1-L polyethylene glycol + ascorbic acid versus sodium picosulfate + magnesium citrate bowel preparations for colonoscopy: effectiveness and safety.

Background: adequate bowel preparation is crucial for the protective effect of colonoscopy. Commonly used preparation regimens like polyethylene glycol (PEG) or sodium picosulfate with magnesium citrate (SPMC) have shown similar results in clinical trials, but low-volume PEG + ascorbic acid (1-L PEG + ASC) versus SPMC have never been compared in a real-life setting.

Aim: to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of 1-L PEG + ASC versus SPMC in a real-life setting for the overall population, for patients aged ≥ 65 years, and males versus females.

Initial experience with a homemade "hybrid-tome" for needle-knife precut in patients with difficult biliary cannulation.

Current clinical guidelines recommend needle-knife precut (NKP) as the primary and best method for performing a biliary cannulation (BC) when simple techniques fail and the criteria are met for difficult BC (DBC). However, many endoscopists avoid or defer early NKP in favor of alternative, simpler techniques that have not been shown to be either safer or more effective. Our goal is to test a device that provides the needle-knife papillotome (NKPT) with traction capability and which can facilitate the learning and execution of NKP.

The sedation issue: accumulating data while failing to advance towards a solution?

My reading of the monographic issue of April 2018, devoted by REED to sedation in digestive endoscopy, evoked in methe reflections written in this Scientific Lettter.

Biliary cannulation effectiveness and pancreatitis risk using two early precut techniques.

Introduction: Precut techniques allow for successful biliary cannulation rates approaching 100% but there may be an associated increase in the risk of complications. Recently, early needle-knife precut has been shown to be a safe procedure and is now used as a pancreatitis prevention resource for difficult cannulation cases. The goal of the present study was to assess cannulation and pancreatitis rates using two early precut techniques.

Eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection with a new bismuth-based quadruple therapy in clinical practice.

Introduction: The eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection represents a clinical challenge.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of quadruple therapy with esomeprazole plus a 3-in-1 capsule containing bismuth subcitrate, metronidazole and tetracycline, plus probiotics in patients diagnosed with H. pylori infection in routine clinical practice.

Flexible endoscopic treatment of Zenker's diverticulum: thirteen years' experience in Spain.

Introduction: Flexible endoscopic treatment is one of the alternative approaches for the management of Zenker's diverticum. The present paper shows our short-term and long-term results with flexible endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy/septotomy.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective analysis of our experience in patients with Zenker's diverticulum treated using a flexible endoscope, assisted by a flexible diverticuloscope, between 2002 and 2015.

Impact of combined precut techniques on selective biliary cannulation.

Introduction: simple biliary cannulation techniques obtain a success rate of 80-95%. Advanced precut techniques are not immediately successful in 10-40% of cases. Between extreme options such as a second attempt a few days later or an immediate attempt by the transparietal route, an alternative precut technique may be used as a rescue strategy for the initially failed procedure.