Sarcopenia: An Assessment into the Prevalence and Disease Burden in Chronic Pancreatitis Patients

Objectives

To evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients referred to a Multidisciplinary Chronic Pancreatitis (CP) Clinic at the University Hospitals of Leicester.

Methods

All patients who had undergone CT scans were identified. Controls were identified from CT colonograms with no features of malignancy or pancreatic pathology. The psoas muscle index (PMI) was calculated using the formula: total psoas muscle cross-sectional area at the third lumbar vertebral level (cm²)/ the patient's height squared (m²). PMI cut-offs were <6.31cm²/m² and <3.91cm²/m² for males and females, respectively.

Results

58 CP CT scans were available for analysis along with 62 control scans. 71.9% of CP patients had a PMI below the cut-off for their gender, compared to 45.2% of the controls. The mean PMI (±SD) for male CP patients and male controls were 5.54cm²/m² (±1.60) and 6.73 cm²/m² (±1.54), (P=0.0023). The mean PMI (±SD) for female CP patients and female controls were 3.82 cm²/m² (+/-1.46) and 4.98 cm²/m² (+/-1.43), (P=0.0021).

Conclusions

CP patients had a mean PMI below the cut-off value, suggesting that CP patients are largely sarcopenic. As malnutrition is a significant feature of CP, optimisation of nutrition may help to ameliorate sarcopenia in CP patients.

A case report on a rare presentation of adrenal myelolipoma with low-impact traumatic haemorrhage and the challenges of conservative management

Adrenal myelolipomas are rare, hormonally silent, adipose and myeloid-containing lesions that are mostly asymptomatic. If they do present it is usually with mass-related flank pain or spontaneous haemorrhage. A 55-year-old female presented with right flank pain after a fall from a static pushbike. Computer tomography identified a large adrenal lesion with surrounding acute retroperitoneal haemorrhage. A conservative approach to treatment was decided on as the patient remained haemodynamically stable. The patient developed a pulmonary embolism during the time of conservative management and therefore had to be anticoagulated with close monitoring. Outpatient surveillance imaging was reassuring, hormonal screening was negative and biopsy confirmed myelolipoma. We report a rare presentation of adrenal myelolipoma with the sequelae of haemorrhage from low-impact trauma and the challenges of conservative management.

Pilot study examining the impact of a specialist multidisciplinary team clinic for patients with chronic pancreatitis

OBJECTIVE

-To assess the efficacy of a pilot Chronic Pancreatitis (CP) Multidisciplinary (MDT) clinic.

METHODS

- 60 patients referred to a pilot MDT CP clinic were analysed. Anthropometric data, nutrition status, malabsorption evidence, glycaemic control, opiate use, bone mineral density (BMD) assessment and quality of life (QoL) were examined.

RESULTS

-The average age was 51.27 (±12.75). The commonest aetiology was alcohol (55%). Ninety one point five percent had evidence of ongoing pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, with 88.1% requiring initiation or up-titration of pancreatic enzyme replacement (PERT). Up to half of the patients exhibited micronutrient deficiency. Twenty eight percent were diagnosed with type IIIc diabetes. There was an average daily reduction of 6 mg of morphine usage per patient with a concurrent decline in median pain scores from 83.3 to 63.3, which was non-significant. The median QoL score was 33.3 compared to a score of 75 from the reference population. QoL scores increased from 31.0 to 37.3 at follow up appointments. Seventy two point five percent of patients had undiagnosed low BMD.

CONCLUSION

The data suggest that CP patients have significant nutritional deficiencies as well as undiagnosed diabetes, poor pain and glycaemic control which negatively impacts QoL. Assessment in a multi-disciplinary clinic ensures appropriate management.

Indeterminate liver lesions - a virtual epidemic: a cohort study over 8 years

BACKGROUND

Within the last decade, advances and availability in radiological imaging have led to an increase in the detection of incidental liver lesions (ILLs) in the asymptomatic patient population. This poses a diagnostic conundrum. This study was undertaken to review the outcome of liver lesions labelled as 'indeterminate' in asymptomatic patients without a biopsy-proven concomitant primary tumour. The secondary aim was to assess the impact on healthcare resources and cost-effectiveness with regards to the frequency and modality of radiological scans, multidisciplinary team discussions and clinic reviews.

METHODS

The study consisted of a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the University Hospitals of Leicester multidisciplinary team database. The study period ranged from 2010 to 2015. All patients were followed-up for 3 years to ensure no late re-occurrences with malignancy.

RESULTS

A total of 92 patients with ILL were identified. The median age was 72 years. The median size of these ILLs was 10 mm. Eighty-seven patients required supplementary imaging and 42 required a third imaging. Ninety-one patients had benign lesions. Only one case was biopsy proven to be malignant.

CONCLUSION

Small (<15 mm) hepatic lesions discovered incidentally in patients with no known primary malignancy and risk factors are virtually always benign, with a 1% risk of malignancy. There is a need for a classification system, which stratifies ILLs by malignant potential based on a standardized and evidence-based approach. This is important to prevent unnecessary investigations. A multidisciplinary approach in an experienced hepatobiliary and pancreatic centre is recommended until such a classification exists.

Isolated submandibular lymph node metastasis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a highly aggressive malignancy that usually presents at a late stage. Common sites of metastasis include the liver, lung and adjacent lymph nodes. Cervical lymph node involvement has been reported previously but there are no documented cases of submandibular lymph node metastasis in the available literature. We describe a case of pancreatic adenocarcinoma metastasis to the left submandibular lymph node with no confirmed concurrent sites of metastasis.