[The frequency of wound infections after PEG-placement and utilization of glycogel wound dressing: a randomized controlled trial].

Background: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the method of choice for long- term artificial enteral feeding. Standardized wound management such as daily dressing changes and local disinfection of the exit site helps to keep complication rates low. New bacteriostatic glycogel wound dressing has not yet been tested.

Long-term outcome following placement of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in younger and older patients.

Objective: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the method of choice in maintaining enteral nutrition in patients with swallowing and nutritional disorders of different etiology. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term outcome of patients following placement of a PEG.

Material And Methods: All patients who received a PEG between October 1999 and September 2000 were included in this prospective study.

ERCP is safe and effective in patients 80 years of age and older compared with younger patients.

Background: Biliary disease frequently occurs in the elderly, but there are limited data on ERCP in the elderly population.

Patients: A total of 502 patients (group A, 97; group B, 405) underwent 724 ERCP procedures.

Main Outcome Measurements: All consecutive ERCPs performed between 2000 and 2002 at a single center were retrospectively reviewed for patients >/=80 years old (group A) and patients <80 years old (group B) to evaluate endoscopic findings, interventions, complications, and mortality related to complications.

Colorectal cancer in geriatric patients: endoscopic diagnosis and surgical treatment.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of colorectal cancer in geriatric patients undergoing endoscopy and to analyze their outcome.

Methods: All consecutive patients older than 80 years who underwent lower gastrointestinal endoscopy between January 1995 and December 2002 at our institution were included. Patients with endoscopic diagnosis of colorectal cancer were evaluated with respect to indication, localization and stage of cancer, therapeutic consequences, and survival.

Severe malabsorption due to refractory celiac disease complicated by extensive gastric heterotopia of the jejunum.

Refractory celiac disease denotes that patients considered to have celiac disease fail to respond histologically to treatment with a gluten-free diet. Among several causes of nonresponsiveness, enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma is most important because of its almost invariably rapid lethal outcome. We present the case of a 44-year-old patient with refractory celiac disease complicated by unusually severe malabsorption.

Systemic embolism from a large descending aortic thrombus.

With the advent of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), thrombi of the aorta are becoming increasingly recognized as possible sources of systemic emboli. This report describes a 58-year-old woman with multiple unexplained peripheral emboli. A giant thrombus of the descending aorta has been identified as the source of systemic thromboembolism.

[Indications and complications of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy].

Background: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) plays an important role in maintaining enteral nutrition in patients with swallowing disorders of different etiologies. The aim of our study was to record indications and complications of PEG-placement in a one-year period.

Methods: All patients were investigated prospectively regarding indications, wound infections, other complications and mortality between 1999-10-01 and 2000-09-30.