Evaluating Patients with Left Upper Quadrant Pain

Diagnostics and Treatment of Peptic Ulcer in Adults (Clinical Guidelines of the Russian Gastroenterological Association, the Russian Society of Colorectal Surgeons, the Russian Endoscopic Society and the Scientific Society for the Clinical Study of Human Microbiome)

Aim. The guidelines set out the modern methods of diagnostics and treatment of peptic ulcer and are created for gastroenterologists, primary care physicians, general practitioners, surgeons, endoscopists.

Key points. The clinical guidelines contain modern views on the etiology and pathogenesis of peptic ulcer, its clinical features, methods of laboratory and instrumental diagnostics, the main approaches to conservative and surgical treatment. They include the criteria for assessment of the quality of medical care, the algorithm of the doctor's actions, as well as information for the patient.

Conclusion. Knowledge of modern methods of diagnostics and therapy of peptic ulcers will contribute to improving the results of its treatment.

Beyond the Neonate: A Delayed Presentation of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia in a 17-Year-Old

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a rare anomaly resulting from incomplete closure of pleuroperitoneal canals during fetal development, often presenting with acute respiratory distress in neonates. This case report highlights a 17-year-old female with recurrent episodes of acute left upper quadrant (LUQ) pain and no history of trauma or dietary change. A computerized tomography (CT) scan taken during her second presentation to the emergency department led to a diagnosis of left-sided CDH. She later had a successful laparoscopic diaphragmatic repair surgery and has remained symptom-free for over a year. Late-presenting CDH indicates a rare subset of cases diagnosed after one month of age. Late presentations comprise 5-25% of cases and become increasingly rare with age. Unlike neonatal CDH, which is associated with several comorbidities, late presentations often manifest as a standalone anomaly. When the correct diagnosis is made, uncomplicated surgical repair yields excellent long-term outcomes. However, delayed and incorrect diagnoses can result in serious morbidity. Late-presenting CDH has diverse clinical presentations and can elude diagnostic imaging. As a result, there is a need for heightened clinical suspicion. This report aims to enhance awareness of late-presenting CDH and explore challenges to prompt, accurate diagnosis. Ultimately, this study implores clinicians to consider this condition in patients with unexplained respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms.

Severe Pain in Chronic Pancreatitis Patients: Considering Mental Health and Associated Genetic Factors

Pain is the most distressing and disruptive feature of recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) resulting in low quality of life (QOL) and disabilities. There is no single, characteristic pain pattern in patients with RAP and CP. Abdominal imaging features of CP accurately reflect morphologic features but they do not correlate with pain. Pain is the major driver of poor quality of life (QOL) and it is the constant pain, rather than intermittent pain that drives poor QOL. Furthermore, the most severe constant pain experience in CP is also a complex condition. The ability to target the etiopathogenesis of severe pain requires new methods to detect the exact pain mechanisms in an individual at cellular, tissue, system and psychiatric levels. In patients with complex and severe disease, it is likely that multiple overlapping mechanisms are simultaneously driving pain, anxiety and depression. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) shows promise in detecting alterations in central processing of pain signals and to classify patients for mechanistic and therapeutic studies. New genetic research suggests that genetic loci for severe pain in CP overlap with genetic loci for depression and other psychiatric disorders, providing additional insights and therapeutic targets for individual patients with severe CP pain. Well-designed clinical trials that integrate clinical features, QST, genetics and psychological assessments with targeted treatment and assessment of responses are required for a quantum leap forward. A better understanding of the context and mechanisms contributing to severe pain experiences in individual patients is predicted to lead to better therapies and quality of life.

Gastrointestinal perforation: clinical and MDCT clues for identification of aetiology

Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) perforation is a common medical emergency associated with considerable mortality, ranging from 30 to 50%. Clinical presentation varies: oesophageal perforations can present with acute chest pain, odynophagia and vomiting, gastroduodenal perforations with acute severe abdominal pain, while colonic perforations tend to follow a slower progression course with secondary bacterial peritonitis or localised abscesses. A subset of patients may present with delayed symptoms, abscess mimicking an abdominal mass, or with sepsis.

Direct multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) findings support the diagnosis and localise the perforation site while ancillary findings may suggest underlying conditions that need further investigation following primary repair of ruptured bowel. MDCT findings include extraluminal gas, visible bowel wall discontinuity, extraluminal contrast, bowel wall thickening, abnormal mural enhancement, localised fat stranding and/or free fluid, as well as localised phlegmon or abscess in contained perforations.

The purpose of this article is to review the spectrum of MDCT findings encountered in GIT perforation and emphasise the MDCT and clinical clues suggestive of the underlying aetiology and localisation of perforation site.

Computerized tomography of the acute left upper quadrant pain

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of computerized tomography (CT) of the abdomen in the emergent setting of left upper quadrant pain. One hundred patients (average age: 45, range: 19-93 years, female: 57 %, male: 43 %) who presented to the emergency department (ED) and underwent CT scanning of abdomen with the given indication of left upper quadrant pain were included in this study. The results from CT examinations were compared to final diagnoses determined by either ED physician or clinician on a follow-up visit. Sensitivity of CT was 69 % (95 %CI: 52-83 %) for 39 patients who eventually were diagnosed with an acute abdominal abnormality. Twenty-seven patients had an acute abnormal finding on abdominal CT that represented the cause of the patient's pain (positive predictive value of 100 %, 95 %CI: 87-100 %). Of the remaining 73 patients with negative CT report, 12 were diagnosed clinically (either in the ED or on follow-up visit to specialist) with a pathology that was undetectable on the CT imaging (negative predictive value of 83 %, 95 %CI: 73-91 %). None of the remaining 61 patients with negative CT were found to have pathology by clinical evaluation (specificity of 100 %, 95 %CI: 94-100 %). CT is a useful examination for patients with acute left upper quadrant pain in the emergency department setting with moderate sensitivity and excellent specificity.