Comparison of Duodenal Mucosal Chromogranin-A Expression in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Pancreas Dyspeptic Patients with and without Endosonography-Diagnosed Early Chronic Pancreatitis: A Case Series Study

Pancreatic Fibrosis (Early Chronic Pancreatitis) as Emerging Diagnosis in Structural Causes of Dyspepsia: Evidence from Endoscopic Ultrasonography and Shear Wave Elastography

A new concept for the diagnosis and management of non-functional dyspepsia in guidelines was lacking in the past decade. Medical advancement has proven pancreatic fibrosis (essential image evidence of early chronic pancreatitis) to be a cause of dyspepsia and related to pancreatic exocrine dysfunction. This study aimed to analyze the clinical picture, biomarker, and percentage of pancreatic fibrosis in the dyspeptic population. A total of 141 consecutive patients were retrospectively enrolled. They were diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease, 9.2% (n = 13); pancreatic fibrosis, 17% (n = 24); pure Helicobacter pylori infection, 19.9% (n = 28); functional dyspepsia, 53.2% (n = 75); and chronic pancreatitis, 0.7% (n = 1). Among those with pancreatic fibrosis, (n = 24), 11 were diagnosed on the basis of a pancreatic acoustic radiation force impulse exceeding 1.4 m/s, and the remaining 13 were diagnosed with early chronic pancreatitis with at least three of the Japanese endoscopic ultrasonography criteria. The anatomic distribution of parenchymal criteria of early chronic pancreatitis was head, 53%; body, 38%; and tail, 9%. There were 17 cases (71%, 17/24) without Helicobacter pylori and whose dyspepsia improved after pancreatic enzyme replacement with a ratio of 82.3% (14/17). Of the 141 cases, 19 received gastric emptying scintigraphy and Western blot analysis of chromogranin-A in duodenal mucosa. Delayed gastric emptying was more common in functional dyspepsia and chromogranin-A was expressed more in pancreatic fibrosis. In conclusion, pancreatic fibrosis (including early chronic pancreatitis) outnumbered peptic ulcer disease in the dyspeptic population and pancreatic enzyme therapy was effective for 82% of cases. In early chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic fibrosis is dominant in the head location, and duodenum mucosa chromogranin-A is a potential biomarker with increased expression in an age-matched manner.

Endosonographic features in patients with non-alcoholic early chronic pancreatitis improved with treatment at one year follow up

Since the prevention of early chronic pancreatitis (ECP) into chronic pancreatitis might be critical for the reduction of pancreatic cancer, we tried to clarify the pathophysiology of ECP patients, focusing on ECP patients without alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. 27 ECP patients without alcoholic chronic pancreatitis and 33 patients with functional dyspepsia with pancreatic enzyme abnormalities (FD-P) were enrolled in this study. Diagnosis of ECP was made when imaging findings showed the presence of more than 2 out of 7 endoscopic ultrasound features. Duodenal degranulated eosinophils and glucagon-like peptide 1 producing cells were estimated by immunostaining. There were no significant differences in characteristics and psychogenic factors between ECP and FD-P patients. Interestingly, endoscopic ultrasound score in ECP patients significantly improved, albeit clinical symptoms in ECP patients showed no improvement at one year follow up. The extent of migration of duodenal degranulated eosinophils in FD-P patients was significantly higher compared to that in ECP patients. The levels of elastase-1 and trypsin in ECP patients with improved endoscopic ultrasound features were significantly reduced by the treatment. Further studies will be needed to clarify whether clinical symptoms and endoscopic ultrasound features in ECP patients without alcoholic chronic pancreatitis were improved in longer follow up study.

Pancreatic Fibrosis and Chronic Pancreatitis: Mini-Review of Non-Histologic Diagnosis for Clinical Applications

Pancreatic fibrosis is the dominant reversible pathological change and diagnostic factor in early chronic pancreatitis, defined by a mechanistic approach proposed in 2016. Main guidelines for chronic pancreatitis were published by the American Pancreas Association in 2014, the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology in 2015, and United European Gastroenterology in 2017. All three sets of guidelines mentioned that the staging of chronic pancreatitis is important but challenging. There are various image modalities for the non-histologic diagnosis of pancreatic fibrosis: (1) shear wave elastography, such as an acoustic radiation force impulse with a cut-off value of 1.4 m/s; (2) strain elastography using grades of strain; (3) endoscopic ultrasonography using the Rosemont criteria or endoscopic ultrasound criteria for early chronic pancreatitis proposed by the Japan Pancreas Society; (4) computed tomography using the Hounsfield scale or number of micro-calcifications; and (5) magnetic resonance imaging using the apparent diffusion coefficient and the T1w flash and T2w HASTE sequences. The clinical applications are to (1) evaluate pancreatic tumors and inflammatory disease; (2) monitor dyspepsia with early chronic pancreatitis; (3) monitor individuals with a high risk of pancreatic cancer; (4) analyze a fatty pancreas with fibrosis; (5) predict a fistula after pancreatic surgery; and (6) predict outcomes for chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer. The selection of tools will be dependent on the clinical scenario. Conclusion: There are various modalities for the non-histologic diagnosis of pancreatic fibrosis. The selection of the optimal device will be dependent on the clinical scenario.