Investigation and management of ischemic colitis.

The colon is the most common site of gastrointestinal ischemia. The condition resolves completely with conservative treatment in most cases, but late diagnosis or severe ischemia can be associated with high rates of complications and death. Once ischemic colitis is diagnosed, serial physical examinations and colonoscopies are helpful to follow the condition.

Prospective assessment of Cleveland Global Quality of Life (CGQL) as a novel marker of quality of life and disease activity in Crohn's disease.

Objectives: The Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire is the most widely accepted measure of quality of life (QOL); however, it is cumbersome to use and requires complicated analysis. The Cleveland Global Quality of Life (CGQL) is a simpler tool, which has been validated in patients with ulcerative colitis undergoing restorative proctocolectomy. This study validates CGQL in patients with Crohn's disease and determines the correlation of QOL measurement systems with disease activity as measured by the Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI).

Case-matched comparison of clinical and financial outcome after laparoscopic or open colorectal surgery.

Objective: Comparison of outcome and costs after laparoscopic and open colectomy.

Summary Background Data: Previous studies comparing laparoscopic and open colectomy report conflicting results with regard to clinical outcome and costs.

Methods: Laparoscopic colectomy patients from a prospective database were matched for age, gender, and disease-related grouping to patients who underwent the same operation by the open approach over the same period (2000 to 2001).

Quality of life improves within 30 days of surgery for Crohn's disease.

Background: The effect of surgery on quality of life (QOL) in the early postoperative period is important in Crohn's disease because of the multiple surgical procedures that patients undergo and the acute QOL benefits that might occur as a result of modifications of medical treatment. Earlier studies of the effect of surgery on QOL have been retrospective and assessed changes 3 to 24 months after surgery. This study prospectively assesses the effect of surgery on QOL in the early postoperative period.

Prospective assessment of the predictive value of alpha-glutathione S-transferase for intestinal ischemia.

Nonspecific investigations resulting in treatment delays contribute to the 30 per cent mortality associated with acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI). As preliminary studies indicate that alpha-glutathione S-transferase (alpha-GST) is elevated in AMI we compare the ability of alpha-GST against conventional biochemical tests to predict AMI. There were 58 patients prospectively evaluated for AMI.