Intestinal Anti-Endomysium Antibodies Are a Useful Tool for Diagnosing Celiac Disease in Pediatric and Adult Patients.

Intestinal anti-endomysium antibodies are a specific marker of celiac disease. The diagnostic accuracy of this marker seems high in pediatric patients and has not yet been investigated in adults, so the aim of this prospective multicentric study was to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of this marker in childhood and adulthood. Pediatric and adult patients undergoing intestinal endoscopy for any intestinal condition were enrolled.

Accreditation program for gastrointestinal endoscopes reprocessing in Italy: An on-site survey.

Endoscope reprocessing has been associated with a variable failure rate. Our aim was to present an overview on current practices for reprocessing in Italian facilities and discuss the principle critical points. In 2014 the Italian Society for Digestive Diseases implemented an accreditation program in collaboration with an independent organization for certification and with the Italian Association for Endoscopy Technical Operators.

The Italian Society for Digestive Endoscopy (SIED) accreditation and quality improving project based on international standards.

 Accreditation of endoscopy services, using valid quality indicators, may address failures to comply with quality standards between endoscopy services. The aim of this work was to present the Italian Society for Digestive Endoscopy (SIED) accreditation model and its effectiveness.  A team of eight endoscopists identified quality indicators derived from international guidelines and assessed them in each center voluntarily requesting accreditation.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection: Italian national survey on current practices, training and outcomes.

Background And Aims: Most of the evidence supporting endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) comes from Asia. European data are primarily reported by specialized referral centers and thus may not be representative of common European ESD practice. The aim of this study is to understand the current state of ESD practice across Italian endoscopy centers.

Italian Society of Digestive Endoscopy (SIED) position paper on the non-anaesthesiologist administration of propofol for gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Propofol sedation by non-anesthesiologists in GI endoscopy, despite generally considered a safe procedure, is still a matter of debate. Benefits of propofol sedation include rapid onset of action, greater patient comfort and fast recovery with prompt discharge from the endoscopy unit. The use of propofol for sedation in GI endoscopy, preceded by dedicated training courses, has been approved by several anaesthesiologist and gastroenterologist societies but an Italian position paper taking into account the Italian law is lacking.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: report of an audit and review of the literature.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), tumors characterized by c-KIT mutations, are the most frequent mesenchymal tumors of the digestive tract. The stomach is the most commonly involved site. Localization, size and mitotic rate are reliable predictors of survival and the two milestones of GISTs treatment are surgery and imatinib.