Impact of improved upper endoscopy quality on detection of gastric precancerous lesions.

Objective: Intestinal metaplasia (IM) is the point of no return in gastric carcinogenesis, and patients with extensive (antrum plus corpus) IM are at high risk of developing gastric cancer. We evaluated the impact of improved gastroscopy quality on the detection of gastric IM in an Italian area at high risk for gastric cancer.

Methods: Data of consecutive patients with gastric biopsies according to the updated Sydney System observed in 2013, 2016 and 2019 resulting in IM diagnosis were retrieved.

Premedication with simethicone and N-acetylcysteine for improving mucosal visibility during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in a Western population.

 Pre-endoscopic use of a preparation with tensioactive and mucolytic agents improved gastric mucosa visualization in Eastern studies. Data on Western population are scanty.  This prospective, endoscopist-blinded, randomized study enrolled patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy in a single center.

Dietary iron intake and anemia: food frequency questionnaire in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Background: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a multisystemic inherited vascular disease characterized by a heterogeneous clinical presentation and prognosis. Dietary evaluation is relevant in HHT patients to provide adequate iron and nutrient intake. Additionally, different dietary items have been reported to precipitate epistaxis in this setting.

Natural history and outcome of hepatic vascular malformations in a large cohort of patients with hereditary hemorrhagic teleangiectasia.

Background: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia is a genetic disease characterized by teleangiectasias involving virtually every organ. There are limited data in the literature regarding the natural history of liver vascular malformations in hemorrhagic telangiectasia and their associated morbidity and mortality.

Aim: This prospective cohort study sought to assess the outcome of liver involvement in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia patients.

Endoscopic ultrasonography findings in autoimmune pancreatitis: be aware of the ambiguous features and look for the pivotal ones.

Autoimmune pancreatitis is a form of chronic pancreatitis caused by an autoimmune process. The classical appearance of autoimmune pancreatitis in abdominal imaging is diffuse pancreatic enlargement, but the focal form appears as a mass and often involves the pancreatic head; this scenario represents a challenging diagnostic problem because these features also resemble pancreatic cancer. We present the endoscopic ultrasound findings of seven patients with autoimmune pancreatitis in order to highlight the ambiguous features and the features pivotal for the diagnosis.

Pancreatic involvement in von Hippel-Lindau disease: report of two cases and review of the literature.

Background: Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is an autosomal dominant multicancer syndrome caused by the germline mutation of a tumor suppressor gene. Affected individuals develop benign and malignant tumors of the central nervous system, kidneys, adrenal glands, pancreas, and reproductive system. Although VHL disease is mainly diagnosed after the detection of central nervous system tumors, they may not always be the first presentation.

Radiofrequency thermal ablation of liver tumors.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of liver tumors was first proposed in 1990. New technologies enable us to produce liver thermal lesions of approximately 3-3.5 cm in diameter; RFA has consequently become an emerging percutaneous therapeutic option both for small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and for non-resectable liver metastases, mainly from colorectal cancer.

High prevalence of hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia in subjects with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

A vascular pathogenesis of hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) has been suggested; this study was aimed to evaluate in families with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) the prevalence of FNH, relating it to presence and stage of hepatic vascular malformations (VMs). Fifty-two HHT families underwent a screening program including abdominal Doppler sonography (US) searching for hepatic VMs; we classified them as minimal, moderate and severe, depending on the number and degree of abnormalities found by Doppler US. Presence of focal liver lesions was recorded.