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Introduction Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has become the treatment of choice for early gastric malignancies. In recent years, the ESD technique has been implemented in Western countries with increasing use. Objectives To describe the results of gastric ESD in a Western country with a low incidence of gastric cancer. Patients and Methods The prospective national registry was conducted over 4 years in 23 hospitals, including 30 endoscopists. Epithelial and subepithelial lesions (SEL) qualified to complete removal with ESD were assessed. The technique, instruments, and solution for submucosal injection varied at the endoscopist's discretion. ESD was defined as difficult when: en‐bloc resection was not achieved, had to be converted to a hybrid resection, lasted more than 2 h or an intraprocedural perforation occurred. Additionally, independent risk factors for difficult ESD were analyzed. Results Two hundred and thirty gastric ESD in 225 patients were performed from January 2016 to December 2019 (196 epithelial and 34 SEL). Most lesions were located in the lower stomach (111; 48.3%). One hundred and twenty‐eight (55.6%) ESD were considered difficult. The median procedure time was 105 min (interquartile range [IQR]: 60–150). The procedure time for SEL was shorter than for epithelial lesions (90 min [45–121] vs. 110 min [62–160]; p = 0.038). En‐bloc, R0, and curative resection rates were 91.3%, 75.2%, and 70.9%, respectively. Difficult ESD had lower R0 resection rates than ESD that did not meet the difficulty criteria (64.8% and 87.6%; p = 0.000, respectively). Fibrosis and poor maneuverability were independent factors associated with difficult ESD (OR 3.6, 95%CI 1.1–11.74 and OR 5.07, 95%CI 1.6–16.08; respectively). Conclusions Although the number of cases is limited, the results of this analysis show acceptable en‐bloc and R0 rates in gastric ESD considering the wide variability in experience among the operators. Fibrosis and poor maneuverability were associated with more difficulty in completing ESD., Key Summary Summarize the established knowledge on this subject Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is the standard of care for treatment of early gastric cancers (GC). Due to a lower incidence of GC in European countries, the introduction of gastric ESD has been more gradual than in the East.ESD complications, technical and clinical success depend on the endoscopist's experience, the presence of submucosal fibrosis or invasive cancer, and poor access location. What are the significant and/or new findings of this study? This study shows the results from a prospective nationwide registry of gastric ESD in a low GC incidence country. Despite a relative low number of cases, quite acceptable outcomes (en‐bloc, R0 and curative resection of 91.3%, 75.2% and 70.9%, respectively) were observed considering the wide variability in experience among the operators.Difficult ESD were mainly associated with the presence of submucosal fibrosis and poor maneuverability; however, independent pre‐procedural factors were not identified. There was a trend of association between ESD difficulty and the location of the lesion in the upper/middle stomach

Sixty year old female with hypertension and crampy abdominal pain episodes. Admitted to hospital (September-2020) by obstructive jaundice. MRCP: biliary dilation due to Todani Ic (fusiform) choledocal cyst (CC), distal sludge. ERCP: normal mucosa prominent papilla; biliary dilation compatible with CC; choledocholithiasis; 8-mm CHD filling defect. Sphincterotomy, removal of stones/sludge, brush-cytology of the filling defect (pathology: atypias). US: dilation resolution (CBD: 6.5 mm).

Bariatric endoscopy (BE) encompasses a number of techniques -some consolidated, some under development- aiming to contribute to the management of obese patients and their associated metabolic diseases as a complement to dietary and lifestyle changes. To date different intragastric balloon models, suture systems, aspiration methods, substance injections and both gastric and duodenal malabsorptive devices have been developed, as well as endoscopic procedures for the revision of bariatric surgery. Their ongoing evolution conditions a gradual increase in the quantity and quality of scientific evidence about their effectiveness and safety. Despite this, scientific evidence remains inadequate to establish strong grades of recommendation allowing a unified perspective on prophylaxis in BE. This dearth of data conditions leads, in daily practice, to frequently extrapolate the measures that are used in bariatric surgery (BS) and/or in general therapeutic endoscopy. In this respect, this special article is intended to reach a consensus on the most common prophylactic measures we should apply in BE. The methodological design of this document was developed while attempting to comply with the following 5 phases: Phase 1: delimitation and scope of objectives, according to the GRADE Clinical Guidelines. Phase 2: setup of the Clinical Guide-developing Group: national experts, members of the Grupo Espanol de Endoscopia Bariatrica (GETTEMO, SEED), SEPD, and SECO, selecting 2 authors for each section. Phase 3: clinical question form (PICO): patients, intervention, comparison, outcomes. Phase 4: literature assessment and synthesis. Search for evidence and elaboration of recommendations. Based on the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine classification, most evidence in this article will correspond to level 5 (expert opinions without explicit critical appraisal) and grade of recommendation C (favorable yet inconclusive recommendation) or D (inconclusive or inconsistent studies). Phase 5: External review by experts. We hope that these basic preventive measures will be of interest for daily practice, and may help prevent medical and/or legal conflicts for the benefit of patients, physicians, and BE in general.

Background and aims: endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in the Western setting remains a challenge. Therefore, other simplified techniques such as knife-assisted snare resection (KAR) have been reported to overcome this issue. Methods: patients who underwent an ESD for the treatment of gastrointestinal neoplasms were included in a retrospective cross-sectional observational study. Factors associated with the end of ESD as a salvage p-KAR were identified and a logistic regression model was developed. Results: a total of 136 lesions in 133 patients were analyzed. Operator experience of under 50 cases and the combination of lesion size > 30 mm and colorectal location were independent predictive factors for switching to a salvage p-KAR according to the multivariate logistic regression analysis. We developed a risk scoring system based on these four variables (experience, size, location and the combination of size and location) with a receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.74-0.89). The diagnostic accuracy of the score for a cut-off point ≥ 5 had a sensitivity of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.66-0.93) and a specificity of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.61-0.80). Conclusion: a simple predictive score system that includes four preoperative factors accurately predicts ESD to finish as a p-KAR. A careful selection of cases considering these variables could be useful to achieve better outcomes in the Western setting.

Introduccion: la diseccion submucosa endoscopica (DSE) en colon es una tecnica en expansion en paises occidentales. Existen pocos estudios con seguimiento a largo plazo. Objetivo: analizar supervivencia libre de enfermedad a largo plazo tras DSE y comparar las tasas de recidiva en funcion de diferentes factores. Material y metodos: cohorte prospectiva de pacientes con DSE planeada entre septiembre de 2008 y diciembre de 2015. Cuando no fue posible tecnicamente completar DSE se realizo diseccion hibrida en bloque o fragmentada. Se analizo la tasa de recurrencia a cinco anos mediante curvas de Kaplan-Meier y se compararon en funcion de diferentes factores usando test de log-rank. Resultados: se incluyo una cohorte inicial de 89 pacientes en los que se consiguio seguimiento en 69. De los 69 pacientes, en 31 (45%) se realizo DSE; en once (16%), DSE hibrida; y en 27 (39%), DSE hibrida fragmentada. La mediana de seguimiento fue de 27 meses. La supervivencia libre de enfermedad a cinco anos fue del 81%. La media de endoscopias para eliminar la recurrencia fueron dos (rango 1-7) y ninguna requirio cirugia. La tasa de recidiva fue significativamente menor tras DSE “en bloque” respecto a fragmentada (15% vs. 27%, p = 0,036) y en resecciones R0 respecto a R1 (0% vs. 26%, p = 0,034). Las resecciones con margenes laterales negativos en lesiones resecadas en bloque presentaron menor tasa de recidiva respecto a aquellas con margenes afectos/desconocidos, que no alcanzaron la significacion estadistica (0% vs. 28%, p = 0,09). Conclusiones: en nuestro estudio, la supervivencia libre de enfermedad a cinco anos fue del 81% y ningun paciente requirio cirugia durante el seguimiento. Las resecciones fragmentadas y R1 se asociaron de forma significativa con mayor tasa de recurrencia.

Introduccion: la diseccion submucosa endoscopica sobre lesiones gastricas (DSE-G) es una tecnica que permite la reseccion de tumores gastricos precoces en bloque, con una tasa de curacion similar a la cirugia y una morbimortalidad menor. Objetivo: analizar la supervivencia total, la supervivencia libre de enfermedad y la tasa de recidiva en pacientes sometidos a DSE-G en una cohorte espanola a lo largo de su evolucion clinica. Material y metodos: estudio observacional prospectivo. Inclusion de pacientes sometidos a DSE-G de 2008 a 2015, con seguimiento entre seis y 60 meses. Se analizo la recurrencia a cinco anos mediante curvas de Kaplan-Meier y los resultados fueron comparados entre diferentes factores (en bloque vs. reseccion fragmentada, resecciones curativas R0 vs. margen lateral afecto ML+) usando test log-rank. Resultados: se analizaron 35 pacientes sometidos a DSE-G, con una mediana de seguimiento de 33,62 meses. Se identificaron cuatro recidivas en este periodo (11,4%), tres de ellas tratadas mediante nueva DSE-G. La presencia de ML+ en la pieza histologica se relaciono con mayor tasa de recidiva local durante el seguimiento (p = 0,06). Las resecciones fragmentadas presentaron un mayor riesgo de recidiva pero sin detectarse diferencias estadisticamente significativas (p = 0,49). No se registraron fallecimientos por neoplasia gastrica ni gastrectomia por persistencia de enfermedad en este periodo. La tasa de supervivencia global en nuestra serie fue de 94,3%. Conclusiones: la DSE-G realizada en nuestro medio permite una tasa elevada de curacion a largo plazo evitando la cirugia. Estos resultados se asemejan a las series europeas publicadas y aun se encuentran lejos de las tasas de curacion y recidiva de las cohortes asiaticas. Los casos de recidiva local pueden ser controlados mediante endoscopia.

We present a case of intractable dysphagia in a 23-year-old female with type 1 esophageal atresia (EA) and subsequent postsurgical refractory esophageal strictures. The patient was referred due to increasing symptomatology and a slight response to balloon dilations. A biodegradable polydioxanone stent (ELLA) was placed, but this did not relieve the dysphagia. After the sequential placement of two siliconated polypropylene stents (Polyflex(tm), Boston Scientifics), the dysphagia was definitively relieved. To our knowledge, this is the first published case with a full resolution of dysphagia using this strategy in an adult patient.

The endoscopic treatment of early gastrointestinal neoplasms usually involves the resection of the superficial layers, mucosa and submucosa, of the wall. However, in some circumstances, a full-thickness resection may be necessary. Endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) may be an adequate approach in challenging lesions such as adenomas or early cancers with severe submucosal fibrosis or small sub-epithelial lesions in the lower GI tract. Furthermore, this novel technique has the potential to spare surgical therapy in a subset of cases. In this paper, we describe our results with the full-thickness resection device (FTRD) in three different situations.

Objectives Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a form of chronic pancreatitis that has been reported worldwide for the last two decades. The aim of this study is to analyse the clinical profile of patients from Spain with AIP, as well as treatments, relapses and long-term outcomes. Methods Data from 59 patients with suspected AIP that had been diagnosed in 15 institutions are retrospectively analysed. Subjects are classified according to the International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria (ICDC). Patients with type 1 AIP (AIP1) and type 2 AIP (AIP2) are compared. Kaplan–Meier methodology is used to estimate the overall survival without relapses. Results Fifty-two patients met ICDC, 45 patients were AIP1 (86.5%). Common manifestations included abdominal pain (65.4%) and obstructive jaundice (51.9%). Diffuse enlargement of pancreas was present in 51.0%; other organ involvement was present in 61.5%. Serum IgG4 increased in 76.7% of AIP1 patients vs. 20.0% in AIP2 (p = 0.028). Tissue specimens were obtained in 76.9%. Initial successful treatment with steroids or surgery was achieved in 79.8% and 17.3%, respectively. Maintenance treatment was given in 59.6%. Relapses were present in 40.4% of AIP1, with a median of 483 days. Successful long-term remission was achieved in 86.4%. Conclusions AIP1 is the most frequent form of AIP in Spain in our dataset. Regularly, ICDC allows AIP diagnosis without the need for surgery. Steroid and chirurgic treatments were effective and safe in most patients with AIP, although maintenance was required many times because of their tendency to relapse. Long-term serious consequences were uncommon.

Achalasia is a disease of unknown origin in which there is a denervation of the myenteric plexus on the smooth muscle of the lower oesophageal sphincter, causing a cardial stenosis and a loss of efficacy of oesophageal peristalsis. The predominant symptoms are dysphagia for solids and liquids and regurgitation of the retained food. Occasionally, there may be oesophageal haemorrhage as a consequence of oesophagitis and stasis ulcers. An important but uncommon complication is the development of oesophageal cancer, which is typically squamous cell carcinoma. We report an exceptional case of a 77-year-old woman with a long-term achalasia and mega-oesophagus who presented four episodes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in a 2 month period. The patient underwent surgical resection of the 10 cm of distal oesophagus, performing a partial fundoplication, and the pathological study revealed an oesophageal infiltration by a low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. After an insidious outcome, she died on the 47th day after admission.