Serum electrolytes, osmolality, and cleansing quality after bowel prep for colonoscopy with a PEG solution containing ascorbic acid and electrolytes.

Background: The cleansing procedure with PEG 3350 + ascorbic acid (PEG + Asc; Moviprep®) requires the additional ingestion of clear liquids. We aimed to determine the effects on serum electrolytes, osmolality and cleansing quality, and in a prospective "real world" trial.

Patients And Methods: Patients underwent a standardized split-dose bowel preparation for colonoscopy with PEG + Asc.

[Cost assessment for endoscopic procedures in the German diagnosis-related-group (DRG) system - 5 year cost data analysis of the German Society of Gastroenterology project].

 In the German hospital reimbursement system (G-DRG) endoscopic procedures are listed in cost center 8. For reimbursement between hospital departments and external providers outdated or incomplete catalogues (e. g.

Validation of a Novel Immunoline Assay for Patient Stratification according to Virulence of the Infecting Strain and Eradication Status.

infection shows a worldwide prevalence of around 50%. However, only a minority of infected individuals develop clinical symptoms or diseases. The presence of virulence factors, such as CagA and VacA, has been associated with disease development, but assessment of virulence factor presence requires gastric biopsies.

Specialized clinical cytology may improve the results of EUS (endoscopic ultrasound)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) from pancreatic tumors.

Background And Study Aims: A variety of factors (needle type, needle passes, tumor location, cytological assessment, etc.) may influence the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (EUS-FNAC) from pancreatic tumors. Whereas most published studies report a diagnostic accuracy of > 80 % for EUS-FNAC, the results in routine settings are often considerably lower.

Do it yourself: building an ERCP training system within 30 minutes (with videos).

Background: Ex vivo training of ERCP by using simulators is desirable before trainees perform endoscopy in patients.

Objective: We aimed to construct a simple and inexpensive but realistic simulator for ERCP training.

Design: Construction and establishment of an ERCP simulator.

A novel line immunoassay based on recombinant virulence factors enables highly specific and sensitive serologic diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori colonizes half of the world's population, and infection can lead to ulcers, gastric cancer, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Serology is the only test applicable for large-scale, population-based screening, but current tests are hampered by a lack of sensitivity and/or specificity. Also, no serologic test allows the differentiation of type I and type II strains, which is important for predicting the clinical outcome.

Splanchnic arterial blood flow is significantly influenced by breathing-assessment by duplex-Doppler ultrasound.

Duplex ultrasound is established for the assessment of mesenteric ischemia but potential influences of breathing on mesenteric arterial blood velocity have not been investigated so far. In 100 patients without abdominal diseases (39 men; age 59.4 ± 18.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the diagnosis of malignant mesenchymal liver tumors.

Purpose: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound can differentiate malignant from benign hepatic tumors, but has not been studied in malignant mesenchymal liver tumors.

Methods: We describe the findings of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in a cohort of five patients with histological-proven malignant hepatic mesenchymal tumors.

Results: The presence of imaging features such as peripheral (nodular) enhancement, chaotic central vascularization, and absence of contrast enhancement in the late phase allowed differentiation from hemangiomas.

Application of the glucose hydrogen breath test for the detection of bacterial overgrowth in patients with cystic fibrosis--a reliable method?

Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have recently been deemed highly susceptible for bacterial intestinal overgrowth (BIO). We aimed to define the prevalence of BIO in children with CF by applying the H(2)-glucose breath test. Forty children with CF and ten healthy children received 1 g/kg D-glucose orally.

Autologous blood as a submucosal fluid cushion for endoscopic mucosal therapies: results of an ex vivo study.

Objective: Submucosal injection of fluid is used to elevate lesions in order to prevent perforation, which is the most calamitous complication during endoscopic resection therapies. There are several injection options when performing mucosal elevation (normal saline (NS), sodium hyaluronate (SH), etc.).

13C-methacetin breath test shortened: 2-point-measurements after 15 minutes reliably indicate the presence of liver cirrhosis.

Background And Goals: The 13C-methacetin breath test (MBT) measures the activity of the cytochrome P450 dependent enzyme system and has been developed to assess the functional hepatic mass. We evaluated simple modifications of the 13C-MBT to further increase its practicability and therefore clinical acceptance.

Study: One hundred and four patients with different chronic liver diseases (including 35 patients with histologically proven cirrhosis) and 65 healthy controls underwent the 13C-MBT.

13C-methacetin and 13C-galactose breath tests can assess restricted liver function even in early stages of primary biliary cirrhosis.

Objective: The 13C-methacetin breath test quantitatively evaluates cytochrome P450-dependent liver function. The 13C-galactose breath test non-invasively measures the galactose oxidation capacity of the liver. The aim of this study was to find out whether these breath tests are sensitive parameters also in non-cirrhotic patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

Does secretin-stimulated MRCP predict exocrine pancreatic insufficiency?: A comparison with noninvasive exocrine pancreatic function tests.

Background: Data on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography with secretin stimulation (S-MRCP) for the assessment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) are limited. We compared pancreatic function tests with the findings of S-MRCP in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) and disease controls.

Methods: S-MRCP was performed in 23 patients (18 CP, 5 disease controls).

Patient age is a strong independent predictor of 13C-aminopyrine breath test results: a comparative study with histology, duplex-Doppler and a laboratory index in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

1. Noninvasive tests for the staging of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection would be an attractive alternative to liver biopsy. The 13C-aminopyrine breath test (ABT) has been proposed for the noninvasive assessment of hepatic function and partly correlates with fibrosis.

Improved preoperative tumor staging by 5-aminolevulinic acid induced fluorescence laparoscopy.

Background: We report our data in 35 patients who underwent preoperative conventional and fluorescence-based staging laparoscopy. We use the data to address the questions of whether fluorescence examination increases the yield of metastatic lesions and alters treatment intervention.

Methods: Fluorescence laparoscopy was successfully performed in 30 patients with GI malignancies.

Total body metabolism of 13C-octanoic acid is preserved in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, but differs between women and men.

Objectives: Among numerous factors which account for the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), hepatic mitochondrial beta-oxidation is considered to play a pivotal role. We performed a (13)C-based breath test with a medium-chain fatty acid to non-invasively assess total body beta-oxidation in patients with NASH and in healthy controls.

Methods: We performed a simplified (13)CO(2)-based breath test in 16 patients with histologically proven NASH and 24 healthy controls.