Hybrid argon plasma coagulation-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection for large sessile colon polyps to reduce local recurrence: a prospective pilot study

Background Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) of large, sessile colon polyps often results in incomplete resection with subsequent recurrence. The aim of this prospective pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a novel technique, hybrid argon plasma coagulation-assisted EMR (hAPC-EMR), to remove large, sessile polyps. Methods 40 eligible patients underwent hAPC-EMR for the removal of one or more nonpedunculated colon polyps ≥ 20 mm. Participants were contacted 30 days post-procedure to assess for adverse events and were recommended to return for a surveillance colonoscopy at 6 months to assess for local recurrence. Results At the time writing, 32 patients with 35 polyps (median size 27 mm; interquartile range 14.5 mm) resected by hAPC-EMR had undergone the 6-month follow-up colonoscopy. Recurrence rate was 0 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 0–0) at follow-up. Post-polypectomy bleeding was experienced by three patients (7.5 %; 95 %CI 0.00–0.15), and no patients developed post-polypectomy syndrome. Conclusion These preliminary results showed 0 % local recurrence rate at 6 months and demonstrated the safety profile of hAPC-EMR. A large, randomized, controlled trial is required to confirm these results.

Benefit, tolerance, and safety of hybrid argon plasma coagulation for treatment of Barrett's esophagus: US pilot study

Background and study aims A novel technique for Barrett’s esophagus (BE) ablation, termed hybrid APC, has recently been developed. The aims of this US pilot study were to evaluate the efficacy, tolerance and safety of hybrid APC for the treatment of BE. Patients and methods Patients with biopsy-proven BE referred to our tertiary care center over a 12-month period for mucosal ablation were eligible for this study. Efficacy of ablation was measured on follow-up endoscopy by demonstrating either a reduction of visible BE or biopsies proving complete resolution of intestinal metaplasia (CRIM). To evaluate tolerance and safety, patients were called on post-procedure days 1 and 7. Results Twenty-two patients with BE (4.5 % intramucosal carcinoma, 31.8 % high-grade dysplasia, 18.1 % low-grade dysplasia, 36.3 % non-dysplastic, 9.1 % indefinite for dysplasia) underwent 40 treatments with hybrid APC. All patients had endoscopic improvement of BE disease and 19 of 22 patients (86.4 %) achieved CRIM. With regard to tolerance, average pain scores (0 to 10 scale) on follow-up were 2.65 and 0.62 on days 1 and 7, respectively. With regards to safety, there were two treatment-related strictures (9.1 %) that required a single balloon dilation. Conclusions Hybrid APC appears to be promising in the treatment of BE. The ablation protocol used in this study demonstrated efficacy, tolerability, and a safety profile similar to radiofrequency ablation. Given the significant price difference between hybrid APC and other modalities for Barrett’s ablation, this modality may be more cost-effective. These results warrant further study in a large prospective multicenter trial.

Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome: A rare cause of chronic gastro intestinal bleed in children

Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (BRBNS) is a rare congenital disorder presenting with multifocal venous malformations of the skin, soft tissues, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Here, we report a case of a 10-year-old girl who presented with recurrent lower GI bleeding and abdominal pain requiring repeated blood transfusion for 2 years. A contrast computed tomography showed multiple cavernous haemangiomas in the liver, oesophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy showed multiple hemangiomas from esophagus to large bowel. Her molecular pathology confirmed BRBNS. She underwent endoscopic argon plasma coagulation with uneventful recovery. In spite of a wide range of therapeutic options for the management of BRBNS described in the literature, the efficacy of those available therapies, including surgical excision, is not well established.

Invasive technologies in the complex treatment of tuberculosis in children and adolescents: from the past to the present (literature review)

Invasive technologies in the complex treatment of tuberculosis in children and adolescents have a long history, which began in the pre-antibiotic period. This is the way of their improvement from independent use of artificial pneumothorax and pneumoperitoneum to the use of these techniques in the complex treatment of respiratory tuberculosis during the development of chemotherapy for the disease. New technology uses valvular bronchial blocking. That procedure creates hypoventilation and atelectasis in the affected region of the lung with preservation of drainage function of the blocked bronchus and destruction cavity, which allow reducing indications for surgical treatment as a method with a high level of injury rate. The approaches to surgical intervention in children and adolescents with respiratory tuberculosis have also changed. It is also part of the comprehensive treatment of the disease. Minimally invasive accesses under the control of video-assisted thoracoscopy are used, which significantly reduced the risk of surgery and increased the immediate efficiency of surgical treatment. New technologies combined with all types of surgeries are being widely developed: electro- and argon plasma coagulation and pleurodesis, vaporization of the tuberculous lesion, and encapsulated pleura by high-energy CO2 laser, new materials (polypropylene implants) are used. Further development of invasive technologies with multiple and extensively drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, to children and adolescents compensates for the lack of efficiency of conservative chemotherapy and is an urgent problem at the present stage of pediatric phthisiology.