[Microscopic ileitis as a cause of chronic diarrhea: study of cases and controls]

INTRODUCTION

To observe microscopically the ileal mucosa invaded by lymphomononuclear in patients with chronic diarrhea, despite of normality of its endoscopic aspect leaded to name this discovery as microscopic ileitis. This investigation look answer to the question: is the microscopic ileitis associated to chronic diarrhea?

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Microscopic ileitis was looked for in 30 patients with chronic diarrhea and 30 without it, using cases controls design matched up according to sex and age with pathologist and endoscopists blinded to participant's condition. The OR was calculated by means of conditioned logistical regression. Additionally, sanguine mensurations of folic acid and B12 vitamin were made as signalers of malabsorption intestinal segment.

RESULTS

Microscopic ileitis was found in 27 of 30 cases and in 6 of 30 controls. The statistical analysis found an OR 21 [IC 95% 2,83-156.1] p = 0,003. The cases showed subnormal folic acid average but B12 vitamin was normal. CONCLUSION The microscopic ileitis is strongly associated and in a very probably causal way to the chronic diarrhea. The microscopic ileitis would express the concurrence of various processes initiated for a sympathetic over activity that, promoting the epithelial functional collapse, origins malabsortive chronic diarrhea.

Meta-analysis: colorectal and small bowel cancer risk in patients with Crohn's disease

BACKGROUND

Crohn's disease is associated with small bowel cancer whilst risk of colorectal cancer is less clear.

AIM

To ascertain the combined estimates of relative risk of these cancers in Crohn's disease.

METHODS

MEDLINE was searched to identify relevant papers. Exploding references identified additional publications. When two papers reviewed the same cohort, the later study was used.

RESULTS

Meta-analysis showed overall colorectal cancer relative risk in Crohn's disease as 2.5 (1.3-4.7), 4.5 (1.3-14.9) for patients with colonic disease and 1.1 (0.8-1.5) in ileal disease. Meta-regression showed reduction in relative risk over the past 30 years. Subgroup analysis showed Scandinavia had significantly lower colorectal cancer relative risk than the UK and North America. Cumulative risk analysis showed 10 years following diagnosis of Crohn's disease relative risk of colorectal cancer is 2.9% (1.5%-5.3%). Meta-analysis showed small bowel cancer relative risk in Crohn's disease is 33.2 (15.9-60.9). Small bowel cancer relative risk has not significantly reduced over the last 30 years.

CONCLUSION

Relative risk of colorectal and small bowel cancers are significantly raised in Crohn's disease. Cumulative risk of colorectal cancer of 2.9% at 10 years suggests a potential benefit from routine screening. However, the value of screening requires rigorous appraisal.

The significance of ileo-colonic lymphoid nodular hyperplasia in children with autistic spectrum disorder

BACKGROUND

Intestinal mucosal pathology, characterized by ileo-colonic lymphoid nodular hyperplasia (LNH) and mild acute and chronic inflammation of the colorectum, small bowel and stomach, has been reported in children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).

AIM

To assess ileo-colonic LNH in ASD and control children and to test the hypothesis that there is an association between ileo-colonic LNH and ASD in children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred and forty-eight consecutive children with ASD (median age 6 years; range 2-16; 127 male) with gastrointestinal symptoms were investigated by ileo-colonoscopy. Macroscopic and histological features were scored and compared with 30 developmentally normal (non-inflammatory bowel disease, non-coeliac disease) controls (median age 7 years; range 1-11; 25 male) showing mild non-specific colitis in 16 cases (13 male) and normal colonic histology in 14 cases (12 male). Seventy-four ASD children and 23 controls also underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The influence on ileal LNH of dietary restriction, age at colonoscopy, and co-existent LNH elsewhere in the intestine, was examined.

RESULTS

The prevalence of LNH was significantly greater in ASD children compared with controls in the ileum (129/144 (90%) vs. 8/27 (30%), P < 0.0001) and colon (88/148 (59%) vs. 7/30 (23%), P = 0.0003), whether or not controls had co-existent colonic inflammation. The severity of ileal LNH was significantly greater in ASD children compared with controls, with moderate to severe ileal LNH present in 98 of 144 (68%) ASD children versus 4 of 27 (15%) controls (P < 0.0001). Severe ileal LNH was associated with co-existent colonic LNH in ASD children (P = 0.01). The presence and severity of ileal LNH was not influenced by either diet or age at colonoscopy (P = 0.2). Isolated ileal LNH without evidence of pathology elsewhere in the intestine was a rare event, occurring in less than 3% of children overall. On histopathological examination, hyperplastic lymphoid follicles are significantly more prevalent in the ileum of ASD children (84/138; 61%) compared with controls (2/23; 9%, P = 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Ileo-colonic LNH is a characteristic pathological finding in children with ASD and gastrointestinal symptoms, and is associated with mucosal inflammation. Differences in age at colonoscopy and diet do not account for these changes. The data support the hypothesis that LNH is a significant pathological finding in ASD children.

Obstructive fibrostenotic Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease is often complicated by gastrointestinal strictures. Postoperative recurrence at the anastomotic site is common and repeated surgical interventions may be necessary. Medical treatment may relieve active inflammation (see chapter on active luminal disease) but fibrous strictures will not respond to this. Mechanical treatment methods consist of endoscopic balloon dilation, stricturoplasty or surgical resection. Fibrostenotic Crohn's disease does not respond to medical therapy and requires endoscopic or surgical treatment.

Histologic predictors of pouchitis in patients with chronic ulcerative colitis

Inflammation of ileal reservoir mucosa ("pouchitis") is a common sequelae in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients who have had a colectomy with ileal pouch anal-anastomosis (IPAA). Although several clinical, genetic, and laboratory parameters have been evaluated, reliable pathologic predictors for the development of pouchitis are lacking. The purpose of this case-control study was to determine whether there are any pathologic features in UC colectomy specimens that may help predict the subsequent development of pouchitis after an IPAA procedure. The study group consisted of 39 UC patients (male/female ratio: 21/18, mean age: 35 years), who had at least 1 episode of pouchitis after an IPAA procedure during the follow-up period (mean: 57 months, range: 12-121 months). There were 26 control patients (male/female ratio: 11/15, mean age: 37 years), all of whom also underwent a total colectomy and IPAA procedure for UC, but did not develop pouchitis during the follow-up period (mean: 78 months, range: 14-223 months). Routinely processed tissues from each colectomy specimen were evaluated for a variety of histologic features, such as extent of colitis, severity of colitis, extent of severe colitis, type and extent of ulceration, presence and severity of appendiceal inflammation, and the presence of active ileitis, and compared between the study and control patients. Pathologic features that were associated with the subsequent development of pouchitis included the presence of severe colitis that extended into the cecum (severe pancolitis), which was present in 7/39 (18%) pouchitis patients, but in none (0%) of the control patients (P = 0.03), early fissuring ulcers [9/39 (23%) pouchitis cases versus 1/26 (4%) controls (P = 0.04)], active inflammation of the appendix [20/32 (63%) pouchitis patients versus 7/19 (31%) controls (P = 0.03)], and appendiceal ulceration [13/32 (41%) pouchitis patients versus none (0%) of the controls (P = 0.002)]. No significant differences in patient gender or age, depth or extent of ulceration, or the presence or absence of "backwash ileitis" were identified between the 2 groups. In conclusion, there are several histologic features in colectomy specimens from UC patients who have undergone an IPAA procedure that may help predict the subsequent development of pouchitis. Of these features, appendiceal ulceration is highly associated with pouchitis.

[Polymicrobial sepsis and perityphlic abscess: case report and review of literature]

AIM

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of conservative therapy of polymicrobial anaerobic sepsis and appendiceal mass.

CASE REPORT

We report on an 18-year-old patient admitted for fever (38.8 degrees C), abdominal pain and vomiting. Leukocytosis with left shift maturation, and diarrhea were noted during hospital stay. A Fusobacterium species and Bacteroides ovatus were isolated from blood culture specimens. Radiologic examination with barium enema showed normal ileocecal region, while colonoscopy indicated terminal ileitis. Abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography showed appendiceal mass sized 6.5x5.5 cm in the right lower quadrant. The patient was treated with intravenous antibiotic therapy consisting of amoxicillin + clavulanic acid and metronidazole for 21 days. He was discharged from the hospital when control ultrasound indicated disappearance of the appendiceal mass.

DISCUSSION

Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of urgent surgery in children. Bacterial enteritis limited to the ileocecal region appears to be responsible for an appreciable number of unnecessary appendectomies. On the other hand, diagnostic errors in appendicitis may delay early appendectomy and result in the formation of appendiceal mass. The advent of high-resolution real-time scanners and graded compression sonography has enabled not only an accurate diagnosis of acute appendicitis but also a reliable diagnosis of other diseases of the ileocecal region. Acute terminal ileitis has similar clinical and laboratory manifestations as acute appendicitis, thus presenting a common diagnostic problem in daily practice. Perforation occurs in 20% to 30% of children with acute appendicitis. Perforation may be difficult to diagnose by sonography. The most common complications are peritonitis and intraperitoneal abscesses. The management of appendiceal mass remains controversial, such as interval appendectomy after nonoperative treatment.

CONCLUSION

Successful conservative treatment for polymicrobial anaerobic sepsis and appendiceal mass in an 18-year-old patient is described. The case report is followed by review of the literature on the appendiceal mass management.

Cholecystectomy in patients with Crohn's ileitis

PURPOSE

Gallstone disease is reported to be higher in patients with Crohn's disease than in the general population. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of cholecystectomy in patients with Crohn's ileitis, attempt to identify any associated risk factors, and determine whether it is justified to perform prophylactic cholecystectomy during ileocolic resection.

METHODS

A total of 191 patients with Crohn's ileitis who were treated medically or who had an ileocolic resection were retrospective reviewed. A questionnaire survey was performed. Telephone interviews were conducted for the non respondents. Further review of medical records was performed to determine the details of admissions for any gallstone disease and/or subsequent cholecystectomy. A control group matched for age and gender was obtained.

RESULTS

A total of 191 questionnaires were mailed, and the overall response rate was 70.2 percent (134/191) after telephone interview follow-up. There were 2 of 45 medical and 18 of 89 surgical patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis, i.e., 14.9 percent (20/134) of respondents. As a result, 2 patients (1.5 percent) required endoscopic sphincterotomy, 17 patients (12.7 percent) needed cholecystectomy, and 1 patient (0.7 percent) did not have any intervention. Only five patients had a cholecystectomy after their ileal resections. In the control group of 150 patients, 15 patients (14 females; mean age, 51.9 years; range, 34-78 years) had previous cholecystectomy. There was no significant difference with prevalence of cholecystectomy in Crohn's patients compared with controls (17/134 vs. 15/150; P = not significant). Furthermore, the number of ileal resections did not affect the cholecystectomy rate, but patients who had >30 cm of ileum resected were more likely to have cholecystectomy (P = 0.056).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of gallstone disease in Crohn's ileitis requiring cholecystectomy is similar to that of the general population with a female predominance. In addition, the number of patients requiring cholecystectomy after ileal resection was low. Thus, synchronous prophylactic cholecystectomy during ileocolic resection for Crohn's ileitis is not justified.

Tuberculous ileitis in a renal transplant recipient with familial Mediterranean fever: Gray-scale and power Doppler sonographic findings

The ileocecal area is the most common site of involvement of intestinal tuberculosis. We report the case of a 26-year-old renal transplant recipient with familial Mediterranean fever who developed tuberculous ileitis. Gray-scale sonography and CT showed circumferential thickening of the bowel wall and enlargement of the mesenteric lymph nodes. Power Doppler sonography revealed markedly increased vascularity in the wall of the affected ileal segment and in the mesenteric nodes. Some nodes had no flow at the center owing to caseation necrosis, a finding consistent with the diagnosis of tuberculous ileitis. Colonoscopy was performed, and histopathologic examination of biopsy specimens revealed acute inflammatory changes. Cultures of the specimens confirmed the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We conclude that findings on power Doppler sonography may support a diagnosis of tuberculous ileitis and avoid clinical mismanagement.

Intestinal Wegener's granulomatosis in a patient with severe alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency resulting from a unique combination of two deficiency alleles (PiZ and PiMProcida)

Alpha-1-antitripsyn neutralizes the tissue damaging effects of proteases. Alpha-1-antitripsyn deficiency manifests with necrotizing vasculitis. Wegener's granulomatosis is a systemic necrotizing vasculitis that uncommonly affects the gut. The molecular genetics of patients with Wegener's granulomatosis of the gastrointestinal tract have never been characterized. A 63-year-old man with emphysema was admitted with a fever of unknown origin. Initially, this fever was linked to ileocolic Crohn's disease and later attributed to antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody-positive systemic vasculitis. Genetic analysis revealed that the alpha-1-antitripsyn deficiency was due to a previously unreported compound heterozygosity for two mutations (PiZ and PiMProcida). Our findings appear to support the concept that severe alpha-1-antitripsyn deficiency is implicated in the pathogenesis of the Crohn's disease-like milder intestinal manifestations belonging to the spectrum of Wegener's granulomatosis.

Ultrasound of acute GI tract conditions

Patients with acute abdominal pain are a great challenge to the radiologist. The clinical diagnosis is classically unreliable, resulting in both negative laparotomies as well as ill-advised surgical delay in a large number of patients. Ultrasound offers a non-invasive way to decrease both false-negative and false-positive diagnoses in this category of patients. This article focuses on the role of sonography in the diagnosis of acute conditions of the gastrointestinal tract tract such as appendicitis, sigmoid diverticulitis, Crohn's disease, colitis, infectious ileocecitis caused by Yersinia, Campylobacter or Salmonella, right-sided colonic diverticulitis, bowel malignancy presenting acutely, small bowel obstruction, intussusception, omental infarction, and epiploic appendagitis. The sonographic spectrum of these conditions as well as possible pitfalls are discussed using illustrative case histories.

Necrotizing ileitis caused by cytomegalovirus in patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: case report

We report a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patient with necrotizing ileitis diagnosed at a tertially care centre in Thailand. The patient was surgically explored because peritonitis was suspected and segmental gangrenous and perforation of the terminal iliem were found. The pathological finding was necrotizing ileitis with appearance of cytomegalic intranuclear inclusion body. The presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in tissue was confirmed by CMV-DNA detection using polymerase chain reaction and ELISA probe hybridization method. The hemoculture and peritoneal fluid culture results revealed no pathogenic organisms. Postoperatively, the clinical course of the patient deteriorated and she developed hypotension. Vasopressive drugs were administered without clinical improvement. She expired on day 5 postoperation. Regarding CMV infection, the organism involves the small bowel in only 4.3 per cent of all CMV infections of the gastrointestinal tract. Isolated cases of ileal perforation due to CMV infection have never been reported in a SLE patient. Thus, chronic right lower abdominal pain, fever with or without diarrhea in immunocompromised patients should cause clinicians to consider CMV ileitis in the differential diagnosis. Immediate surgical resection and prompt antiviral therapy lead to successful treatment.