ERCP and SARS-COV-2: an urgent procedure that should be immune

BACKGROUND

Radical changes to clinical and endoscopy practice have been rapidly introduced following the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). Urgent endoscopies are, however, intended to proceed as normal with additional personal protective procedures. A perceived reduction in hospital attendances may suggest a number of urgently indicated endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatographies (ERCPs) are being missed. Objectives and Methods: A review of all ERCPs carried out in a large tertiary referral endoscopy unit under healthcare restrictions was compared to the same time period in previous years. The intention was to determine if ERCPs are proceeding as normal or if there is a difference in referral characteristics.

RESULTS

Under service restrictions (13 March to the end of April 2020), 55 ERCPs were performed compared with 87 ERCPs in 2019. Similar numbers to 2019 were also recorded in the preceding years. One case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported in a patient in the days following ERCP, with no cases notified among staff related to endoscopy.

CONCLUSIONS

A reduction in ERCP referrals raises concern that a cohort of patients with significant biliary disease remain undetected. Whether this results in later, and more severe, presentation remains to be seen but a potential surge in such cases could significantly burden all future endoscopy planning services.

Lamivudine treatment and outcome in pregnant women with high hepatitis B viral loads

Perinatal transmission is the most common mode of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission and is a leading cause of chronic infection worldwide. Maternal treatment with lamivudine (LAM) can result in a rapid and significant reduction in HBV viral load (VL) and, thus, mitigate the risk of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the safety of LAM treatment administered in the third trimester of pregnancy and determine the influence, if any, on infant outcome. The medical charts of all HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive women eligible for treatment with LAM and who registered for antenatal care between 2007 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. During the 6-year period, 45 women met the criteria for LAM treatment. Thirty-six women (80 %) accepted treatment; the remaining women declined treatment (5), defaulted from care (3) or transferred to another maternity unit (1). The median duration of treatment was 11.4 weeks (range 5.3-17.4) and the median baseline VL was 1.4 × 10(8) IU/mL (range 1.8 × 10(7)-1.7 × 10(8)). The median VL at delivery was 2.3 × 10(5) IU/mL and 60 % of women achieved a VL reduction >2 log10 IU/mL before delivery. No cases of perinatal transmission occurred in the infants born to mothers who received treatment; however, one infant, born to a mother who defaulted from care, was HBV-infected at 8 months. The results suggest that LAM therapy in highly viraemic HBV-infected pregnant women could lower the rate of vertical transmission.

Universal antenatal screening for hepatitis C

The aims of this study were to pilot universal antenatal HCV screening and to determine the true seroprevalence of HCV infection in an unselected antenatal population. A risk assessment questionnaire for HCV infection was applied to all women booking for antenatal care over a 1-year period. In addition the prevalence of anti-HCV antibody positive serology in this population was determined. Over the course of the year, 9121 women booked for antenatal care at the Rotunda and 8976 women agreed to take part in the study, representing an uptake of 98.4%. 78 (0.9%) women were diagnosed as anti-HCV positive, the majority of whom were Irish (60.3%) or from Eastern Europe (24.4%). 73% of anti-HCV positive women reported one or more known risk factor with tattooing and a history of drug abuse the most commonly reported. 27% (n = 21) of anti-HCV positive women had no identifiable risk factors. Due to selective screening, seroprevalence of HCV is impossible to accurately calculate. However the universal screening applied here and the high uptake of testing has allowed the prevalence of anti-HCV among our antenatal population to be calculated at 0.9%. A significant proportion (27%) of anti-HCV positive women in this study reported no epidemiological risk factors at the time

Covered Wallstents for palliation of malignant biliary obstruction: primary stent placement versus reintervention

BACKGROUND

Covered self-expandable metallic stents (SEMSs) are designed to prevent tumor ingrowth and can be removed if necessary. Only limited comparative data are available on the performance of covered SEMSs after primary placement versus reintervention.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effectiveness and safety of covered SEMS placement either as primary treatment or reintervention in patients requiring palliation of malignant biliary obstruction.

DESIGN

Retrospective clinical cohort study.

SETTING

Tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS

This study involved 104 patients with unresectable malignant biliary strictures.

INTERVENTION

Covered biliary SEMS placement.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS

Stent patency, technical success, and patient survival.

RESULTS

Covered SEMSs were placed as primary treatment in 48 patients (46%), and reintervention was performed in 56 patients (54%). At 3, 6, and 12 months thereafter, the Kaplan-Meier estimated fractions of all patients with patent stents were 94%, 84%, and 58%, respectively. Covered SEMSs remained patent until the patient's death in 75 of 89 nonsurvivors (84%). Although patency rates 3, 6, and 12 months after primary placement (100%, 93%, and 82%, respectively) were higher than those after reintervention (90%, 78%, and 48%, respectively), the differences were not statistically significant (P = .057). Overall, the most frequent adverse events were cholangitis (7%) and stent migration (4%).

LIMITATIONS

The distribution of stricture locations differed among the groups, and survival data suggested the presence of more extensive disease in the primary treatment group at baseline.

CONCLUSION

The clinical utility and safety of primary covered SEMS placement were confirmed. This study provides the most extensive evidence to date that reintervention with a covered SEMS can provide a useful palliative option.

Assessment of liver fibrosis in co-infected patients

The evaluation of liver injury in HIV patients co-infected with HBV and HCV should follow the same principles as the evaluation of any patient with chronic liver disease. The initial clinical evaluation should include documentation of risk factors for progressive disease. HIV history is important particularly with respect to a past history of significant or prolonged immunosuppression as this has been clinically correlated with more advanced liver disease. Liver transaminases are an important predictor of disease severity and progression in HIV patients. Liver biopsy has remained the 'gold standard' for the grading of inflammation and staging of disease. We would still recommend liver biopsy in HIV patients particularly those with HCV because recent community-based studies in the HAART era have suggested slower rates of progression for HIV/HCV than studies from tertiary care centres and older cohorts. Since, liver biopsy is invasive and expensive, non-invasive techniques including serological tests and novel imaging techniques have evolved to stage liver fibrosis. A novel technique for measuring hepatic elasticity has recently been validated alone and in combination with serum markers for HCV mono-infection. Future trends for staging liver disease must not only focus on cross sectional diagnosis but on utilizing novel techniques to stratify risk for disease progression over time.

Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis

Understanding of the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis on a molecular level has led to the identification of several putative serum markers of hepatic fibrosis. Either individually or in combination, these serum markers appear capable of determining early and advanced hepatic fibrosis. Radiological determination of hepatic fibrosis has insufficient sensitivity and specificity other than for detection of features of portal hypertension or features of end-stage cirrhosis. Transient hepatic elastography is a novel technology demonstrating promise as a noninvasive means of fibrosis determination. This article outlines the accuracy of all these modalities in the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis and discusses how they may be incorporated into clinical practice.

Maintenance therapy for chronic hepatitis C

Major progress has been made in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection over the 18 years since Hoofnagle et al. initially documented response of non-A non-B hepatitis to interferon alfa. Current optimal therapy with pegylated interferon alfa (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin results in sustained virologic response rates of just over 50%. With an estimated 2.7 million Americans with active HCV infection, we can anticipate a large number of potential treatment failures with the current standard of care. At this time, no therapy is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment failures of PEG-IFN and ribavirin. Maintenance interferon therapy with the goal of prevention of disease progression rather than viral eradication appears to offer an option for HCV treatment failures with advanced disease. Alternative medical strategies to reduce hepatic fibrosis are also under investigation. With the relatively static number of available organs for transplantation, prevention of disease progression and decompensation is essential for an impact to be made upon the predicted rates of HCV morbidity and mortality in the next 10 to 20 years.