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[Background & Aims] Hyperammonaemia is central in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy. It also has pleiotropic deleterious effects on several organ systems, such as immune function, sarcopenia, energy metabolism and portal hypertension. This study was performed to test the hypothesis that severity of hyperammonaemia is a risk factor for liver-related complications in clinically stable outpatients with cirrhosis., [Methods] We studied 754 clinically stable outpatients with cirrhosis from 3 independent liver units. Baseline ammonia levels were corrected to the upper limit of normal (AMM-ULN) for the reference laboratory. The primary endpoint was hospitalisation with liver-related complications (a composite endpoint of bacterial infection, variceal bleeding, overt hepatic encephalopathy, or new onset or worsening of ascites). Multivariable competing risk frailty analyses using fast unified random forests were performed to predict complications and mortality. External validation was carried out using prospective data from 130 patients with cirrhosis in an independent tertiary liver centre., [Results] Overall, 260 (35%) patients were hospitalised with liver-related complications. On multivariable analysis, AMM-ULN was an independent predictor of both liver-related complications (hazard ratio 2.13; 95% CI 1.89–2.40; p, [Conclusion] Ammonia is an independent predictor of hospitalisation with liver-related complications and mortality in clinically stable outpatients with cirrhosis and performs better than traditional prognostic scores in predicting complications., This research was funded by the Medical Research Council (MR/V006757/1) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS PI18/00150); Fundación Ramón Areces, Consellería de Educación Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEOII/2018/051), co-funded with European Regional Development Funds (ERDF). THT is supported by a Medical Research Council, Clinical Research Training Fellowship (MR/V006757/1). MPB is supported by a Río Hortega award (CM19/00212), Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

Background European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) recommends needle-knife fistulotomy (NKF) as the preferred precut technique in cases when standard cannulation techniques fail. Despite scarce scientific evidence, flat and diverticular papillae are thought not to be ideal for NKF, as they are associated with poor outcomes. The present study aimed to determine the outcomes of the use of NKF in relation to flat and intradiverticular papillae. Methods This prospective multicenter study enrolled consecutive patients, evidencing naive flat (group A, n = 49) or diverticular papilla (group B, n = 28), who underwent NKF after failure of standard cannulation techniques. Diverticular morphology was subdivided into intradiverticular (group B1, n = 14) and diverticular border papillae (group B2, n = 14), using a previously validated endoscopic classification of the major papilla. The success of biliary cannulation at initial endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), overall biliary cannulation, overall cannulation time, and the rate of adverse events were assessed in the study. Results The initial cannulation rates were 93.9%, 64.3% and 71.4% for group A, B1, and B2, respectively (P = 0.005); overall cannulation rates after a second ERCP were 98.0%, 92.9% and 85.7%, respectively (P = 0.134). Adverse events occurred in 11.7% of patients, with post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) being the most common adverse event (10.4%). Although there was a trend towards a higher incidence of PEP in flat papillae, univariate and multivariate analyses did not show any significant relationship between pancreatitis and trainee involvement, papillary morphology, nor overall cannulation time. Conclusions Although flat papillae are associated with high success rates of biliary cannulation using NKF, the rate of PEP is not negligible. NKF is feasible in diverticular papillae, but it is associated with a modest success rate in the initial ERCP.

Background Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are a reality that can alter the paradigm of treatment and prevention of infection in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). Objective Identify risk factors for the occurrence of MDROs in patients with LC. Patients and methods Prospective study from October 2017 to March 2018 in consecutively hospitalized patients with decompensated LC with infection. Blood, urine and ascitic fluid cultures were analyzed. A p-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results MDROs isolated in 18 of 52 episodes of infection. MDROs were associated with the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) (p = 0.0312), antibiotic therapy in the last 90 days (p = 0.0033) and discharge within preceding 30 days or current hospitalization above 48 h (p = 0.0082). There was higher 90-day mortality in patients with MDROs infection (71.4% versus 35.7%, p = 0.0316). Conclusion MDROs infections were prevalent in this cohort and associated with 90-day mortality. Use of PPIs and antibiotics increased the risk of MDROs infections, suggesting that its prescription should be restricted to formal indication. Hospitalization was associated with the onset of MDROs, so LC patients should stay at the hospital the least possible. It is relevant to investigate other factors predisposing to the emergence of these microorganisms, in order to prevent it.

European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy recommends needle-knife fistulotomy (NKF) as the preferred precut technique. However, there is little information on whether NKF performed at different times is associated with different success and adverse event rates. We compared the outcomes of 3 different timings of NKF. This was an observational study conducted at 4 institutions and this was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. We included 330 consecutive patients submitted to NKF attempt for biliary access. Patients were divided into three groups: NKF as an initial procedure for biliary access (group A, n = 121); early NKF defined as after 5 min, 5 attempts, or 2 pancreatic passages (group B, n = 99); and late NKF: after at least 10 min of unsuccessful standard biliary cannulation (group C, n = 110). We assessed the success rate of biliary cannulation at initial ERCP, time to perform NKF until biliary cannulation, overall biliary cannulation rate (second ERCP when initial failure), adverse event rate, and predictors of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). The initial cannulation rate was 98%, 91% and 94% for groups A, B and C respectively, p = 0.08, whereas overall biliary cannulation rate was 100%, 95% and 98%, p = 0.115. The adverse event rate/PEP was 4.1%/2.5%, 7.1%/4% and 10.9%/8.2%, for groups A, B and C respectively, (p = 0.197 and p = 0.190). Median time for creating the fistula was A = 4.0 min, B = 3.2 min, and C = 5.6 min, p

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There is a need to evaluate the benefit-risk ratio of current therapies in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients to provide the best quality of care. The primary objective of I-CARE (IBD Cancer and serious infections in Europe) was to assess prospectively safety concerns in IBD, with specific focus on the risk of cancer/lymphoma and serious infections in patients treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor and other biologic monotherapy as well as in combination with immunomodulators.METHODS: I-CARE was designed as a European prospective longitudinal observational multicenter cohort study to include patients with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or IBD unclassified established at least 3 months prior to enrollment.RESULTS: A total of 10,206 patients were enrolled between March 2016 and April 2019, including 6169 (60.4%) patients with Crohn's disease, 3853 (37.8%) with ulcerative colitis, and 184 (1.8%) with a diagnosis of IBD unclassified. Thirty-two percent of patients were receiving azathioprine/thiopurines, 4.6% 6-mercaptopurine, and 3.2% methotrexate at study entry. At inclusion, 47.3% of patients were treated with an anti-tumor necrosis factor agent, 8.8% with vedolizumab, and 3.4% with ustekinumab. Roughly one-quarter of patients (26.8%) underwent prior IBD-related surgery. Sixty-six percent of patients had been previously treated with systemic steroids. Three percent of patients had a medical history of cancer prior to inclusion and 1.1% had a history of colonic, esophageal, or uterine cervix high-grade dysplasia.CONCLUSIONS: I-CARE is an ongoing investigator-initiated observational European prospective cohort study that will provide unique information on the long-term benefits and risks of biological therapies in IBD patients. (EudraCT, Number: 2014-004728-23; ClinicalTrials.gov, Number: NCT02377258).

OBJECTIVE A small common bile duct (CBD) diameter has been associated with complications and with a difficult biliary cannulation. Previous studies suggested that this diameter can be predicted during the endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) simply by observing the papillary morphology. Despite this published suggestion there is no study addressing this topic. This study evaluated a possible association between the morphology of the major papilla and the diameter of the terminal CBD (t-CBD). METHODS Observational cross-sectional study including consecutive patients with naive papillae was referred for ERCP in two affiliated university hospitals. The transverse (p-transv) and longitudinal measures (p-long) of the papilla were obtained using a visual method. Papillae were classified into nonprominent, prominent, bulging or other. The t-CBD was measured 1 cm from the papilla using fluoroscopic images in prone/supine. Measurements were performed by two senior endoscopists and outcomes were evaluated using correlation and linear regression model. RESULTS We included 245 patients with a median age of 76 years. The median p-transv for each type of papillae was as follows: nonprominent = 6 mm, prominent = 9 mm, bulging = 15 mm and other = 6 mm; P < 0.001. The median t-CBD for nonprominent = 7.62 mm, prominent = 8.34 mm, bulging = 8.60 mm and other = 8.52 mm; P = 0.40. The correlation between the transverse and longitudinal measures of papilla and the t-CBD were 0.0092 and 0.0614, respectively. In the regression model, the t-CBD diameter was not explained by papilla's size or morphology (R = 1.70%; P = 0.80). CONCLUSION The morphology of the papilla must not be used as a predictor of the diameter of the CBD as there is no correlation between these two items.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The role of very early (≤12 hours) endoscopy in nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding is controversial. We aimed to compare results of very early and early (12-24 hours) endoscopy in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding demonstrating low-risk versus high-risk features and nonvariceal versus variceal bleeding. METHODS: : This retrospective study included patients with nonvariceal and variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The primary outcome was a composite of inpatient death, rebleeding, or need for surgery or intensive care unit admission. Endoscopy timing was defined as very early and early. We performed the analysis in two subgroups: (1) high-risk vs. low-risk patients and (2) variceal vs. nonvariceal bleeding. RESULTS: : A total of 102 patients were included, of whom 59.8% underwent urgent endoscopy. Patients who underwent very early endoscopy received endoscopic therapy more frequently (p=0.001), but there was no improvement in other clinical outcomes. Furthermore, patients at low risk and with nonvariceal bleeding who underwent very early endoscopy had a higher risk of the composite outcome. CONCLUSION: s: Very early endoscopy does not seem to be associated with improved clinical outcomes and may lead to poorer outcomes in specific populations with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The actual benefit of very early endoscopy remains controversial and should be further clarified. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Dear Editor, It was with great interest that we read the article of Luis Alcala-Gonzales et al (1). This work reinforces the scientific evidence regarding safety and effectiveness of self-expandable metal stent placement for the palliation of malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). Our special interest about this topic makes us want to share the experience of our center and to strengthen some of the key points. Between January 2012 and December 2019, we placed 43 stents in patients with GOO. Interestingly, in contrast to the literature and this recently published paper, we had predominance of gastric stenosing neoplasms in relation to pancreatic neoplasms (60.4% vs 25.6%) (2), still achieving a technical (100%) and clinical (95.3%) success. The stent allows rapid clinical improvement, with shorter hospitalization compared to gastrojejunostomy, two important factors in the field of palliation. However, as we have also noted, there is a non-negligible need of reintervention (25.6% of our patients needed a second stent), either due to tumor growth, food impaction or stent migration. This fact becomes an important limitation in patients with reasonable performance status and expected survival, in which gastrojejunostomy should be considered primarily, with the use of gastroduodenal stents being more suited to individuals with shorter life expectancy (2,3). Thirty-day mortality of 46.5% and mean post-procedure survival of 81 ± 13 days are expected results for a technique with palliative purpose in a terminally ill patient. Thus, we consider that gastroduodenal stents constitute an effective and safe alternative to surgery, which is usually associated with greater morbility.

Background The current standard of treatment in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), although a considerable proportion of patients show incomplete response resulting in disease progression. Objective This study aimed to assess the prevalence of incomplete response to UDCA and determine associated patients' characteristics. Methods Patients with PBC as main diagnosis were included from a national multicentric patient registry—Liver.pt. Main endpoints included incomplete response to UDCA treatment according to Barcelona, Paris I and Paris II criteria, Globe and UK PBC scores and the association between baseline characteristics and incomplete response according to Paris II criteria. Results A total of 434 PBC patients were identified, with a mean age of 55 years and 89.2% females. Nearly half of patients were asymptomatic at diagnosis and 93.2% had positive anti‐mitochondrial antibodies. Almost all patients (95.6%) had been prescribed at least one drug for PBC treatment. At the last follow‐up visit, 93.3% were under treatment of which 99.8% received UDCA. Incomplete response to UDCA was observed in 30.7%, 35.3%, 53.7% and 36.4% of patients according to Barcelona, Paris I, Paris II criteria and Globe score, respectively. After adjusting for age and sex, and accordingly to Paris II criteria, the risk for incomplete biochemical response was 25% higher for patients with cirrhosis at diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.25; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.02–1.54; p = 0.033) and 35% (95%CI:1.06–1.72; p = 0.016) and 5% (OR = 1.05; 95%CI:1.01–1.10; p = 0.013) for those with elevated gamma‐glutamyl transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Conclusion A considerable proportion of patients showed incomplete biochemical response to UDCA treatment according to Paris II criteria. Cirrhosis, elevated GGT and ALP at diagnosis were identified as associated risk factors for incomplete response. Early identification of patients at risk of incomplete response could improve treatment care and guide clinical decision to a more careful patient monitorization., Key summary Summarise the established knowledge on this subject Primary biliary cholangitis is a liver disease that can progress to end‐stage liver disease, with premature death or need for liver transplantation.Treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) significantly increases liver transplant‐free survival. However, incomplete response to UDCA reduces this beneficial effect. What are the significant and/or new findings of this study? By evaluating prevalence and risk factors for UDCA incomplete response through a large multicentric national registry it was found that 53.7% of patients were incomplete responders, according to Paris II criteria, with cirrhosis, elevated gamma‐glutamyl transferase and alkaline phosphatase at diagnosis as the main risk factors.These findings suggest that patients diagnosed at an advanced stage should be closely monitored and might benefit from novel therapies to improve outcomes if incomplete response is present.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVE Piecemeal endoscopic mucosal resection is a safe and effective procedure for the management of large non-pedunculated colorectal polyps. Its major limitation is the possibility of residual or recurrent adenoma and the consequent need for scheduled surveillance colonoscopies, with the implied burden for the patient and health systems. We aimed to evaluate if the Size/Morphology/Site/Access (SMSA) and Sydney EMR Recurrence Tool (SERT) scores are effective in predicting residual/recurrent adenoma after piecemeal endoscopic resection of large non-pedunculated colorectal polyps. METHODS Prospective observational cohort study of piecemeal endoscopic mucosal resection of large non-pedunculated colonic polyps performed in a tertiary center. SMSA and SERT scores were calculated in the index colonoscopy and evaluated regarding the ability to predict residual/recurrent adenoma. RESULTS One hundred fifty-eight procedures were included. Lesions mean size was 31.6 ± 10.1 mm. 65.8% were flat and 61.4% were located in the right colon. Residual/recurrent adenoma was present in 17 (10.8%) cases. SMSA 2 and SERT 0 lesions had 0.0% and 5.7% of residual/recurrent adenoma rate at 6 months, respectively, while SMSA 3-4 and SERT 1-4 lesions had a 11.5% and 14.8% rate, respectively, at 6 months. SMSA grade 2 and SERT grade 0 had a negative predictive value of 100% and 94%, respectively, for residual/recurrent adenoma. SMSA score had an area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve of 0.732 (P = 0.003), while SERT score had a value of 0.730 (P = 0.002) for residual/recurrent adenoma. CONCLUSION SMSA and SERT scores are effective tools to identify lesions with a low risk of residual/recurrent adenoma.

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

"Published online: May 16, 2018", Background and Aims: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is the preferred strategy for the management of biliary and pancreatic duct stones. However, difficult stones occur, and electrohydraulic (EHL) and laser lithotripsy (LL) have emerged as treatment modalities for ductal clearance. Recently, single-operator cholangioscopy was introduced, permitting the routine use of these techniques. We aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy using LL or EHL in patients with difficult biliary or pancreatic stones. Methods: This is a prospective clinical study – conducted at two affiliated university hospitals – of 17 consecutive patients with difficult biliary and pancreatic stones who underwent single-operator cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy using two techniques: holmium laser lithotripsy (HL) or bipolar EHL. We analyzed complete ductal clearance as well as the impact of the location and number of stones on clinical success and evaluated the efficacy of the two techniques used for cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy and procedural complications. Results:Twelve patients (70.6%) had stones in the common bile duct/common hepatic duct, 2 patients (17.6%) had a stone in the cystic stump, and 3 patients (17.6%) had stones in the pancreas. Sixteen patients (94.1%) were successfully managed in 1 session, and 1 patient (5.9%) achieved ductal clearance after 3 sessions including EHL, LL, and mechanical lithotripsy. Eleven patients were successfully submitted to HL in 1 session using a single laser fiber. Six patients were treated with EHL: 4 patients achieved ductal clearance in 1 session with a single fiber, 1 patient obtained successful fragmentation in 1 session using two fibers, and 1 patient did not achieve ductal clearance after using two fibers and was successfully treated with a single laser fiber in a subsequent session. Complications were mild and were encountered in 6/17 patients (35.2%), including fever (n = 3), pain (n = 1), and mild pancreatitis (n = 1). Conclusions: Cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy using LL or EHL in patients with difficult biliary or pancreatic stones is highly effective with transient and minimal complications. There is a clear need to further compare EHL and HL in order to assess their role in the success of cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy., Introdução: A CPRE é o exame preferencial para a remoção de cálculos biliares e pancreáticos. Em situações de cálculos difíceis foram propostas novas modalidades terapêuticas como a litotrícia electro-hidráulica (LEH) e a litotrícia por laser (LL). Recentemente a disponibilidade da colongioscopia de operador-único tornaram estas técnicas mais acessíveis e fáceis de realizar. Procuramos avaliar a eficácia clínica de litotrícia guiada por colangioscopia recorrendo à LEH ou à LL em doentes com cálculos biliares e pancreáticos difíceis. Métodos: Estudo prospetivo, conduzido em 2 Hospitais associados à Universidade e englobando 17 doentes consecutivos com cálculos difíceis biliares e pancreáticos, estes doentes foram tratados com litotrícia guiada por colangioscopia recorrendo a LEH ou LL. Analisamos a limpeza completa dos ductos, bem como o impato do número de pedras e localização no sucesso clínico, associada à avaliação das 2 técnicas de litotrícia e complicações desta abordagem terapêutica. Resultados: Doze doentes (70.6%) tinham cálculos no colédoco/hepático comum, 2 doentes (17.6%) tinham um cálculo único no coto do cístico e 3 doentes (17.6%) apresentavam cálculos pancreáticos. Dezasseis (94.1%) doentes foram tratados com sucesso numa única sessão e o restante (5.9%) doente necessitou de 3 sessões incluído LEH, LL e litotrícia mecânica para obter limpeza dos ductos. Onze doentes foram tratados com LL e obtiveram sucesso clínico numa única sessão com uma fibra única de laser. Seis doentes foram tratados com LEH: 4 doentes obtiveram sucesso clínico numa única sessão com 1 fibra; 1 doente necessitou de 2 fibras para obter limpeza ductal numa sessão única. O último doente falhou a limpeza dos ductos com duas fibras de LEH e necessitou de sessão adicional com Laser (uma fibra) para obter fragmentação adequada dos cálculos. As complicações foram ligeiras em 6/17 (35.2%) doentes e incluíram febre (n = 4), dor (n = 1) e pancreatite ligeira (n = 1). Conclusões: A litotrícia guiada por colangioscopia com recurso a LEH ou LL em doentes com cálculos difíceis biliares e pancreáticos é muito eficaz e está associada a complicações transitórias e ligeiras. Existe clara necessidade de realizar estudos comparativos entre LEH e LL., (undefined), info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Submitted by arminda sustelo (arminda.sustelo@hff.min-saude.pt) on 2018-11-21T16:48:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 J Gastrointestin Liver Dis. 2018.pdf: 168396 bytes, checksum: e1509c4eec9ae0d5dcf78840bd7728a6 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-21T16:48:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 J Gastrointestin Liver Dis. 2018.pdf: 168396 bytes, checksum: e1509c4eec9ae0d5dcf78840bd7728a6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Submitted by arminda sustelo (arminda.sustelo@hff.min-saude.pt) on 2019-02-18T16:31:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Endoscopy. 2018.pdf: 74392 bytes, checksum: fc5c58fd7e76c1a336392f3cb0f13056 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2019-02-18T16:31:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Endoscopy. 2018.pdf: 74392 bytes, checksum: fc5c58fd7e76c1a336392f3cb0f13056 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

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Various clinical scoring systems, including the Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS), Rockall risk score (RS), and AIMS65 score (AIMS65), have been validated to predict the clinical outcomes in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). We compared the performance of these three scoring systems in predicting clinical outcomes in patients with UGIB in Korea.We retrospectively evaluated 286 patients with UGIB who visited emergency department. The primary outcome was the need for clinical intervention (endoscopic, radiologic, or surgical) and blood transfusion.The causes of UGIB were esophageal/gastric varices in 64 patients, peptic ulcer in 168, Mallory-Weiss tear in 32, malignancy of UGI tract in eight, and unknown in 14. One hundred seventy-four (61%) patients required blood transfusion, 166 (58%) required endoscopic intervention, and 10 (3.5%) required surgical intervention. The GBS outperformed the RS and AIMS65 in predicting the need for endoscopic intervention.The GBS and RS were more accurate than AIMS65 in predicting the need for clinical interventions and transfusion patients with UGIB, regardless of variceal or nonvariceal bleeding. The AIMS65 may not be optimal for predicting clinical outcomes of UGIB in Korea.

Large bowel obstruction can result in significant morbidity and mortality, especially in cases of acute complete obstruction. There are many possible causes, the most common in adults being colorectal cancer. Endometriosis is a benign disease, and the most affected extragenital location is the bowel, especially the rectosigmoid junction. However, transmural involvement and acute occlusion are very rare events. We report an exceptional case of acute large bowel obstruction as the initial presentation of endometriosis. The differential diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma may be challenging, and this case emphasizes the need to consider intestinal endometriosis in females at a fertile age presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms and an intestinal mass causing complete large bowel obstruction.A obstrução do cólon pode causar morbilidade e mortalidade significativas, especialmente em casos de obstrução aguda completa. Existem diversas causas, sendo a mais comum em adultos o cancro colorretal. A endometriose é uma doença benigna e o intestino é a localização extragenital mais afectada pela doença, sobretudo ao nível da transição rectossigmoideia. Contudo, o envolvimento transmural e oclusão aguda são situações extretamente raras. O diagnóstico diferencial com cancro colorretal pode ser desafiante e este caso enfatiza a necessidade de considerar a endometriose intestinal em mulheres em idade fértil com sintomas gastrointestinais e a presença de uma massa intestinal a causar obstrução completa do cólon.

Submitted by arminda sustelo (arminda.sustelo@hff.min-saude.pt) on 2018-10-22T16:39:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Turk J Gastroenterol. 2017 Nov.pdf: 72686 bytes, checksum: 72ae414e65f8ddec976e5928c5538e4e (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-22T16:39:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Turk J Gastroenterol. 2017 Nov.pdf: 72686 bytes, checksum: 72ae414e65f8ddec976e5928c5538e4e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Regular physical activity decreases vascular risk. However, vascular events, including stroke, can occur while practicing physical activities. Stroke associated with sports is a rare clinical entity, whose risk factors and mechanisms are not fully understood. We report a case series of sports-related stroke, from tertiary care institutions. From the stroke registries of two University Neurology services and Stroke Units we retrieved all cases of stroke which occurred in temporal association with the practice of sports. Investigators had to fill a simple case report form, describing the demographic, clinical characteristics of the patients and the sport associated with the stroke. We included ten patients aged between 27 and 65 years, 8 being male. Only three subjects had vascular risk factors. Trauma to the head and/or neck was reported in two patients only. Cervicocerebral arterial dissection was the main cause of stroke, occurring in six of the ten cases. No patient died, but three were left disabled (modified Rankin Scale 3–5). This case series confirms that stroke associated with sport is very rare. The majority of the victims did not have vascular risk factors. Dissection was the most common cause of sport-associated stroke. Strokes were often disabling.