Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic drainage for pancreatic abscesses.

Background: Few series describe endoscopic drainage of pancreatic abscesses. Abscesses are complications of pancreatitis, presenting with sepsis, peritonitis, or both. This report describes the feasibility and efficacy of natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery for pancreatic abscesses.

Quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons based on comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry.

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) offers favourable resolution and sensitivity compared with conventional one-dimensional gas chromatography (1D-GC), as reported in many studies. These characteristics are of major interest when analytes are in trace concentration, and are present in complex mixtures, as is the case of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in atmospheric particulate samples. Whilst GCxGC has been widely applied to identification of different types of analytes in several matrices, less seldom has it been used for quantification of these analytes.

Endoscopic management of postcholecystectomy bile duct strictures.

Background: Review of 1.6 million cholecystectomies, from 1992 to 1999, demonstrated a 0.5% incidence of bile duct injury, despite increasing experience with laparoscopy.

Simultaneous separation of nitrofuran antibiotics and their metabolites by using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography.

Mixtures comprising nitrofuran antibiotics (NFA) and nitrofuran metabolites (NFM) were resolved for the first time by using MEKC. Sodium deoxycholate (SDC) was chosen as the micelle-forming surfactant. Optimization of separation conditions was achieved by using a central composite experimental design (CCD) approach.

The advancing art and science of endoscopy.

Flexible endoscopy continues to advance encompassing treatment of a variety of diseases traditionally managed surgically. This review describes and evaluates many of these new endoscopic approaches with an eye toward the future. Gastroesophageal reflux disease is now treated with several endoscopic, non-operative techniques.

Ampullary tumors: endoscopic versus operative management.

Most ampullary adenomas (80%) are common benign ampullary tumors; however, they can range from mild dysplasia to high-grade dysplasia to invasive carcinoma. They are considered premalignant lesions found in the setting of familial polyposis syndromes or found sporadically, usually manifested by vague abdominal pain, liver enzyme elevation, jaundice, recurrent pancreatitis, or with uncommon symptoms such as gastrointestinal bleeding or duodenal obstruction. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with biopsy is a minimally invasive technique used to visualize these tumors directly and to evaluate their histologic characteristics.