Chronic opioid use is associated with obstructive and spastic disorders in the esophagus.

Background And Aims: Chronic opioid effects on the esophagus are poorly understood. We investigated whether opioids were associated with increased prevalence of esophageal motility disorders.

Methods: A retrospective study of all patients undergoing high-resolution manometry (HREM) at the Yale Gastrointestinal Motility Lab between January 2014 and August 2019.

Annular pancreas in a 24-year-old woman with persistent abdominal pain.

Annular pancreas (AP) is a rare diagnosis in the adult population but can cause significant morbidity if not correctly identified. In adults, the most common symptoms are abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. While these are not specific to AP, they are important clues to this diagnosis in the right clinical context.

Endoscopic ultrasound identifies synchronous pancreas cystic lesions not seen on initial cross-sectional imaging.

Objectives: A retrospective review conducted to determine the utility of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) examination of the pancreas after initial pancreatic cyst detection with cross-sectional imaging.

Methods: A retrospective review of 145 patients referred for EUS for evaluation of pancreas cystic lesions. Initial cross-sectional imaging reports were reviewed and compared to subsequent EUS findings.

Successful use of entecavir for a severe case of reactivation of hepatitis B virus following polychemotherapy containing rituximab.

Backgrounds/aims: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation following treatment with rituximab has been reported in patients with either HBsAg-positive, or HBsAg-negative and anti-HBc positive infection. Patients with severe reactivation often have a fatal outcome despite treatment with lamivudine. The use of entecavir has not been reported in patients with severe HBV reactivation.

Hepatitis C associated cardiomyopathy: potential pathogenic mechanisms and clinical implications.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has tropism for other tissues besides the liver (e.g. lymphocytic tissues).