Pancreatic duct guidewire placement for biliary cannulation in a single-session therapeutic ERCP.

Aim: To investigate the technical success and clinical complication rate of a cannulated pancreatic duct with guidewire for biliary access.

Methods: During a five-year study period, a total of 2843 patients were included in this retrospective analysis. Initial biliary cannulation method consisted of single-guidewire technique (SGT) for up to 5 attempts, followed by double-guidewire technique (DGT) when repeated unintentional pancreatic duct cannulation had taken place.

Scientific publications in endoscopic ultrasonography: changing trends in the third millennium.

The literature about endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is still very prolific although it was introduced in the early 1980s. We aimed to review last decade's scientific production and to compare it with our earlier data about the period from 1980 to 2000. EUS publications of the period January 2001 to January 2010 were retrieved.

Comparative study of balloon and metal olive dilators for endoscopic management of benign anastomotic rectal strictures: clinical and cost-effectiveness outcomes.

Background: Postoperative anastomotic strictures frequently complicate colorectal resection. Currently, various endoscopic techniques are being employed in their management, but the establishment of an optimal therapeutic strategy is still pending. The purpose of our study is to compare through-the-scope (TTS) balloon dilators versus Eder-Puestow metal olive dilators in the treatment of postoperative benign rectal strictures, considering the clinical outcome and cost-effectiveness of each method.

European vs. Egyptian HCV-4 patients with elevated baseline HCV RNA, treated with PEG-IFN-α2a and ribavirin: the role of rapid and early virologic response.

Background And Aims: Despite the recent spread of hepatitis C virus genotype 4 (HCV-4) into European countries, very little is known about the influence of ethnicity on treatment outcomes in patients with HCV-4. The aim of this study was to compare the virologic response (VR) rates of: rapid virologic response (RVR), early virologic response (EVR), VR at 24 weeks of treatment, at end of treatment (EoT), and sustained virologic response (SVR) of European and Egyptian HCV-4 patients.

Methods: Sixty (30 Europeans - Group A; and 30 Egyptians - Group B) chronic HCV-4 subtype A adult patients with elevated baseline viral load (>800 000 IU/m L) were treated for a fixed period of 48 weeks with pegylated interferon α2a (PEG-IFN- α2a) and ribavirin.