Retroperitoneal disorders associated with IgG4-related autoimmune pancreatitis

Extravertebral low back pain: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common reasons for consultation in general practice. Currently, LBP is categorised into specific and non-specific causes. However, extravertebral causes, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm or pancreatitis, are not being considered.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed across MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane library, complemented by a handsearch. Studies conducted between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2020, where LBP was the main symptom, were included.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 6040 studies, from which duplicates were removed, leaving 4105 studies for title and abstract screening. Subsequently, 265 publications were selected for inclusion, with an additional 197 publications identified through the handsearch. The majority of the studies were case reports and case series, predominantly originating from specialised care settings. A clear distinction between vertebral or rare causes of LBP was not always possible. A range of diseases were identified as potential extravertebral causes of LBP, encompassing gynaecological, urological, vascular, systemic, and gastrointestinal diseases. Notably, guidelines exhibited inconsistencies in addressing extravertebral causes.

DISCUSSION

Prior to this review, there has been no systematic investigation into extravertebral causes of LBP. Although these causes are rare, the absence of robust and reliable epidemiological data hinders a comprehensive understanding, as well as the lack of standardised protocols, which contributes to a lack of accurate description of indicative symptoms. While there are certain disease-specific characteristics, such as non-mechanical or cyclical LBP, and atypical accompanying symptoms like fever, abdominal pain, or leg swelling, that may suggest extravertebral causes, it is important to recognise that these features are not universally present in every patient.

CONCLUSION

The differential diagnosis of extravertebral LBP is extensive with relatively low prevalence rates dependent on the clinical setting. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for extravertebral aetiologies, especially in patients presenting with atypical accompanying symptoms.

Serum IgG4 Concentration Is a Potential Predictive Biomarker in Glucocorticoid Treatment for Idiopathic Retroperitoneal Fibrosis

Objectives: To evaluate the management and outcome of idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis (iRPF) in Japan, and to identify its clinical biomarker. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 129 patients with iRPF treated between January 2008 and May 2018 at 12 university and related hospitals. Patients treated with glucocorticoid were analyzed to identify a predictive biomarker. These patients were classified into three groups according to overall effectiveness (no change: NC, complete response: CR, and partial response groups: PR), and each parameter was compared statistically. Results: Male–female ratio was 5:1, and median age at diagnosis was 69 (33–86) years. Smoking history was reported in 59.6% of the patients. As treatment, 95 patients received glucocorticoid therapy with an overall response rate of 84%. As a result, serum concentration of IgG4 was significantly decreased in NC group compared with the other two groups (56.6 mg/dL vs. 255 mg/dL, 206 mg/dL, p = 0.0059 and 0.0078). ROC analysis was performed between the nonresponder (NC) and responder groups (CR + PR) to identify the cut-off value of serum IgG4 as a predictive marker. As a result, AUC of 0.793 was confirmed. Conclusions: Pre-treatment serum IgG4 concentration may have potential as a predictive biomarker of steroid treatment.

Pr-AKI: Acute Kidney Injury in Pregnancy – Etiology, Diagnostic Workup, Management

Despite significant improvements in inpatient and outpatient management, pregnancy-related acute kidney injury (Pr-AKI) remains an important risk factor for early and late maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. There is a discrepancy between the incidence of Pr-AKI in developing and in developed countries, with the former experiencing a decrease and the latter an increase in Pr-AKI in recent decades. Whereas septic and hemorrhagic complications predominated in the past, nowadays hypertensive disorders and thrombotic microangiopathy are the leading causes of Pr-AKI. Modern lifestyles and the availability and widespread use of in-vitro fertilization techniques in industrialized countries have allowed more women of advanced age to become pregnant. This has led to a rise in the percentage of high-risk pregnancies due to the disorders and comorbidities inherent to or accompanying aging, such as diabetes, arterial hypertension and preexisting chronic kidney disease. Last but not least, the heterogeneity of symptoms, the often overlapping clinical and laboratory characteristics and the pathophysiological changes related to pregnancy make the diagnosis and management of Pr-AKI a difficult and challenging task for the treating physician. In addition to general supportive management strategies such as volume substitution, blood pressure control, prevention of seizures or immediate delivery, each disease entity requires a specific therapy to reduce maternal and fetal complications. In this review, we used the current literature to provide a summary of the physiologic and pathophysiologic changes in renal physiology which occur during pregnancy. In the second part, we present common and rare disorders which lead to Pr-AKI and provide an overview of the available treatment options.

[Chronic kidney injury in patients with liver diseases - Reappraising pathophysiology and treatment options]

Acute and chronic kidney disease concurs commonly with liver disease and is associated with a wide array of complications including dialysis dependency and increased mortality. Patients with liver disease or liver cirrhosis show a higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease. This is attributed to concomitant comorbidities, such as metabolic syndrome, chronic inflammation, hypercoagulability, hyperfibrinolysis, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidaemias. But chronic progressive kidney disease is not always due to hepatorenal syndrome. Beyond that, other diseases or disease entities should be considered. Among them are diabetic nephropathy, secondary IgA nephropathy, hepatitis C -associated membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis (MPGN) and hepatitis B-associated membranous nephropathy.Coexisting diseases, similar underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms, or simultaneously concurring pathophysiological processes and overlapping clinical manifestations, impede the etiologic diagnosis and corresponding treatment of chronic kidney disease in the setting of chronic liver disease. In this review, we focus on common and rare pathologies, which can lead to chronic kidney disease in this particular patient group and try to summarize the most recent therapeutic modalities.

Prostatitis: imaging appearances and diagnostic considerations

Acute and chronic inflammation of the prostate gland can be attributed to several underlying aetiologies, including but not limited to, bacterial prostatitis, granulomatous prostatitis, and Immunoglobulin G4-related prostatitis. In this review, we provide an overview of the general imaging appearances of the different types of prostatitis, their distinguishing features and characteristic appearances at cross-sectional imaging. Common imaging pitfalls are presented and illustrated with examples.

IgG4 related disease as a cause of isolated retroperitoneal fibrosis with no other organ involvement; Case report

Introduction and importance

Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is a rare disease characterized by the replacement of normal tissue with fibrosis and inflammation. We present the case of a 40-years-old gentleman with RPF whose presenting complaints were bilateral flank pain and weight loss and was found to have IgG4 related disease. To the best of our knowledge, IgG4-related disease with isolated retroperitoneal involvement is a very rare occurrence.

Case presentation

The diagnosis of IgG4-Related retroperitoneal fibrosis was made based on clinical, radiological and histopathological criteria. Imaging revealed isolated retroperitoneal involvement and the patient was started on oral steroids with a good clinical response after ten days. Repeated imaging months later showed significant regression in the fibrosis.

Clinical discussion

RPF can occur due to many etiologies and is categorized to idiopathic and secondary. Factors associated with secondary RPF include medications, autoimmune disease, malignancy and IgG4 related disease. Almost all the reported cases of IgG4 related disease had evidence of multifocal involvement such as the pancreas, aorta and kidneys. Our patient was diagnosed with isolated RPF due to IgG4 disease. He met all the suggested diagnostic criteria, was started on oral steroids and had an excellent clinical outcome.

Conclusion

IgG4 related disease can present with isolated retroperitoneal fibrosis without involvement of other organ systems. The diagnosis should be based on specific criteria. Treatment with corticosteroids can lead to remission both clinically and radiographically.

Unusual Manifestation of Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease Involving the Retroperitoneum: A Case Report

Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease is a systemic disease characterized by dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates with abundant IgG4-positive plasma cells and fibroblast proliferation. The retroperitoneal involvement of IgG4-related disease usually appears as a soft-tissue mass covering the abdominal aorta or entrapping the ureters, resulting in hydronephrosis. Here, we present a case of IgG4-related disease with retroperitoneal involvement in a 75-year-old woman with an unusual manifestation. A preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan revealed an irregular infiltrative retroperitoneal mass invading the normal anatomic barriers, raising the suspicion of malignancy or inflammation. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed a homogeneous progressive enhancement of the mass.

Overview of IgG4-related aortitis and periaortitis. A decade since their first description

Aortic involvement is relatively common in the context of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). It includes IgG4-aortitis, and IgG4-(chronic) periaortitis (IgG4-CP). The latter overlaps with IgG4-retroperitoneal fibrosis (IgG4-RPF). Aortic wall thickening which characterizes these entities along with the presence of periaortic tissue in IgG4-CP, are often accompanied by aortic aneurysms, which belong to the group of the so-called inflammatory aneurysms. Both the thoracic and abdominal aorta can be affected. Aortitis appears to involve more often the former, while the opposite is the case for IgG4-CP. There is a lack of definitions and different classification criteria have been used to describe these entities. This report provides an overview on the current evidence of aortic involvement in IgG4-RD. It discusses the clinical, epidemiologic, serologic and histopathologic characteristics, as well as the imaging techniques used for their diagnosis and the therapeutic options and treatment outcomes. The differential diagnosis and underlying pathogenetic mechanisms are also discussed.

Steroid Therapy and Steroid Response in Autoimmune Pancreatitis

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), a unique subtype of pancreatitis, is often accompanied by systemic inflammatory disorders. AIP is classified into two distinct subtypes on the basis of the histological subtype: immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis (type 1) and idiopathic duct-centric pancreatitis (type 2). Type 1 AIP is often accompanied by systemic lesions, biliary strictures, hepatic inflammatory pseudotumors, interstitial pneumonia and nephritis, dacryoadenitis, and sialadenitis. Type 2 AIP is associated with inflammatory bowel diseases in approximately 30% of cases. Standard therapy for AIP is oral corticosteroid administration. Steroid treatment is generally indicated for symptomatic cases and is exceptionally applied for cases with diagnostic difficulty (diagnostic steroid trial) after a negative workup for malignancy. More than 90% of patients respond to steroid treatment within 1 month, and most within 2 weeks. The steroid response can be confirmed on clinical images (computed tomography, ultrasonography, endoscopic ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography). Hence, the steroid response is included as an optional diagnostic item of AIP. Steroid treatment results in normalization of serological markers, including IgG4. Short- and long-term corticosteroid treatment may induce adverse events, including chronic glycometabolism, obesity, an immunocompromised status against infection, cataracts, glaucoma, osteoporosis, and myopathy. AIP is common in old age and is often associated with diabetes mellitus (33-78%). Thus, there is an argument for corticosteroid therapy in diabetes patients with no symptoms. With low-dose steroid treatment or treatment withdrawal, there is a high incidence of AIP recurrence (24-52%). Therefore, there is a need for long-term steroid maintenance therapy and/or steroid-sparing agents (immunomodulators and rituximab). Corticosteroids play a critical role in the diagnosis and treatment of AIP.

A case of IgG4-related kidney disease with predominantly unilateral renal atrophy

A 73-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) without kidney lesions. She was treated with prednisolone (PSL) 30 mg/day, and her AIP symptoms promptly improved, after which the PSL dose was gradually tapered to 5 mg/day. Her renal function had remained normal (serum creatinine 0.7 mg/dL) until 1 year before the current admission without any imaging abnormalities in the kidney. However, during this past year her renal function gradually declined (serum creatinine 1.1 mg/dL). Follow-up computed tomography incidentally revealed unilateral renal atrophy, which rapidly progressed during the subsequent 10-month period without left kidney atrophy. A diagnosis of IgG4-RKD probably due to TIN was made, and we increased the dose of prednisolone to 30 mg/day. 1 month after administration, multiple low-density lesions on both kidneys were improved slightly but almost all lesions persisted as atrophic scars. Our case suggested that unilateral renal atrophy can develop in patients with IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis without hydronephrosis caused by retroperitoneal fibrosis, and that monitoring the serum creatinine levels is not always sufficient, thereby highlighting the importance of regular imaging monitoring to detect newly developing kidney lesions.

Clinical features and prognostic factors of ten patients with renal failure caused by IgG4-related retroperitoneal fibrosis

IgG4-related retroperitoneal fibrosis (IgG4-RPF) is a newly recognized entity which often mimics cancer. We aimed to investigate the clinical features and the causes of renal failure, as well as to explore the factors affecting the prognosis of renal function by analysis of the clinical data of patients with IgG4-RPF. We reviewed clinical features of 10 patients with renal failure caused by IgG4-RPF, which was confirmed by pathology review and clinic-pathologic correlations. All patients were male, and the mean age at onset was 64.2 ± 10.0 years. Five patients were revealed with acute renal failure (ARF), while the other five ones with ARF on chronic kidney disease (CKD) (A on C) at diagnosis. Initial favorable responses obtained in 90% of the patients who underwent steroid therapy. The serum creatinine (SCr) level returned to normal in six patients including five with ARF and one with A on C, while those of the rest four patients with A on C restored to baseline levels (GFR remained below 60 ml/min/1.73 m² however) after therapy. These four unrecovered patients had a history of CKD, a longer period of persistently elevated SCr, a thinner total renal parenchyma thickness, and continuous elevated serum IgG4 levels after steroid therapy, compared with those recovered patients (P < 0.05). We concluded that recovery and long-term prognosis of the disease were primarily associated with timely diagnosis and proper treatment.

Large Tumefactive IgG4-related Disease: Histologic, Cytologic, and Immunohistochemical Features of a Very Unusual Case

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a regional or systemic multiorgan lymphoplasmacytic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. It has been described in numerous organs and anatomic locations. Review of the literature shows that when the disease involves the retroperitoneum it causes retroperitoneal fibrosis. Tumefactive IgG4-RD of the retroperitoneum has not been previously reported. In this report, we describe the first case of a large retroperitoneal tumefactive IgG4-RD along with its histologic, cytologic, and immunohistochemical characteristics.

IgG4-related disease: a case report with duration of more than 16 years and review of literature

Introduction

IgG4-related disease was first reported in 2001 and was officially named in 2010. It is now considered as a systemic disease that might affect any organ system. The characteristic pathological changes of IgG4-related disease are extensive infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells. IgG4-related disease is a kind of benign lesions, but there has not been well-defined standard treatment so far. Patients usually respond well to corticosteroids. The prognosis of IgG4-related disease is perhaps good as long as early detection and treatment.

Case description

We report one case of IgG4-related disease with a 16-years anamnesis with multi-pseudotumor masses. He was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease with wide interstitial renal fibrosis. And he received glucocorticoids therapy. After 2 month therapy, the serum creatinine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and serum IgG4 decreased significantly. The discussion includes presentation, clinical course, diagnosis, and prognosis of IgG4-related disease. The case and discussion highlight the importance of diagnosis and the good prognosis of IgG4-related diseases.

Discussion and evaluation

Our case highlights the importance of diagnosis and the good prognosis of IgG4-related diseases. IgG4-related disease is a systemic fibro-inflammatory immune-mediated disorder and now recognized in almost every major organs. Characteristics of the disease is multiple lymph nodes and the response to glucocorticoids therapy is well. In such case, he had a history of 16 years with multi-pseudotumor masses and misdiagnosed for 16 years, if the doctors were not awareness of higher serum immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) than normal, the correct diagnosis may be missed or delayed. Consequently, appropriate treatment for IgG4-related disease would also be delayed or not provided and likely result in increased morbidity and mortality.

Conclusions

IgG4-related disease is a systemic fibro-inflammatory immune-mediated disorder and progresses slowly. In the present patient the course of IgG4-related disease appears to be benign. The prognosis of IgG4-related disease depend on early diagnosis and treatment.

Immunoglobulin G4-related cholangiopathy: clinical and experimental insights

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The clinical spectrum of immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is diverse and the disease may affect multiple organ systems. The pancreatobiliary tract probably is the clinically most important localization of the disease but diagnosing IgG4-related cholangiopathy (synonym: IgG4-associated cholangitis) or autoimmune pancreatitis is often challenging. This review summarizes the current best practice in diagnosing and treating IgG4-related cholangiopathy and recent advances in our understanding of its cause.

RECENT FINDINGS

The identification of IgG4-switched B-cell and plasma cell populations in patients with IgG4-related cholangiopathy and IgG4-RD and their disappearance upon successful treatment have established the role of these cells in the disorder. Ultimately, these findings may lead to the development of more sensitive diagnostic tests. The observation that many of the predominantly 50-70 years old male patients have been exposed lengthily to occupational hazardous compounds further supports the idea that chronic antigenic stimulation may be a pivotal etiological aspect of the disease. Immunosuppressive treatment remains the therapeutic cornerstone in IgG4-RD.

SUMMARY

Currently available experimental evidence classifies IgG4-RD as an immune-mediated disorder, providing support to the use of immunosuppressants and possibly even more specific therapies targeting the B-cell and plasma cell lineages.