Dominant VPS16 Pathogenic Variants: Not Only Isolated Dystonia

BACKGROUND

VPS16 pathogenic variants have been recently associated with inherited dystonia. Most patients affected by dominant VPS16-related disease display early-onset isolated dystonia with prominent oromandibular, bulbar, cervical, and upper limb involvement, followed by slowly progressive generalization.

CASES

We describe six newly reported dystonic patients carrying VPS16 mutations displaying unusual phenotypic features in addition to dystonia, such as myoclonus, choreoathetosis, pharyngospasm and freezing of gait. Response to bilateral Globus Pallidus Internus Deep Brain Stimulation (GPi-DBS) is reported in three of them, associated with significant improvement of dystonia but only minor effect on other hyperkinetic movements. Moreover, five novel pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants are described.

CONCLUSIONS

This case collection expands the genetic and clinical spectrum of VPS16-related disease, prompting movement disorder specialists to suspect mutations of this gene not only in patients with isolated dystonia.

Deep brain stimulation of globus pallidus internus and subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson's disease: a multicenter, retrospective study of efficacy and safety

BACKGROUND

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established therapeutic option in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Literature data and recent guidelines remain inconclusive about the best choice as a target between the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the globus pallidus internus (GPi).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical efficacy outcomes of 48 DBS-implanted patients (33 STN-DBS and 15 GPi-DBS) at a short- (<1 year from the surgery) and long-term (2-5 years) follow-up. Also, clinical safety outcomes, including postoperative surgical complications and severe side effects, were collected.

RESULTS

We found no difference between STN-DBS and GPi-DBS in improving motor symptoms at short-term evaluation. However, STN-DBS achieved a more prominent reduction in oral therapy (L-DOPA equivalent daily dose, P = .02). By contrast, GPi-DBS was superior in ameliorating motor fluctuations and dyskinesia (MDS-UPDRS IV, P < .001) as well as motor experiences of daily living (MDS-UPDRS II, P = .03). The greater efficacy of GPi-DBS on motor fluctuations and experiences of daily living was also present at the long-term follow-up. We observed five serious adverse events, including two suicides, all among STN-DBS patients.

CONCLUSION

Both STN-DBS and GPi-DBS are effective in improving motor symptoms severity and complications, but GPi-DBS has a greater impact on motor fluctuations and motor experiences of daily living. These results suggest that the two targets should be considered equivalent in motor efficacy, with GPi-DBS as a valuable option in patients with prominent motor complications. The occurrence of suicides in STN-treated patients claims further attention in target selection.

Rapidly progressive multiple system atrophy in a patient carrying LRRK2 G2019S mutation

BACKGROUND

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is considered a primarily sporadic neurodegenerative disease, but the role of genetic is poorly understood.

CASE

We present a female patient of Moroccan origin who developed a rapidly progressive non-levodopa responsive parkinsonism, gait and balance problems, and dysautonomia including severe bulbar symptoms. She was diagnosed with MSA Parkinsonian-type (MSA-P) and suddenly died at night at 58 years of age. Reduced striatal DAT-SPECT, putaminal hyperintensity on T2-MRI, and hypometabolism with FDG-PET were present. Genetic testing documented a G2019S mutation in the LRRK2 gene. A skin biopsy was obtained and used to perform alpha-synuclein RT-QuIC, which was negative, and immunohistochemical analysis, which demonstrated abnormal alpha-synuclein deposits in cutaneous nerves. Elevated blood neurofilament light chain levels were also documented.

CONCLUSIONS

LRRK2 mutations are the most common cause of monogenic Parkinson's disease (PD) and G2019S is the most frequent variant. Our patient presented with biological, clinical, and radiological features of MSA, but genetic testing revealed a G2019S LRRK2 mutation, which has been previously reported only in one other case of pathologically proven MSA but with mild progression. In our patient, post-mortem confirmation could not be performed, but RT-QuIC and immunohistochemical findings on skin biopsy support the diagnosis of MSA. G2019S LRRK2 may be linked to an increased risk of MSA. Cases of atypical parkinsonism with rapid disease course should be screened for PD-related genes especially in populations with a high prevalence of mutations in known genes.

Physiological and performance effects of live high train low altitude training for elite endurance athletes: A narrative review

Altitude training has become an important training application for athletes due its potential for altering physiology and enhancing performance. This practice is commonly used by athletes, with a popular choice being the live high - train low approach. This model recommends that athletes live at high altitude (1250-3000 m), but train at low altitude or sea-level (0-1200 m). Exposure to altitude often leads to hypoxic stress and in turn stimulates changes in total haemoglobin mass, erythropoietin, and soluble transferrin receptors, which alter further underlying physiology. Through enhanced physiology, improved exercise performance may arise through enhancement of the oxygen transport system which is important for endurance events. Previous investigations into the effects of altitude training on exercise performance have been completed in a range of contexts, including running, cycling, swimming, and triathlon. Often following a LHTL altitude intervention, athletes realise improvements in maximal oxygen consumption capacity, time trial performance and peak power outputs. Although heterogeneity exists among LHTL methodologies, i.e., exposure durations and altitude ranges, we synthesised this data into kilometre hours, and found that the most common hypoxic doses used in LHTL interventions ranged from ∼578-687 km h. As this narrative review demonstrates, there are potential advantages to using altitude training to enhance physiology and improve performance for endurance athletes.

Endoscopic entero-enteral bypass to treat postsurgical benign complications of hepatico-jejunostomy: Update of a 7-year single-center experience

Background and study aims  Since 2014, we have been using a new endoscopic approach to improve management of biliary adverse events (BAEs) after bilio-digestive anastomosis. We provide an update about our experience at 7 years. Patients and methods  Patients with BAEs on hepatico-jejunostomy underwent entero-enteral endoscopic by-pass (EEEB) creation between the duodenal/gastric wall and the biliary jejunal loop. Evaluation of results during our seven-year experience was performed. Results  Eighty consecutive patients (32 patients from Jan 2014 to Dec 2017 and 48 patients from Jan 2018 to Jan 2021) underwent EEEB, which was successful in all but one patient. The cumulative AEs rate was 32 %. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) through the EEEB successfully treated all types of BAEs in these patients. Cumulative disease recurrence was 3.8 % (three patients) and was retreated through the EEEB. Conclusions  The update of our experience with EEEB confirmed that in patients with BAEs after bilio-digestive anastomosis, EEEB allows successful long-term treatment of different BAEs in a tertiary referral center with an acceptable rate of related AEs.

The clinical and genetic spectrum of primary familial brain calcification

Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC), formerly known as Fahr's disease, is a rare neurodegenerative disease characterized by bilateral progressive calcification of the microvessels of the basal ganglia and other cerebral and cerebellar structures. PFBC is thought to be due to an altered function of the Neurovascular Unit (NVU), where abnormal calcium-phosphorus metabolism, functional and microanatomical alterations of pericytes and mitochondrial alterations cause a dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the generation of an osteogenic environment with surrounding astrocyte activation and progressive neurodegeneration. Seven causative genes have been discovered so far, of which four with dominant (SLC20A2, PDGFB, PDGFRB, XPR1) and three with recessive inheritance (MYORG, JAM2, CMPK2). Clinical presentation ranges from asymptomatic subjects to movement disorders, cognitive decline and psychiatric disturbances alone or in various combinations. Radiological patterns of calcium deposition are similar in all known genetic forms, but central pontine calcification and cerebellar atrophy are highly suggestive of MYORG mutations and extensive cortical calcification has been associated with JAM2 mutations. Currently, no disease-modifying drugs or calcium-chelating agents are available and only symptomatic treatments can be offered.

Expanding the genetics and phenotypic spectrum of Lysine-specific demethylase 5C (KDM5C): a report of 13 novel variants

Lysine-specific demethylase 5C (KDM5C) has been identified as an important chromatin remodeling gene, contributing to X-linked neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). The KDM5C gene, located in the Xp22 chromosomal region, encodes the H3K4me3-me2 eraser involved in neuronal plasticity and dendritic growth. Here we report 30 individuals carrying 13 novel and one previously identified KDM5C variants. Our cohort includes the first reported case of somatic mosaicism in a male carrying a KDM5C nucleotide substitution, and a dual molecular finding in a female carrying a homozygous truncating FUCA1 alteration together with a de novo KDM5C variant. With the use of next generation sequencing strategies, we detected 1 frameshift, 1 stop codon, 2 splice-site and 10 missense variants, which pathogenic role was carefully investigated by a thorough bioinformatic analysis. The pattern of X-chromosome inactivation was found to have an impact on KDM5C phenotypic expression in females of our cohort. The affected individuals of our case series manifested a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by psychomotor delay, intellectual disability with speech disorders, and behavioral features with particular disturbed sleep pattern; other observed clinical manifestations were short stature, obesity and hypertrichosis. Collectively, these findings expand the current knowledge about the pathogenic mechanisms leading to dysfunction of this important chromatin remodeling gene and contribute to a refinement of the KDM5C phenotypic spectrum.

Flavonoid Intake in Relation to Colorectal Cancer Risk and Blood Bacterial DNA

Flavonoids have been inversely associated to colorectal cancer (CRC) and are plausible intermediaries for the relation among gut microbiome, intestinal permeability and CRC. We analyzed the relation of flavonoid intake with CRC and blood bacterial DNA. We conducted a case-control study in Italy involving 100 incident CRC cases and 200 controls. A valid and reproducible food-frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary habits and to estimate six flavonoid subclass intakes. We applied qPCR and 16S rRNA gene profiling to assess blood bacterial DNA. We used multiple logistic regression to derive odds ratios (ORs) of CRC and Mann-Whitney and chi--square tests to evaluate abundance and prevalence of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) according to flavonoid intakes. Inverse associations with CRC were found for anthocyanidins (OR for the highest versus the lowest tertile = 0.24, 95% confidence interval, CI = 0.11-0.52) and flavanones (OR = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.08-0.42). We found different abundance and prevalence according to anthocyanidin and flavanone intake for OTUs referring to Oligoflexales order, Diplorickettsiaceae family, Staphylococcus, Brevundimonas, Pelomonas and Escherischia-Shigella genera, and Flavobacterium and Legionella species. The study provides evidence to a protective effect of dietary anthocyanidins and flavanones on CRC and suggests an influence of flavonoids on blood bacterial DNA, possibly through intestinal permeability changes.

Antiphospholipid‐related chorea: two case reports and role of metabolic imaging

Background

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a complex acquired autoimmune disease with a wide clinical spectrum. Chorea is a rare neurological manifestation of APS.

Cases

We report two elderly patients with APS‐related chorea in whom functional imaging (18F‐FDG positron emission tomography, FDG‐PET) supported the diagnosis and compare our findings with existing literature.

Literature Review

Among 142 clinical cases of antiphospholipid‐related chorea found in literature, only 10 had undergone brain metabolic imaging. Striatal hypermetabolism was evident in all cases (6) that underwent FDG‐PET cerebral imaging. Cerebral perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was normal in two cases, while the other two presented with basal ganglia hypoperfusion.

Conclusions

Brain FDG‐PET usually shows striatal hypometabolism in neurodegenerative types of chorea as opposed to striatal hypermetabolism observed in most cases of chorea from reversible etiologies, such as APS‐related chorea. When a patient's clinical presentation is not clearly suggestive of either a neurodegenerative or autoimmune chorea, and first‐line investigations are normal, FDG‐PET may help in the differential diagnosis, especially in the presence of striatal hypermetabolism. SPECT data are less numerous and show either normal scans or basal ganglia hypoperfusion.

Non-intubated general anesthesia in prone position for advanced biliopancreatic therapeutic endoscopy: A single tertiary referral center experience

Background and Study Aim:

Advance biliopancreatic endoscopies are nowadays performed in non-operating room anesthesia (NORA) under general anesthesia (GA). We evaluate the outcomes of non-intubated patients in prone position who received GA for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in a tertiary referral center for digestive endoscopy.

Patients and Methods:

Anesthesiological records, anamnestic, and intraoperative data of patients who underwent advanced therapeutic biliopancreatic endoscopies at our tertiary referral center from January 2019 until January 2020 were collected in the present observational study.

Results:

One hundred fifty-three patients (93 M; median age: 68-year-old; mean ASA status: 2) were considered eligible for a procedure in the prone position with GA in spontaneous breathing. Prone position was always the initial setting. Propofol administration through a target-controlled infusion (TCI) pump was the choice to achieve GA. In our experience, desaturation appears to be the most frequent adverse event, accounting for 35% of cases (55/153). Treatment foresaw additional oxygen through a nasopharyngeal catheter, which proved to be a sufficient measure in almost all patients (52/55). Other adverse events (i.e., inadequate sedative plan, pain, and bradycardia) accounted for 2.6% of cases (4/153).

Conclusions:

Non-intubated GA in the prone position may be regarded as a safe procedure, as long as the anesthesiological criteria of exclusion are respected and the anesthesiological team has become acquainted with the peculiar NORA setting and familiar with the management of possible adverse events.

Erratum: Endoscopic 'suction room' to treat complex enteral stump leaks after upper gastrointestinal surgery

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1055/a-1336-2922.].

Endoscopic 'suction room' to treat complex enteral stump leaks after upper gastrointestinal surgery

Leaks/dehiscence of the enteral stump associated with infected peri-enteric collections after upper gastrointestinal surgery are a life-threatening adverse event, not usually endoscopically treatable. We describe a new endoscopic approach to treat complex entero-cutaneous fistulas (CECF) by creating a "suction room" through placement of multiple stents (enteral, biliary and/or pancreatic) and a large nose-enteral suction tube inside the enteral stent maintained on a continuous negative aspiration suction. Between January 2016 and December 2019, six consecutive patients referred to our unit with CECF of the enteral stump after failed redo surgeries underwent creation of a "suction room." In five patients, enteral, biliary and pancreatic stents were positioned before a nose-to-stent or nose-to-collection large 18 Fr tube placement. In one patient, a pancreatic stent was not placed. Technical and clinical success were achieved in all patients. Mean and median times of aspiration were 49 and 27 days, respectively, with a mean hospital stay of 56 days after the endoscopic procedure. Stents were successfully removed. Mean post-procedural follow-up was 17.3 months. Endoscopic creation of the "suction room" offers the unique possibility of treating complex entero-cutaneous fistulas in surgically altered sites, which are difficult to manage with standard endoscopic methods.

Expanding endoscopic treatment strategies for pancreatic leaks following pancreato-duodenectomy: a single centre experience

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Clinically relevant pancreatic leaks of jejunal-pancreatic anastomosis after pancreato-duodenectomy (PD) occur in 9-15% of cases. Endoscopic strategies for management of pancreatic fistula, may allow to avoid reoperation and shorten times for fistula closure, but are still understudied and not widely performed. Aim of the present paper is to describe different endoscopic techniques used to treat such conditions.

METHODS

It was a retrospective, single centre, study. All patients who underwent endoscopic treatment for pancreatic leaks following PD between 1st January 2013 and 31th May 2019 at our Centre were reviewed. Depending on the morphology and severity of the leak, four main endoscopic techniques were performed: (1) trans-anastomotic intraductal pancreatic stent insertion; (2) lumen-apposing metal stent between the jejunal loop and the retroperitoneum toward the pancreatic stump insertion ("yoyo-stent"); (3) large calibre nose-to-retroperitoneum drain insertion; (4) when a wide damage of the jejunal wall or a coexistent biliary-jejunal leak were observed, triple metal stent insertion was performed as follow in order to close the defect: enteral fully-covered SEMS in the jejunal stump, a pancreatic metal stent into the Wirsung duct and a fully-covered SEMS across the bilio-digestive anastomosis, through the meshes of the enteral stent. In all cases, surgical drain was simultaneously retracted.

RESULTS

We identified 13 patients who underwent endoscopic treatment for POPF after PD. In total, 5 patients underwent "Yoyo stent insertion", 3 with nose-to-collection drain placement and four patients were treated with triple-stent insertion; in only one patient intrapancreatic SEMS insertion was performed. Technical success was 100% and clinical success was 83.3%. Mean time for leak closure was 4.8 days (range 2-10). During the follow-up interval, no leak recurrences were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our experience confirms efficacy and safety of endoscopic management of POPF following pancreatoduodenectomy management. Endoscopy should play a central role in this clinical scenario.

Endoscopic Findings in Patients Infected With 2019 Novel Coronavirus in Lombardy, Italy

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major worldwide threat caused by a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), rapidly spreading to a global pandemic. As of May 11, 2020, 4,176,346 cases have been reported worldwide, 219,814 in Italy, and of them, 81,871 occurred in the Lombardy region.¹ Although the respiratory manifestations of COVID-19 have been widely described, the impact on the gastrointestinal (GI) system remains less clear. The reported prevalence of digestive symptoms ranges from 3% to 79%, depending on the setting,^2-5 but data on GI endoscopic and histologic findings in COVID-19 patients are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe the GI endoscopic and histologic findings in COVID-19 patients.

Multiple plastic versus fully covered metal stents for managing post-liver transplantation anastomotic biliary strictures: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background

Anastomotic biliary strictures (ABS) following liver transplantation (LT) are one of the most common complications, occurring in 4.5-32% of patients. Multiple plastic stenting (MPS) requires multiple sessions, with the associated risk, cost and patient discomfort. Fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FC-SEMS) have increasingly been used in this setting. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), comparing the role of FC-SEMS and MPS in the treatment of ABS post-LT.

Methods

We conducted a bibliographic search using PubMed and EMBASE, aimed at identifying available RCTs that compared MPS to FC-SEMS in patients with ABS post LT from January 2000 to October 2017. Primary outcomes were ABS resolution and recurrence, while secondary outcomes were adverse events and number of procedures performed. Pooled estimates were calculated using random-effects models.

Results

Four RCTs (205 patients) were included. ABS resolution and recurrence did not differ significantly between the groups (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43-2.56, P=0.92; and OR 2.37, 95%CI 0.54-10.38, P=0.25). The same was true for adverse events (OR 0.91, 95%CI 0.84-3.48, P=0.86) and migration rate (OR 1.31, 95%CI 0.46-3.71, P=0.61). The mean number of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography procedures was lower for FC-SEMS (mean difference [MD] -2.08).

Conclusions

FC-SEMS and MPS had equal ABS resolution and recurrence, although there was a trend towards a higher recurrence rate in FC-SEMS that disappeared when trials with a shorter stent indwelling time were excluding. No difference was found in overall adverse events or migration rate.

Refractory Bergmann type A bile leak: the need to strike a balance

Background and study aims  Endoscopic therapy for postoperative Bergmann type A bile leaks is based on biliary sphincterotomy ± stent insertion. However, recurrent or refractory bile leaks can occur. Patients and methods  This was retrospective study including all consecutive patients who were referred to our center with a Bergmann type A bile leak refractory to previous conventional endoscopic treatments. Results  Seventeen patients with post-cholecystectomy-refractory Bergmann type A bile leak were included. All had received prior endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy with biliary stent or nasobiliary catheter placement and all had a percutaneous or surgical abdominal drainage. Repeat endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) confirmed a Bergmann type A bile leak and in all patients we observed that the abdominal drainage was placed adjacent to the origin of the fistula. Our treatment consisted of pulling the drain away from the fistulous site, with extension of the previous sphincterotomy when needed. The treatment was successful in all cases. Mild complications occurred in three patients. Conclusions  Our retrospective study shows that refractory Bergmann type A bile leak may be a consequence of an unfavorable position of the abdominal drainage tube, which can be corrected by pulling the drain away from the origin of the fistula. This establishes a favorable pressure gradient that leads the bile flowing from the bile duct into the duodenum.

New endoscopic technique for retrieval of large colonic foreign bodies and an endoscopy-oriented review of the literature

Colorectal foreign bodies (FB) are challenging issues for the endoscopist especially if the mostly used methods (polypectomy snare, biopsy forceps or wire-guided 40 mm dilation balloon) failed. We report a case of a 31-year-old man who was admitted in the emergency department for the impaction of a 60 cm long and large-size FB in the sigmoid colon. We failed to remove the FB using several different standard technique because of the rigidity, the smoothness and the size of the object. After all these attempts, we built up a 'home-made' device inserting a 0.035 inch non-hydrophilic guidewire (Metro WireGuide, Cook Medical) doubled into an 8.5 Fr stent-pusher-catheter (Cook Medical) serving as an outer sheet in order to create a noose and we finally succeeded in the endoscopic extraction of the device. We suggest this new technique as a valid option to remove large FBs from the colon and rectum when standard endoscopic methods for FB's extraction fail.

Pretreatment prediction of response to ursodeoxycholic acid in primary biliary cholangitis: development and validation of the UDCA Response Score

BACKGROUND

Treatment guidelines recommend a stepwise approach to primary biliary cholangitis: all patients begin treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) monotherapy and those with an inadequate biochemical response after 12 months are subsequently considered for second-line therapies. However, as a result, patients at the highest risk can wait the longest for effective treatment. We determined whether UDCA response can be accurately predicted using pretreatment clinical parameters.

METHODS

We did logistic regression analysis of pretreatment variables in a discovery cohort of patients in the UK with primary biliary cholangitis to derive the best-fitting model of UDCA response, defined as alkaline phosphatase less than 1·67 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), measured after 12 months of treatment with UDCA. We validated the model in an external cohort of patients with primary biliary cholangitis and treated with UDCA in Italy. Additionally, we assessed correlations between model predictions and key histological features, such as biliary injury and fibrosis, on liver biopsy samples.

FINDINGS

2703 participants diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis between Jan 1, 1998, and May 31, 2015, were included in the UK-PBC cohort for derivation of the model. The following pretreatment parameters were associated with lower probability of UDCA response: higher alkaline phosphatase concentration (p<0·0001), higher total bilirubin concentration (p=0·0003), lower aminotransferase concentration (p=0·0012), younger age (p<0·0001), longer interval from diagnosis to the start of UDCA treatment (treatment time lag, p<0·0001), and worsening of alkaline phosphatase concentration from diagnosis (p<0·0001). Based on these variables, we derived a predictive score of UDCA response. In the external validation cohort, 460 patients diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis were treated with UDCA, with follow-up data until May 31, 2016. In this validation cohort, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the score was 0·83 (95% CI 0·79-0·87). In 20 liver biopsy samples from patients with primary biliary cholangitis, the UDCA response score was associated with ductular reaction (r=-0·556, p=0·0130) and intermediate hepatocytes (probability of response was 0·90 if intermediate hepatocytes were absent vs 0·51 if present).

INTERPRETATION

We have derived and externally validated a model based on pretreatment variables that accurately predicts UDCA response. Association with histological features provides face validity. This model provides a basis to explore alternative approaches to treatment stratification in patients with primary biliary cholangitis.

FUNDING

UK Medical Research Council and University of Milan-Bicocca.

Malignancies in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis--A Continuing Threat

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic inflammatory liver disease of unknown etiology, primarily targeting cholangiocytes at any portion of the biliary tree. No effective medical treatments are currently available. A unique feature of PSC is its close association (about 80%) with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), mainly ulcerative colitis (UC). As in many chronic inflammatory conditions, cancer development can complicate PSC, accounting for >40% of deaths. Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) and colorectal carcinoma (CRC) have been variably associated to PSC, with a prevalence up to 13-14%. The risk of cancer is one of the most challenging issues in the management of PSC; it raises several questions about cancer surveillance, early diagnosis, prevention and treatment.

KEY MESSAGES

Among the different cancers complicating PSC, CCA is the most relevant, because it is more frequent (incidence of 0.5-1.5%) and because the prognosis is poor (5-year survival <10%). Early diagnosis of CCA in PSC can be difficult because lesions may not be evident in radiological studies. Surgical resection provides disappointing results; liver transplantation combined with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is being proposed, but this approach is limited to a highly selected group of patients and is available only in a few specialized centers. Similar to CCA, GBC carries a dismal prognosis. Since it is difficult to discriminate GBC from other gallbladder abnormalities, cholecystectomy has been proposed in all gallbladder lesions detected in PSC, regardless of their size. CRC is a frequent complication of PSC associated to UC; its incidence steadily increases with time of colitis, reaching up to 20-30% of the patients after 20 years. Colonoscopy with extensive histologic sampling at an annual/biannual interval is an effective surveillance strategy. However, when dysplastic lesions are detected, preemptive proctocolectomy should be considered.

CONCLUSIONS

PSC may be regarded as paradigmatic of the sequence leading from chronic inflammatory epithelial damage to neoplastic transformation. Understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating this pathogenetic sequence, may improve strategies of disease surveillance and cancer prevention and treatment. PSC is a chronic inflammatory cholangiopathy of unknown etiology but likely immune-mediated, characterized by peribiliary inflammation and fibrosis leading to strictures in any portion (intra- and/or extrahepatic) of the bile duct system. No effective medical treatments are currently available. A unique feature of PSC is the close association (about 80%) with IBD, mainly UC, often diagnosed before PSC (PSC/UC). As in other chronic inflammatory diseases, development of malignancies is a feared complication of PSC.

Review article: the diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease -- availability and accuracy of non-invasive methods

BACKGROUND

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a wide spectrum of clinical conditions, actually representing an emerging disease of great clinical interest. Currently, its diagnosis requires liver biopsy, an invasive procedure not free from potential complications. However, several non-invasive diagnostic strategies have been proposed as potential diagnostic alternatives, each with different sensitivities and accuracies.

AIM

To review non-invasive diagnostic parameters and tools for NAFLD diagnosis and to formulate a diagnostic and prognostic algorithm for a better classification of patients.

METHODS

A literature search was carried out on MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Scopus for articles and abstracts in English. The search terms used included 'NAFLD', 'non invasive method and NAFLD', 'transient elastography' and 'liver fibrosis'. The articles cited were selected based on their relevancy to the objective of the review.

RESULTS

Ultrasonography still represents the first-line diagnostic tool for simple liver steatosis; its sensitivity could be enhanced by the complex biochemical score SteatoTest. Serum cytokeratin-18 is a promising and accurate non-invasive parameter (AUROCs: 0.83; 0.91) for the diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The staging of liver fibrosis still represents the most important prognostic problem: the most accurate estimating methods are FibroMeter, FIB-4, NAFLD fibrosis score (AUROCs: 0.94; 0.86; 0.82) and transient elastography (AUROC: 0.84-1.00).

CONCLUSIONS

Different non-invasive parameters are available for the accurate diagnosis and prognostic stratification of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which, if employed in a sequential algorithm, may lead to a reduced use of invasive methods, i.e. liver biopsy.