Rectal biopsy, rather than ileal, is appropriate to confirm the diagnosis of early gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease

Early Diagnosis of Neutropenic Enterocolitis by Bedside Ultrasound in Hematological Malignancies: A Prospective Study

(1) Background: Neutropenic enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening complication following chemotherapy with high mortality rates. Early diagnosis is crucial to improve outcomes. We designed a large prospective study employing bedside ultrasonography (US) as a novel approach to allow early diagnosis and prompt treatment to reduce mortality. (2) Methods: NEC was defined as US or computed tomography (CT)-proven bowel wall thickness ≥ 4 mm at the onset of at least one of the following symptoms: fever and/or abdominal pain and/or diarrhea during neutropenia. From 2007 to 2018, 1754 consecutive patients underwent baseline bedside US that was invariably repeated within 12 h from the onset of symptom(s) suggestive of NEC. (3) Results: Overall, 117 episodes of NEC were observed, and overall mortality was 9.4%. Bowel wall thickening was invariably absent in the negative control group. Abdominal pain associated with one or more symptoms correlated with the highest relative risk (17.33), sensitivity (89.7%), specificity (100%), and accuracy (96.2%) for diagnosis. The combination of abdominal pain and fever at onset significantly correlated with worse survival (p < 0.0001, OR 13.85). BWT (p = 0.046), type of therapy (p = 0.049) and blood culture positivity (p = 0.003) correlated with worse survival. (4) Conclusions: Bedside ultrasound is a non-invasive and radiation free imaging technique for early diagnosis of NEC and its prompt treatment significantly reduced mortality.

Technical and Clinical Aspects of Diagnostic Single-Balloon Enteroscopy in the First Decade of Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Aims

Single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) has been widely used in diagnosing small bowel disease. We conducted this study to systematically appraise its technical and clinical performance.

Methods

Studies on SBE published by September 2018 were systematically searched. Technical and clinical performance data were collected and analyzed with descriptive or meta-analysis methods.

Results

In total, 54 articles incorporating 4,592 patients (6,036 procedures) were included. Regarding technical parameters, the pooled insertion depths (IDs) for anterograde and retrograde SBE were 209.2 cm and 98.1 cm, respectively. The pooled retrograde ID in Asian countries was significantly greater than that in Western countries (129.0 cm vs 81.1 cm, p<0.001). The pooled anterograde and retrograde procedure times were 57.6 minutes and 65.1 minutes, respectively. The total enteroscopy rate was 21.9%, with no significant difference between Asian and Western countries. Clinically, the pooled diagnostic yield of SBE was 62.3%. Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) was the most common indication (50.0%), with a diagnostic yield of 59.5%. Vascular lesions were the most common findings in Western OGIB patients (76.9%) but not in Asian ones (31.0%). The rates of severe and mild adverse events were 0.5% and 2.5%, respectively.

Conclusions

SBE is technically efficient and is clinically effective and safe, but total enteroscopy is relatively difficult to achieve with this technique. Etiologies of OGIB in Asian countries differ from those in Western countries.

Effective and less invasive diagnostic strategy for gastrointestinal GVHD

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

 Rectosigmoidoscopy with biopsy has been regarded to be a useful procedure to diagnose gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). However, little is known about the specific colonoscopic features of gastrointestinal GVHD. In this study, we focused on the 4 unique colonoscopic findings - orange peel appearance, spotty redness, small mucosal sloughing, and diffuse mucosal defect - which are possible specific findings of gastrointestinal GVHD. We aimed to estimate the usefulness of these four unique colonoscopic findings in the rectosigmoid portion to diagnose gastrointestinal GVHD.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

 Seventy patients who were histologically diagnosed with gastrointestinal GVHD at our institute were retrospectively enrolled. Colonoscopic findings were reviewed, focusing on the four characteristic findings. The percentage of the positive cases for the characteristic findings was calculated. The final scoping portion and the number of cases showing any of the four characteristic findings in the rectosigmoid portion were also evaluated. The relationships between biopsy sites and the histological findings were also evaluated.

RESULTS

 Orange peel appearance was observed in 66 cases (94.3 %). Spotty redness was observed in 45 cases (64.3 %). Small mucosal sloughing was observed in 49 cases (70.0 %). Diffuse mucosal defect was observed in six cases (8.6 %). The number of cases that were concurrently positive for one, two, and three findings were 16 (20.8 %), 20 (26.0 %), and 34 (48.6 %), respectively. Fifty-eight cases (82.9 %) were investigated up to the rectosigmoid portion, and 12 (17.1 %) were investigated beyond the sigmoid colon. All of the cases showed at least 1 of the 4 characteristics in the rectosigmoid portion. The percentage of crypt apoptosis in the biopsy specimen from orange peel appearance, spotty redness, small mucosal sloughing, and diffuse mucosal defect were 87.5 %, 83.3 %, 87.2 %, and 88.9 %, respectively.

CONCLUSION

 Orange peel appearance, spotty redness, small mucosal sloughing, and diffuse mucosal defect are the characteristic colonoscopic findings useful for diagnosis of gastrointestinal GVHD. These findings are frequently observed in the rectosigmoid portion. The histological detection rates for crypt cell apoptosis from these findings are high. Identifying the four characteristic findings on rectosigmoidoscopy and taking biopsies from these areas could be essential for the diagnostic strategy for gastrointestinal GVHD.

Short article: Capsule endoscopy in graft-versus-host disease

INTRODUCTION

The gold standard in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is conventional endoscopy with histopathological assessment. The role of capsule endoscopy (CE) is uncertain. The aim of the present study was to investigate the accuracy of CE in this setting, comparing the clinical, endoscopic and histological data.

METHODS

This was a retrospective single-centre study that included 57 (mean age: 47.18±15.05 years, 57.89% men) patients presenting with GVHD who underwent a valid CE and histopathological analysis by conventional endoscopy between January 2004 and July 2016. The endoscopic scored findings, clinical data and histopathological diagnosis were compared using duodenal histology as the gold standard.

RESULTS

CE detected mild (n=4, 7.02%), moderate (n=6, 10.53%) and severe (n=21, 36.84%) grades, with a higher diagnostic yield than conventional endoscopy (54.39 vs. 28.07%, P<0.001). A positive CE predicted positive histology (80.64 vs. 15.38%, P<0.001) with a sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and accuracy of 86.21, 78.57, 84.62 and 82.46%. This procedure detected more mild-to-moderate histological lesions than conventional endoscopy (8.77 vs. 3.51%, P=0.25). In addition, 16% of patients with a previous normal endoscopy with biopsies had a pathological CE and there were eight (25.81%) patients with positive CE images unreachable by conventional endoscopy.

CONCLUSION

CE is a useful device in GVHD, achieving high accuracy values and diagnostic yield. However, its results may be interpreted in conjunction with clinical and histological features, particularly in mild-to-moderate stages.

Sensitivities of Biopsy Sites in the Endoscopic Evaluation of Graft-Versus-Host Disease: Retrospective Review from a Tertiary Center

BACKGROUND

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation that frequently affects the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The best biopsy sites to establish the diagnosis have not been clearly established.

AIMS

To determine the best sites for obtaining biopsies in evaluating GI GVHD.

METHODS

All cases of biopsy-proven GI GVHD (GVHD+) were isolated from a pathology database over a 2-year period at a single tertiary center (n = 46). Demographic, clinical, and endoscopic data were extracted. For comparison, 46 consecutive GVHD-negative cases (GVHD-) were obtained. Sensitivities in diagnosing GVHD in the upper and lower GI tract were calculated.

RESULTS

In the GVHD- group, they were commonly investigated with an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) (60 vs. 22 % in the GVHD+ group, p < 0.01), while a colonoscopy (CLN) was commonly performed in the GVHD+ group (33 vs. 12 %, p = 0.02). Among the GVHD + patients, for EGDs, the sensitivity was highest for duodenal biopsies at 89 %. For flexible sigmoidoscopies (FSs) and CLNs, the sensitivities among all sites were similar (85 % agreement, kappa 0.58, p = 0.01). There were no cases in which GVHD was diagnosed in the right side of the colon without a positive biopsy in the left side of the colon.

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort of GI GVHD patients, duodenum biopsies produced the highest yield in diagnosing GVHD when compared to other sites of the upper GI tract. Sensitivities were similar among all sites on lower endoscopies, suggesting that a FS is sufficient for diagnosing GVHD in suspected patients with diarrhea.