EndoClot Polysaccharide Hemostatic System in Nonvariceal Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Results of a Prospective Multicenter Observational Pilot Study.

Background And Study Aims: Hemostatic powders have been introduced to improve the management of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and to extend the variety of tools available for emergency endoscopy. The aim of the present pilot study was to evaluate the indication profiles and the short-term outcome of EndoClot.

Patients, Materials And Methods: In a prospective observational pilot study patients with acute nonvariceal GI bleeding were included.

Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR guidance in thermal ablation of liver malignancies.

Objective: To evaluate the potency of Gd-EOB-DTPA to support hepatic catheter placement in laser ablation procedures by quantifying time-dependent delineation effects for instrumentation and target tumor within liver parenchyma. Monitoring potential influence on online MR thermometry during the ablation procedure is a secondary aim.

Materials And Methods: 30 cases of MR-guided laser ablation were performed after i.

The association between IGF-I/IGFBP-3 and subclinical end points: epidemiology faces the limits.

Background: The variation in laboratory measurements represents a challenge in clinical practice and epidemiological research. The use of different analytical platforms might have led to different results, which were often discussed in the interpretation of conflicting results. We aim to study the impact of two different IGF-I and IGF binding protein 3 assays on published epidemiological studies.

Pancreatic pseudocysts: observation, endoscopic drainage, or resection?

Background: Pancreatic pseudocysts are a common complication of acute and chronic pancreatitis. They are diagnosed with imaging studies and can be treated successfully with a variety of methods: endoscopic transpapillary or transmural drainage, percutaneous catheter drainage, laparoscopic surgery, or open pseudocystoenterostomy.

Methods: Relevant publications that appeared from 1975 to 2008 were retrieved from the MEDLINE, PubMed and EMBASE databases for this review.

EUS-guided Trucut needle biopsies as first-line diagnostic method for patients with intestinal or extraintestinal mass lesions.

Introduction: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a well-established technique to obtain cytological specimens, but it does not permit the extraction of histological tissue-core samples, which, if available, may increase the yield and accuracy of the histopathological diagnosis. This prospective study was designed to assess the yield and diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided Trucut needle biopsy (TNB) as first-line diagnostic method for suspected malignant lesions identified by upper gastrointestinal EUS.

Methods: In a prospective case series, 24 consecutive patients (14 women; median age, 68 (range, 38-84) years) with suspected malignancy underwent EUS-TNB with a 19-gauge needle.