A Prospective Study Comparing Three-Dimensional Rectal Water Contrast Transvaginal Ultrasonography and Computed Tomographic Colonography in the Diagnosis of Rectosigmoid Endometriosis

(1) Objectives: In patients with symptoms suggestive of rectosigmoid endometriosis, imaging techniques are required to confirm the presence and establish the extent of the disease. The objective of the current study was to compare the performance of three-dimensional rectal water contrast transvaginal ultrasonography (3D-RWC-TVS) and computed tomographic colonography (CTC) in predicting the presence and characteristics of rectosigmoid endometriosis. (2) Methods: This prospective study included patients with suspicion of rectosigmoid endometriosis who underwent both 3D-RWC-TVS and CTC and subsequently were surgically treated. The findings of imaging techniques were compared with surgical and histological results. (3) Results: Out of 68 women included in the study, 37 (48.9; 95% C.I. 38.2–59.7%) had rectosigmoid nodules and underwent bowel surgery. There was no significant difference in the accuracy of 3D-RWC-TVS and CTC in diagnosing the presence of rectosigmoid endometriotic nodules (p = 0.118), although CTC was more precise in diagnosing endometriosis located in the sigmoid (p = 0.016). 3D-RWC-TVS and CTC had similar precision in estimating the largest diameter of the main endometriotic nodule (p = 0.099) and, in patients undergoing segmental resection, the degree of the stenosis of the bowel lumen (p = 0.293). CTC was more accurate in estimating the distance between the lower margin of the intestinal nodule and the anal verge (p = 0.030) but was less tolerated than 3D-RWC-TVS (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusion: This was the first study comparing the performance of 3D-RWC-TVS and CTC in the diagnosis of rectosigmoid endometriosis. Both techniques allowed for the evaluation of the profile of the bowel lumen in a pseudoendoscopic fashion and had a similar performance for the diagnosis of rectosigmoid endometriosis, although CTC was more accurate in diagnosing and characterizing sigmoid nodules.

Kinetic properties of growth of intestinal sulphate-reducing bacteria isolated from healthy mice and mice with ulcerative colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease including ulcerative colitis are complex multifactorial diseases of unknown aetiology. Sulphate-reducing bacteria are often associated with the occurrence of the disease. The physiological properties of intestinal sulphate-reducing bacteria including kinetic characteristic of their growth have never been reported. The aim of this research was to evaluate the presence of sulphate-reducing bacteria isolated from the intestines of mice, study their growth, calculate and compare the kinetic growth properties on the model of dextran sulphate sodium induced ulcerative colitis in the mice. The number of viable intestinal sulphate-reducing bacteria from the bowel lumen of mice with ulcerative colitis was higher (P> 0.05) by 22% at 12 h of cultivation compared with cultures of sulphate-reducing bacteria from the bowel lumen of healthy mice. The sulphate-reducing bacteria from mice with colitis also had a slightly higher generation time (14.29 h) and exponential growth phase (22.24 h) compared with cultures from healthy mice. The time of lag-phase was 2 × shorter (P> 0.01) in the cultures of sulphate-reducing bacteria from mice with ulcerative colitis. The described research is new and important for the prediction of the sulphate-reducing bacteria number in the gut and their rate of dissimilatory sulphate reduction. The kinetic characteristic of their growth is important for further clarification of the mechanisms of sulphate reduction and accumulation of hydrogen sulphide, which is toxic for epithelial cells of the intestine and can cause bowel diseases both in humans and animals, in particular ulcerative colitis.