Special aspects of intensive care of patients with complicated diverticulosis of the colon

This study presented examination and treatment results of 129 patients with bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tract who were treated at the Alexandrovskaya Hospital of St. Petersburg in the period from 2012 to 2017. Examination and treatment were performed in the intensive care unit following current clinical guidelines, taking into account the identified concomitant diseases. Endoscopic examination of the colon is the main diagnostic method for the pathological processes that caused bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tract. Conservative therapy has been demonstrated effectiveness, and urgent surgical treatment was not needed. The main drug therapy included antifibrinolytic drugs and fresh-frozen plasma preparations. Continuous parenteral administration of proteolysis inhibitors was mandatory. Intensive therapy included correction of hemodynamic disturbances and respiratory failure and restoration of the volume of the circulating blood and plasma. Such an approach was found to be 90% effective. In patients with diverticular disease, bleeding from the colonic diverticula develops in one-third of cases. However, if additional risk factors are present, their frequency reaches 50%, often causing death. Continuous or recurrent bleeding is an indication of surgery. In our study, the conservative method of stopping bleeding from the colonic diverticula was possible in all cases. In general, the disease correlated with the age of the patients. In 68 (53%) patients, bleeding occurred despite anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy. Patients with bleeding from colonic diverticula do not require urgent surgical intervention, and these patients may require admission to the intensive care unit. Intensive care should include the provision of antifibrinolytic drugs, proteolysis inhibitors, and fresh-frozen plasma.

Intramucosal duodenal adenocarcinoma concomitant with Saint’s triad

Duodenal tubulovillous adenomas are rare and have malignant potential. Their successful management depends on the preoperative diagnosis and adequate excision. Endoscopic mucosal resection or submucosal dissection can control superficial tumors. Adenocarcinoma of the duodenum may originate in tubular or tubulovillous adenoma, and possible diagnostic challenges occur concerning the endoscopic biopsy findings. We report a 62-year-old female with chronic epigastric burning and a bolus sensation. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed a non-ampullary duodenal tumor, and the biopsy study diagnosed a tubulovillous adenoma. Further mucosectomy revealed an intramucosal adenocarcinoma in a tubulovillous adenoma with a tumor-free pedicle. Besides the intestinal neoplasms, the patient had the diagnosis of classical Saint’s triad; and the manifestations were hiatus hernia, gallbladder disorder, and colonic diverticula. The objective is to report two scarcely described conditions and comment on controversial points of view about the concomitance of Saint’s triad and malignancy. Case reports can reduce late diagnosis, enhancing the suspicion index on rare diseases.

Association of Colonic Diverticula with Colorectal Adenomas and Cancer

Background and Objectives: Conflicting evidence is reported regarding any association between colonic diverticula with colorectal adenomas or cancer. The present study aimed to evaluate, in a cohort of Caucasian patients, the association between colonic diverticula and colorectal polyps and cancer. Materials and Methods: All consecutive patients undergoing colonoscopy at our institution were included in the study. The presence and location of diverticula, polyps, and cancers were recorded. Histologically, polyps were classified as adenoma (with low or high dysplasia), hyperplastic, or inflammatory. The relative risk of the association of polyps and cancer with diverticula was assessed. Multiple logistic regression analyses, including age, sex, family history for colorectal cancer (CRC), and family history for diverticula, were carried out. Results: During the study period, 1490 patients were enrolled; 37.2% (n = 555) showed colonic diverticula or polyps or CRC (308 males, mean age 66 years). Particularly, 12.3% (n = 183) patients presented only diverticula, 13.7% (n = 204) only polyps or cancer, 11.3% (n = 168) both diseases, and 62.7% (n = 935) neither diverticula nor polyps and cancer. A total of 38 patients presented colorectal cancer, 17 of which had also diverticula. A significant increase in relative risk (RR 2.81, 95% CI 2.27–3.47, p < 0.0001) of colorectal adenoma and cancer in patients with colonic diverticula was found. At multivariate analysis, only diverticula resulted to be significantly associated with colorectal adenomas and cancer (Odds Ratio, OR 3.86, 95% CI 2.90–5.14, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: A significant association of colonic diverticula with colorectal adenoma or cancer was found. This implies that patients with colonic diverticula require a vigilant follow-up procedure for the prevention of colorectal cancer from those applicable to the general population.