Patterns of gastrointestinal injury in patients with chronic kidney disease: Comparison of cases with and without sevelamer crystals.

Aims: Sevelamer is a phosphate-binding resin implicated in gastrointestinal (GI) injury. This study aimed to investigate the role of sevelamer in GI injury among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.

Methods And Results: The study included 17 CKD patients (cases) with and 18 CKD patients (comparisons) without sevelamer crystals in specimens.

Stabilized Window for Intravital Imaging of the Murine Pancreas.

The physiology and pathophysiology of the pancreas are complex. Diseases of the pancreas, such as pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have high morbidity and mortality. Intravital imaging (IVI) is a powerful technique enabling the high-resolution imaging of tissues in both healthy and diseased states, allowing for real-time observation of cell dynamics.

Mast Cell Disorders of the Gastrointestinal Tract: Clarity out of Chaos.

Pathologists are increasingly asked to evaluate mast cell infiltrates in the gastrointestinal tract when there is clinical concern for systemic mastocytosis or a variety of functional disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome. Neoplastic mast cells have established quantitative, morphologic, and immunohistochemical features that facilitate their identification in gastrointestinal mucosal biopsies. Specific qualitative and quantitative findings are lacking for inflammatory mast cell-mediated disorders.

Infectious Mimics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Distinguishing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from its mimics remains a diagnostic challenge for surgical pathologists. Several gastrointestinal infections produce inflammatory patterns that overlap with typical findings of IBD. Although stool culture, PCR, and other clinical assays may identify infectious enterocolitides, these tests may not be performed or the results may be unavailable at the time of histologic evaluation.

Clinical and Pathological Correlation in Concomitant Celiac Disease and Eosinophilic Esophagitis Suggests Separate Etiologies.

Recently, an increased risk of celiac disease or eosinophilic esophagitis has been postulated among patients with either of these disorders, prompting some to suggest a common underlying mechanism, whereas others maintain that their co-existence is coincidental. We compared clinical and pathological features of 29 patients meeting criteria for both celiac disease and eosinophilic esophagitis to 26 celiac disease and 26 eosinophilic esophagitis controls to determine whether any distinguished study patients from controls. Eight (28%) study patients presented with symptoms of both celiac disease and eosinophilic esophagitis, whereas 14 (48%) had celiac disease symptoms only and 5 had (17%) esophageal symptoms only.

What Is the Value of Counting Mast Cells in Gastrointestinal Mucosal Biopsies?

Neoplastic and nonneoplastic mast cell disorders can cause diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal pain that result from heightened release of mast cell mediators. Systemic mastocytosis is characterized by neoplastic mast cell aggregates in the bone marrow and other sites, particularly the skin and gastrointestinal tract. In this situation, extramedullary mast cell aggregates display atypical morphology, with aberrant immunostaining for CD25 in addition to staining for other mast cell markers, such as mast cell tryptase and CD117.

Interobserver Variability in Assessment of Depth of Submucosal Invasion for Colonic Endoscopic Resections Among Subspecialized Gastrointestinal Pathologists.

Context.—: Recent data support that low-risk submucosally invasive (pT1) colonic adenocarcinomas (ie, completely resected tumors that lack high-grade morphology, tumor budding, and lymphovascular invasion) are considered cured via endoscopic resection, provided that the submucosal invasion is less than 1000 μm. Hence, the pathologists' assessment of depth of submucosal invasion may guide further management (ie, surveillance versus colectomy).

SWIP-a stabilized window for intravital imaging of the murine pancreas.

Pancreatitis and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are grave illnesses with high levels of morbidity and mortality. Intravital imaging (IVI) is a powerful technique for visualizing physiological processes in both health and disease. However, the application of IVI to the murine pancreas presents significant challenges, as it is a deep, compliant, visceral organ that is difficult to access, easily damaged and susceptible to motion artefacts.

Measuring depth of invasion of submucosa - invasive adenocarcinoma in oesophageal endoscopic specimens: how good are we?

Aims: Emerging data support that submucosa-invasive (pT1b) esophageal adenocarcinomas are cured via endoscopic resection, provided that invasion measures ≤500 μm, they lack other histological features predictive of nodal metastasis and have negative margins. Hence, pathologists' measurement of the depth of submucosal invasion in endoscopic resections may dictate further management (i.e.

Clinical significance of pathologic abnormalities in biopsy samples from the appendiceal orifice.

Aims: Appendiceal orifice mucosa often appears inflamed endoscopically, even when other colonic segments appear normal. Histological findings in biopsy samples taken from endoscopically abnormal mucosa may simulate a variety of inflammatory colitides. We performed this study to evaluate the clinical implications of inflammatory changes isolated to the appendiceal orifice.

Neuroendocrine Tumor of the Common Bile Duct Associated With von Hippel-Lindau Disease.

We report a case of a common bile duct neuroendocrine tumor discovered in a patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease to emphasize the importance of recognizing this unusual diagnosis. This case illustrates the importance of endoscopic evaluation and the potential diagnostic pitfalls which may impact its appropriate management: the anatomic proximity of more common von Hippel-Lindau disease-related tumors, pathologic evaluation, and staging. Therefore, awareness of this rare diagnosis is important for appropriate treatment.

Features That Aid Identification of Autoimmune Gastritis in a Background of Active Helicobacter pylori Infection.

Context.—: Helicobacter pylori-associated and autoimmune gastritis may coexist in a subset of patients who require treatment for both disorders.

Objective.

Infectious diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

A broad spectrum of pathogens produce gastrointestinal disease. The ongoing spread of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome, the increased use of immunosuppressive therapy and the persistence of overcrowding and suboptimal sanitation in underdeveloped areas facilitate both disease transmission from environmental and foodborne sources and person-to-person transmission. Clinicians increasingly rely on endoscopic biopsy sample interpretation to diagnose gastrointestinal infections.

Reproducibility of AJCC Criteria for Classifying Deeply Invasive Colon Cancers Is Suboptimal for Consistent Cancer Staging.

The eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual attempts to address ambiguity in the pT category assignment for colon cancer from prior editions. Despite modifications, the distinction between the pT3 and pT4a categories continues to be a source of diagnostic confusion. In this study, we assessed interobserver agreement among pathologists from different institutions in the application of AJCC eighth edition criteria for categorizing deeply invasive colonic adenocarcinomas.

Features of endoscopic procedure site reaction associated with a recently approved submucosal lifting agent.

Endoscopic resection techniques, such as endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), are frequently aided by injection of submucosal lifting solutions that create a plane for dissection and protect deeper mural layers. ORISE™ gel is a recently approved synthetic lifting solution that produces a localized inflammatory reaction associated with retained gel at the injection site. We describe a series of six cases of ORISE™-associated inflammatory lesions in patients who underwent endoscopic resections.

Smooth muscle tumors of the gastrointestinal tract: an analysis of prognostic features in 407 cases.

Smooth muscle tumors represent the second most common mural mesenchymal neoplasm in the gastrointestinal tract, but established criteria for prognostic assessment of these tumors are lacking. A large cohort of surgically resected intramural gastrointestinal smooth muscle tumors from 31 institutions was analyzed to identify potential prognostic features. Pathologic features were assessed by expert gastrointestinal and/or soft tissue pathologists at each center.

Educational Case: Ischemic Disorders of the Gut in Adult Patients.

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Cystic Lesions of the Pancreas: Differential Diagnosis and Cytologic-Histologic Correlation.

Context.—: Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are very common, and their detection is increasing with the advances in imaging techniques. Because of the major implications for management, distinguishing between neoplastic and nonneoplastic PCLs is critical.

Systematic Selective Sampling of Cholecystectomy Specimens Is Adequate to Detect Incidental Gallbladder Adenocarcinoma.

Many gallbladder adenocarcinomas (ACs) are detected incidentally in routine cholecystectomy specimens, yet sampling practices vary when intestinal metaplasia (IM) or dysplasia are found via routine sampling. Our practice has been to submit 5 additional sections when IM is found, but cases with dysplasia are entirely submitted. We sought to determine an appropriate sampling protocol when encountering these findings.

Educational Case: Immune-Related Disorders of the Bowel: Celiac Disease.

The following fictional case is intended as a learning tool within the Pathology Competencies for Medical Education (PCME), a set of national standards for teaching pathology. These are divided into three basic competencies: Disease Mechanisms and Processes, Organ System Pathology, and Diagnostic Medicine and Therapeutic Pathology. For additional information, and a full list of learning objectives for all three competencies, see http://journals.

Inflammatory and infectious manifestations of immunodeficiency in the gastrointestinal tract.

Immune compromise may result from genetic abnormalities, HIV/AIDS, or consequences of therapy for neoplastic and autoimmune diseases. Many immunocompromised patients develop severe gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly diarrhea, accompanied by non-specific or mild endoscopic abnormalities; mucosal biopsy with pathologic interpretation has a major role in the diagnosis and management of these patients. Immunocompromised individuals are at risk for all the diseases that affect those with a healthy immune system, but they are also prone to other illnesses that rarely affect immunocompetent patients.

Other Forms of Esophagitis: It Is Not Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, So Now What Do I Do?

Esophagitis results from diverse causes, including gastroesophageal reflux, immune-mediated or allergic reactions, therapeutic complications, and infections. The appropriate clinical management differs in each of these situations and is often guided by pathologic interpretation of endoscopic mucosal biopsy specimens. This review summarizes the diagnostic features of unusual forms of esophagitis, including eosinophilic esophagitis, lymphocytic esophagitis, esophagitis dissecans superficialis, drug-induced esophageal injury, and bullous disorders.

Idiopathic Myointimal Hyperplasia of Mesenteric Veins: An Uncommon Cause of Ischemic Colitis With Distinct Mucosal Features.

Idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of mesenteric veins causes chronic ischemic mucosal injury with segmental strictures that mimic inflammatory bowel disease and nonocclusive ischemic colitis. It is characterized by myointimal proliferative changes that narrow the lumina of veins combined with ischemic injury and ulcers. Most cases reported to date have been diagnosed following surgical resection.

Cytology Preparations of Formalin Fixative Aid Detection of Giardia in Duodenal Biopsy Samples.

Giardiasis is the most common intestinal parasitic infection in the United States. The organism elicits no, or minimal, inflammatory changes in duodenal biopsy samples, so it can be easily overlooked. We performed this study to determine whether Giardia could be isolated from the formalin fixative of biopsy samples, and to evaluate the value of fluid analysis in the assessment for potential infection.