[Subclinical acute intermittent porphyria. An uncommon cause of chronic hepatitis].

Acute porphyria is a term that encompasses a group of hereditary disorders involving defects in heme metabolism, characterized by acute episodes of abdominal pain, acute hypertension, tachycardia and neuropsychiatric disorders, sometimes leading to convulsions, ascending paralysis and coma. Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis can seriously worsen prognosis. We report the case of a woman with subclinical acute intermittent porphyria and chronic hepatitis incidentally diagnosed due to transaminase elevation on laboratory analysis.

Management of HCV-related end-stage liver disease in HIV-coinfected patients.

End-stage liver disease due to hepatitis C virus has become a major challenge in the management of HIV/HCV-coinfected patients. The diagnosis and management of cirrhosis and its complications in the scenario of HIV/HCV-coinfection are reviewed. Noninvasive approaches to the diagnosis of cirrhosis, such as biomarkers or transient hepatic elastography, may be considered.

EUS-guided injection of cyanoacrylate in perforating feeding veins in gastric varices: results in 5 cases.

Background: Bleeding from gastric varices can be challenging because of its high mortality and recurrent bleeding rates. Endoscopic therapy with tissue adhesives can control acute hemorrhage, but recurrent bleeding could appear if obliteration is not achieved, and endoscopic vision could be troublesome in the case of massive hemorrhage. The glue injected could be responsible for embolic phenomena and local complications.

Recombinant-activated factor VII as hemostatic therapy in eight cases of severe hemorrhage from esophageal varices.

Background And Aims: There are several treatment options for gastroesophageal variceal hemorrhage. In severe cases, bleeding persists and is associated with a dismal outcome. The coagulation disorders might be correlated with risk of bleeding in patients with portal hypertension.

Biliary tract disease: a rare manifestation of eosinophilic gastroenteritis.

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) is a rare inflammatory disease characterized by diffuse or scattered eosinophilic infiltration of the digestive tract and usually by peripheral blood eosinophilia. The most common presenting symptoms of EGE are abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, but clinical features depend on which layers or location of gastrointestinal tract are involved. Treatment with corticosteroids results in clinical and histological remission in most patients and surgery can be avoided if a correct diagnosis is made.