%). Mild pancreatitis occurred in three of 11 patients.
EUS-guided ethanol injection appears to be a safe, feasible, and potentially effective method for treating small p-NETs in patients who are poor surgical candidates.
Citations
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an uncomfortable procedure that requires adequate sedation for its successful conduction. We investigated the efficacy and safety of the combined use of intravenous midazolam and propofol for sedation during ERCP.
A retrospective review of patient records from a single tertiary care hospital was performed. Ninety-four patients undergoing ERCP received one of the two medication regimens, which was administered by a nurse under the supervision of a gastroenterologist. Patients in the midazolam (M) group (
The time to the initial sedation was shorter in the MP group than in the M group (1.13 minutes vs. 1.84 minutes, respectively;
The combined use of intravenous midazolam and propofol for sedation during ERCP is more effective than midazolam alone. There is no difference in the safety of the procedure.
Citations
To date, it has been difficult to determine the optimal stenting duration of a fully covered self-expandable metal stent (FCSEMS) in a benign biliary stricture. The purpose of this study was to identify the histopathological changes in a bile duct resulting from long-term placement of a FCSEMS.
An FCSEMS was inserted into the common bile duct of 12 canines, and the animals were divided into four groups. Posteuthanasia, necropsy was performed to examine the histopathological changes in the bile ducts after 1, 3, 6, and 9 months.
The results of necropsy showed that the covered membranes of the FCSEMSs were intact and easily removed from the bile ducts in 11 of the canines. Severe epithelial hyperplasia of the stented bile duct and epithelial ingrowth into the stent occurred in one animal (from the 3-month group). On histopathological examination, mild inflammatory changes were observed in the stented bile ducts, and there was no significant difference between the four groups. Among the 12 animals, five had
An FCSEMS can be inserted into the bile duct without severe histopathological changes up until 9 months. However, a
Citations