Crohn disease

Cholecystopathia chronica calcarea (Porcelain gall bladder): A case report from Nepal

Introduction and importance

Porcelain gall bladder is an uncommon end-stage modification of chronic cholecystitis, with an incidence ranging from 0.06 to 0.8% along with a plausibility of malignant transformation.

Case presentation

We present a 55-year-old female presenting with complaints of epigastric and right hypochondriac region pain who underwent prophylactic laparoscopic cholecystectomy after making a provisional diagnosis of calcified gall bladder on a computed tomography workup. On histopathological examination, she was later diagnosed with a porcelain gallbladder devoid of features suggestive of malignant transformation.

Clinical discussion

Porcelain gallbladder is a cholecystopathological condition in which the gallbladder wall gets calcified, either completely or partially. Though the exact pathomechanism of gallbladder calcification is unknown, it is believed to be due to chronic inflammation. Recent studies have shown that gallbladder calcification is associated with a lower risk of the development of gallbladder cancer. Imaging studies, followed by post-operative histopathological examinations, are used to diagnose the porcelain gallbladder. Though the management of asymptomatic patients is debatable, prophylactic cholecystectomy is the preferred treatment for symptomatic porcelain gallbladder patients.

Conclusion

Individual porcelain GB patients should be addressed based on the presenting condition, whether surgically or via clinical monitoring and follow-up, taking into consideration the advantages and limitations of both treatment modalities.

Primary clear cell carcinoma of gallbladder arising in porcelain gallbladder

Gallbladder carcinomas (GBCs) are the most common carcinomas of the biliary tract. The clear cell variant is encountered rarely, accounting for approximately 1% of all GBCs.Due to its rarity, the exact incidence and pathogenesis of this variant are unknown. Though hyalinising cholecystitis (porcelain gallbladder) is an established risk factor for development of conventional adenocarcinomas of the gallbladder, its role in the pathogenesis of the rare variants of GBC is not well-established. The current case raises the possibility that clear cell carcinoma of the gallbladder may arise through the same pathways as conventional adenocarcinomas of the gallbladder.

Systematic review: treatment pattern and clinical effectiveness and safety of pharmaceutical therapies for Crohn's disease in Europe

Background

Although many clinical trials have been conducted in treatments of Crohn’s disease (CD), whether the trial results were representative of daily practice needs to be supported by studies conducted in real-world settings.

Aim

This study aims to identify how CD is treated and what are the clinical effectiveness and safety of the pharmaceutical therapies of CD in real-world settings.

Methods

A systematic literature review was conducted based on Medline^®, Embase^®, and Cochrane. All publications were assessed for title/abstract and full-text according to a predefined study protocol. Data were extracted and reported.

Results

A total of 1,998 publications were identified. Fifty studies including six publications reporting treatment pattern and 44 studies reporting clinical effectiveness and safety of pharmaceutical therapies in CD management in Europe were included. 5-Aminosalicylic acid and corticosteroids were reported to be used among 14%–74% of CD patients. Immunomodulators were used by 14%–25% and 29%–31% of CD patients as an initial and follow-up treatment, respectively. Biological therapies were used by 25%–33% of CD patients. A trend toward an increasing use of immunomodulators and biological therapies in Europe has been reported in recent years. Approximately 50% of patients achieved remission on immunomodulator or biologic treatment, although a relapse rate of up to 23% has been reported.

Conclusion

There is a trend of treatment shift to immunomodulators and biologics in CD management. Clinical effectiveness of immunomodulators and biologics has been demonstrated, though with a lack of sustainability of the effectiveness.