BACKGROUND & AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine serum dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) levels in a population of short bowel syndrome (SBS) patients, who had achieved intestinal adaptation. METHODS: DDP IV reference values were determined in a healthy population (n=47). The SBS study group consisted of ...

BACKGROUND: Small-bowel tumors frequently occur in familial adenomatous polyposis and other GI polyposis syndromes. These tumors are difficult to detect with conventional techniques. Our aim was to assess the utility of videocapsule endoscopy in the detection of small-bowel tumors in this setting. METHODS: We examined 19 familial adenomatous polyposis patients ...

In 36 consecutive patients with a foregut carcinoid with extensive local tumor growth and liver metastases with a carcinoid syndrome, six patients had complaints of postprandial abdominal pain and attacks of subileus based on segmental intestinal ischemia. A diagnosis of abdominal angina was supported by a positive response to nitroglycerin ...

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Video capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) are novel methods of enteroscopy. The aim of this investigation was to compare the value of CE and DBE in the diagnosis of small-intestinal pathology. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients with gastrointestinal bleeding of obscure origin and nine patients ...

Extraintestinal symptoms are often found in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Recent studies suggest that IBS is associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness. But it is still arguable that the bronchial hyperresponsiveness is associated with IBS patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possible relationship between IBS and ...

From 1998 to 2002, 369 patients (47.39% M, 52.61% F; mean age 67.9 yrs) were faced in the Authors' Department due to acute intestinal obstruction. The main reasons of obstruction were adhesions in 281 patients (76.15%), followed by malignant neoplasms of large intestine in 41 patients (11.11%) hernias in 9 ...

Background: Crohn's disease is being increasingly reported from Saudi Arabia and information about its pattern is still accumulating. Aim of the study: To describe and classify the disease and assess the response to therapy in patients referred to a tertiary care centre in Gassim region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). ...

BACKGROUND: Oro-facial granulomatosis (OFG) is a rare chronic inflammatory disorder presenting characteristically with lip swelling but also affecting gingivae, buccal mucosa, floor of mouth, and a number of other sites in the oral cavity. Histologically, OFG resembles Crohn's disease (CD), and a number of patients with CD have oral involvement ...

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM: The main complication of video capsule endoscopy (VCE) is the blocking of the capsule by a gastrointestinal stenosis. The "patency capsule" is a self-dissolving capsule that is the same size as the video capsule. It contains a radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag that allows it to be ...

BACKGROUND: Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) is a novel procedure for the diagnosis of small-bowel pathology. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the performance and the diagnostic value of antegrade DBE with those of push enteroscopy (PE). METHODS: We reviewed endoscopic and histologic findings in 118 patients examined by ...

AIM: To determine the effect of oral erythromycin on gastric and small bowel transit time of capsule endoscopy. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent capsule endoscopy during the 16-mo study period were either given 250 mg oral erythromycin, 1 h prior to swallowing the capsule endoscope or nothing. The gastric and ...

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We assessed the frequency of coeliac disease in 281 children with Type 1 diabetes and the effect of gluten-free diet (GFD) in newly diagnosed cases. Serological screening was performed using anti-gliadin and anti-endomysium antibodies. Data were obtained about clinical symptoms, height and weight-for-height. RESULTS: A small intestinal ...

PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate the accuracy of contrast material-enhanced ultrasonography (US) in the depiction of bowel ischemia in patients with radiographic evidence of small-bowel dilatation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ethics committee approved this study, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. Fifty-one patients (34 men and 17 women; mean ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The aim of this study was to prospectively compare the diagnostic yield of wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) and enteroclysis in evaluating the extent of small-bowel involvement in Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS: Thirty-one patients (20 men; mean age, 43 y) with endoscopically and histologically proven CD underwent enteroclysis ...

We analyzed retrospectively 21 immune-competent travelers with chronic traveler's diarrhea (3-6 weeks) after returning from recreational travel to the tropics with stool samples positive for microsporidia. Nine patients had been treated with albendazole and 12 patients had been treated symptomatically. Diarrhea resolved in 8 of 9 and 12 of 12 ...

BACKGROUND: Small intestinal ultrasonography with anechoic contrast agents (SICUS) has been shown to have a diagnostic accuracy on small bowel morphology similar to X-ray barium follow-through. Although extremely investigated by transabdominal ultrasonography, celiac disease, a common disorder of the small bowel, has been never studied by SICUS. AIM: To asses ...

OBJECTIVE: Postoperative small bowel obstruction is one of the adverse effects of appendectomy but its frequency varies from center to other. This study was conducted to determine the incidence of this complication among our patients who had appendectomy and identify the factors which may increase the risk. METHODS: Case notes ...

Gastrointestinal Schistosomiasis and Amebiasis are uncommon in the western world, while such infections are frequent in the African community. In addition to the problems associated with the clinical symptoms of these parasitic infections, it is important to stress the increase in cancer of the Gastro-Intestinal (GI) tract. In this study ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gastrointestinal anisakiasis, a fish-borne zoonoses, may be acquired by humans after the ingestion of raw marine fish infested with larvae of the nematode Anisakis simplex. Because of the invasive nature of the parasite, inflammatory obstruction or perforation of the gut wall may result. Although rare, Anisakis-induced intestinal ...

Patients with functional gut disorders, irritable bowel disease, and related syndromes frequently attribute their symptoms to intestinal gas. While patients are usually convinced of their interpretation, the doctor has few arguments to confirm or refute it, and in this context intestinal gas has become a myth. Studies of intestinal gas ...

OBJECTIVE: Capsule endoscopy is becoming known as a valid tool for identifying sources of obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Fewer data are available about its clinical value for other indications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty patients (31 F, mean age 47 years, range 14-80 years) with no signs of overt GI bleeding ...

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is multifactorial in its etiology and heterogeneous in its clinical presentation and pathogenesis. It is recognized that inflammation plays an important role in symptom generation, at least in a subset of patients with IBS. Previous gastroenteritis has been identified as the most important risk factor for ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIIP) is a rare disease characterized by episodes resembling mechanical obstruction in the absence of organic, systemic, or metabolic disorders. Intestinal motor abnormalities have long been identified in CIIP patients. Little is known of the natural history of the disease in adults. This ...

INTRODUCTION: To achieve any possible positive effect on the intestinal mucosa cells it is important that probiotics adhere tightly onto the intestinal mucosa. It has been shown in healthy volunteers that Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lp 299v) (DSM 9843), a probiotic bacterium, given orally in a fermented oatmeal formula adheres onto ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Small bowel MR enteroclysis and wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) are new diagnostic tools for the investigation of the small bowel. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic yield of WCE with MR enteroclysis in the detection of small bowel pathologies. METHODS: A total of ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is characterized by variable degrees of enteropathy and increased intestinal permeability. Zonulin, a regulator of tight junctions, seems to play a key role in the altered intestinal permeability that characterizes the early phase of celiac disease. Our aim was to assess both intestinal permeability ...

A three-year retrospective chart review was undertaken of all post-cardiothoracic ICU patients who underwent laparotomy for suspected mesenteric ischaemia, or who had the diagnosis confirmed at post mortem. The aim was to compare the clinical and diagnostic characteristics of cardiothoracic patients with suspected mesenteric ischaemia with patients who had a ...

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) a common worldwide problem, particularly women, and presents from the teenage years onward. OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the causes, diagnosis and management of IBS. DISCUSSION: Disturbed motility and sensory function underlie much of the disturbance in function that, not infrequently, begins following an episode of ...

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an emerging infectious disease and diarrhea has been reported in up to 76% of cases. The purpose of the present paper was to carry out a retrospective study of the clinical and demographic data of SARS patients with diarrhea in Princess Margaret Hospital. ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 (5-HT 3 ) receptor antagonists improve symptoms in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (D-IBS), 5-HT 4 agonists help those with constipation-predominant IBS (C-IBS). These data suggest excess or deficiency in 5-HT in D-IBS or C-IBS, respectively. Mucosal 5-HT-containing enterochromaffin cells (EC) are increased in postinfectious ...

BACKGROUND: Coeliac disease is the most common gastrointestinal immunological disorder in the western countries. Many adult patients present non-specific symptoms and signs of malabsorption such as chronic diarrhoea, anaemia, weight loss and abdominal distention. In non-specific and doubtful conditions, computed tomography is often the first medical examination performed. In a ...

BACKGROUND: Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) offers endoscopic access to the small bowel and may therefore change diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in small bowel diseases. AIM: The aim of this prospective study was to validate the gain in information and therapeutic impact of WCE in patients with Crohn's disease. METHODS: Fifty ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with acromegaly are at moderately increased risk of developing colorectal cancer and may be considered for screening colonoscopy. In turn, large bowel dimensions may be increased in these patients, factors that predict for increased risk of serious complications such as perforation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate this risk potential, we ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Obscure small-bowel disorders are jejunal and ileal lesions undiagnosed by traditional imaging techniques (endoscopic, radiologic). We evaluated the diagnostic usefulness and safety of capsule endoscopy for obscure small-bowel disorders in children and adolescents. METHODS: Comparative, prospective, self-controlled trials in patients (age, 10-18 y) suspected to have either ...

Our aim was to investigate the role of renal colic, a clinical condition characterized by excruciating pain, in the etiopathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Two groups of patients were enrolled in the study. Group I consisted of 59 patients (33 male and 26 female) with a median age of ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients reporting abdominal bloating exhibit impaired tolerance to intestinal gas loads. The aim of this study was to identify the gut compartment responsible for gas retention. METHODS: In 30 patients predominantly reporting abdominal bloating (24 with irritable bowel syndrome and 6 with functional bloating) and 22 healthy ...

AIM: To evaluate the clinical outcome of enteroscopy, using the double-balloon method, focusing on the involvement of neoplasms in strictures of the small intestine. METHODS: Enteroscopy, using the double-balloon method, was performed between December 1999 and December 2002 at Jichi Medical School Hospital, Japan and strictures of the small intestine ...

BACKGROUND: Radiology and transabdominal ultrasonography (TUS) are used in the evaluation of the small bowel; however, the former technique is limited by radiation exposure, and the latter by its inability to visualize the entire small bowel. AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of small intestine contrast ultrasonography (SICUS) to assess ...

OBJECTIVE: Disruption of intestinal barrier function, followed by increased antigen load, may possibly trigger joint inflammation. In seronegative spondyloarthritis (SpA) both gut inflammation and altered intestinal permeability have been reported. We evaluated the influence of Helicobacter pylori and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) on gastrointestinal (GI) permeability in SpA. Twenty SpA ...

PURPOSE: To address the diagnosis and clinical management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and provide a discussion of the available serotonergic agents. DATA SOURCES: Recent studies examining the pathophysiology of IBS. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic testing may be required in the subset of patients with IBS who present with alarm symptoms, or ...

A 26-year-old woman was admitted for the investigation of abdominal symptoms related to ileal Crohn's disease. The patient had been diagnosed 3 years previously with systemic sclerosis, and had been experiencing digestive complaints for 6 months. A first computed tomography (CT) scan showed ileal intestinal mucosal alterations, associated with a ...

Ischemic colitis is the most common form of intestinal ischemia. It manifests as a spectrum of injury from transient self-limited ischemia involving the mucosa and submucosa to acute fulminant ischemia with transmural infarction that may progress to necrosis and death. Although there are a variety of causes, the most common ...

<b>Background: </b> Crohn&#x2032;s disease is being increasingly reported from Saudi Arabia and information about its pattern is still accumulating. <b> Aim of the study: </b> To describe and classify the disease and assess the response to therapy in patients referred to a tertiary care centre in Gassim region, Kingdom of ...

BACKGROUND: Wireless video capsule endoscopy (WVCE) has been reported to contribute to the diagnostic management of patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGB). Nevertheless, clinical impact data is lacking. The aim of our study was to determine the clinical outcome of patients undergoing WVCE for OGB. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 38 patients ...

A case of acute gastrointestinal haemorrhage in a patient with systemic neurofibromatosis is presented. The bleeding was localized using mesenteric angiography and small bowel enema to a segment of ileum with multiple smooth muscle neurofibromata. The patient had a complete recovery after the resection and remained asymptomatic at 2 years ...

BACKGROUND: Passage of the capsule endoscope to the colon occurs in only approximately three quarters of patients. This study assessed factors that might influence the completeness of small-bowel transit, including orally administered metoclopramide. METHODS: Clinical and procedural parameters were recorded prospectively for 150 patients undergoing capsule endoscopy. Metoclopramide was not ...

BACKGROUND: The accurate diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis usually takes a long time and requires a high index of suspicion in clinic practice. Eighty-eight immune-competent patients with abdominal tuberculosis were grouped according to symptoms at presentation and followed prospectively in order to investigate the effect of symptomatic presentation on clinical diagnosis ...

OBJECTIVE: In a substantial number of patients inflammatory bowel disease develops past the age of 40 years. However, data about the clinical presentation and disease behaviour in this age group are scarce. METHODS: The following parameters were evaluated retrospectively in 191 consecutive patients with inflammatory bowel disease: Gender, age at ...

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is an inherited gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyposis disorder. Small-bowel intussusception and bleeding are the most common complications, and malignancy may also occur. Survey of the gastrointestinal tract, particularly of the small bowel, is difficult and current recommendations for management syndrome are ambiguous. We evaluated ...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Probiotic and prebiotic therapies are potent new strategies to treat various intestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and viral and bacterial infections. Synbiotics is defined as the combined use of probiotics and prebiotics and is expected to have a stronger effect on intestinal diseases than probiotics or prebiotics alone, ...