Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain in adults. Although it is usually a self-limiting condition, the pain may become prolonged and severe enough to cause significant distress and disruption to the patient's daily activities and work. PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and a total of ten RCTs were selected for evaluation. These RCTs involved the use of either palpation- or ultrasonography-guided corticosteroid injections in patients diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. All placebo-controlled RCTs showed a significant reduction in pain with the use of corticosteroid injections. Some studies also showed that corticosteroid injections yielded better results than other treatment modalities. However, it is evident from these studies that the effects of corticosteroid injections are usually short-term, lasting 4-12 weeks in duration. Complications such as plantar fascia rupture are uncommon, but physicians need to weigh the treatment benefits against such risks.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Adult ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; Fasciitis, Plantar ; drug therapy ; Heel ; injuries ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pain ; drug therapy ; Pain Measurement ; Palpation ; Patient Satisfaction ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Rupture ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultrasonography

Sharon is 47-year old, married, Roman Catholic, Filipino, female from northern Samar. She was brought in the medical consultation due to lower extremity weakness.
BIOETHICS

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is now well established as an important tool in clinical practice. From purely diagnostic imaging, it has progressed to include tissue acquisition, which provided the basis for therapeutic procedures. Even as interventional EUS developed, there has been ongoing progress in EUS diagnostic capabilities due to improved imaging systems, better needles for tissue acquisition and development of enhanced imaging functions such as contrast harmonic EUS (CHEUS) and EUS elastography. EUS is well established for differentiation of subepithelial lesions, for T-staging of luminal gastrointestinal and pancreaticobiliary malignancies, for differentiation of benign pancreaticobiliary disorders and for diagnostic tissue acquisition, which can be achieved by EUS-guided fine needle aspiration or by EUS-guided fine needle biopsy using dedicated biopsy needles. This review briefly describes the technique of performing EUS and then discusses its clinical utility in terms of gastrointestinal cancer staging, the evaluation of pancreaticobiliary disorders and tissue acquisition. Enhanced imaging techniques such as CHEUS and EUS elastography are briefly reviewed.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Endosonography ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; Needles ; Neoplasm Staging ; Phenobarbital ; Ultrasonography*

Chronic pancreatitis is associated with varied morphological complications, including intraductal stones, main pancreatic ductal strictures, distal biliary strictures and pseudocysts. Endoscopic therapy provides a less invasive alternative to surgery. In addition, extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy improves the success rate of endoscopic clearance of intraductal stones. However, recent data from randomised trials have shown better long-term outcomes with surgical drainage for obstructive pancreatic ductal disease. In patients with distal biliary strictures, stent insertion leads to good immediate drainage, but after stent removal, recurrent narrowing is common. Endoscopic drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts has excellent outcome and should be accompanied by pancreatic ductal stenting when a ductal communication is evident. In those who remain symptomatic, endoscopic ultrasonography-guided coeliac plexus block may provide effective but short-term pain relief. In this review, we present the current evidence for the role of endotherapy in the management of patients with chronic pancreatitis.
Endoscopy, Digestive System ; methods ; Humans ; Lithotripsy ; Pain Management ; Pancreatic Pseudocyst ; complications ; therapy ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; complications ; therapy ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Stents

INTRODUCTION: This study examined the efficacy and safety of cholangiopancreatoscopy via the SpyGlass™ system in routine clinical practice. METHODS: The clinical data of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) performed in a regional hospital from January 2013 to November 2016 was retrieved from an electronic database and reviewed. All patients who had undergone SpyGlass cholangiopancreatoscopy were enrolled. Patient demographics, procedure indication, technical success rates, clinical success rates and complication rates were analysed. A subanalysis of clinical outcomes was performed comparing the SpyGlass legacy (fibreoptic) and digital systems. RESULTS: Out of 2,050 ERCP procedures performed, 47 patients underwent 50 cholangiopancreatoscopy procedures. Clinical indications were difficult common bile duct (CBD) stones (59.6%, n = 28), indeterminate CBD stricture (36.2%, n = 17), indeterminate pancreatic duct stricture (2.1%, n = 1) and proximally migrated CBD stent (2.1%, n = 1). Complete stone extraction was achieved in 26 (92.9%) out of 28 patients. Among patients with strictures, a correct diagnosis of malignancy based on image visualisation was achieved in all 11 cases. The sensitivity and specificity for SpyBite™ biopsies were 81.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 48.2%-97.7%) and 100.0% (95% CI 15.8%-100.0%), respectively. The proximally migrated CBD stent was successfully extracted. Complications included pancreatitis (2.1%, n = 1), suspected sealed perforation after laser lithotripsy treated conservatively (2.1%, n = 1) and cholangitis (10.6%, n = 5). There was no difference in clinical outcomes between the SpyGlass legacy (n = 20) and digital (n = 30) systems. CONCLUSION SpyGlass cholangiopancreatoscopy is a safe and effective tool in routine clinical practice.

INTRODUCTION: The use of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and total mesorectal excision (TME) has shown promising results in the management of locally advanced rectal carcinoma, and is associated with improvement in local control, disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). However, these clinical endpoints cannot be properly assessed due to poor follow up among many patients. Other endpoints such as negative circumferential resection margins (CRM), pathologic complete response (pCR) and sphincter-preserving surgery (SPS) may serve as indirect means of assessing successful treatment. This study reports the experience of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Colorectal Polyp and Cancer (CRPoCan) Study Group in using neoadjuvant CRT and TME in the management of locally advanced rectal carcinoma, towards quality care.
METHODS: The Integrated Surgical Information System (ISIS) database of the Department of Surgery, PGH was queried for rectal cancer patients with pretreatment clinical stage II and III disease that underwent neo-adjuvant CRT followed by TME between January 2008 and December 2009. The final surgical pathology reports of the subjects were reviewed for treatment response. Response was categorized as: (1) positive or negative CRM; and (2) with or without pCR. The study assessed whether SPS was done.
RESULTS: Of 140 potential neoadjuvant CRT patients followed by TME, 82 patients completed the treatment. Thirty two of the patients who completed treatment (39%) were eligible since the other 50 patients (61%) had no post-operative histopathology results. Among those eligible, 10 patients (31%) had pCR. Only 1 patient had a positive CRM. Of the 14 patients whose tumor distance was ?5cm from the anal verge, only 1 patient underwent SPS. The small sample size was mainly attributed to low resources or treatment. Non-availability of post-operative histopathology results was due to poor record keeping.
CONCLUSION: The PGH CRPoCan Study Group's use of neoadjuvant CRT followed by TME for locally advanced rectal carcinoma has resulted in acceptable numbers of pCR and clear CRM but has not translated into an increased number of SPS. Despite the limitations of the study, the institutionalization of the multidisciplinary team in the PGH CRPoCan Study Group and the implementation of the ISIS database program are considered the first steps towards quality health care.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy ; Total Mesorectal Excision ; Polyp ; Surgical Pathology ; Rectal Cancer

The importance of routine neck ultrasonography for the detection of unsuspected local or nodal recurrence of thyroid cancer following thyroidectomy (with or without neck dissection) is well documented in many journal articles and international guidelines. Herein, we present a pictorial summary of the sonographic features of benign and malignant central neck compartment nodules and cervical lymph nodes via a series of high-quality ultrasonographic images, with a review of the literature.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neck ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Neck Dissection ; Singapore ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Thyroid Nodule ; diagnostic imaging ; Thyroidectomy ; methods ; Ultrasonography

INTRODUCTIONEndoscopic transenteric stenting is the standard treatment for pseudocysts, but it may be inadequate for treating infected collections with solid debris. Surgical necrosectomy results in significant morbidity. Direct endoscopic necrosectomy (DEN), a minimally invasive treatment, may be a viable option. This study examined the efficacy and safety of DEN for the treatment of infected walled-off pancreatic necrosis and infected pseudocysts with solid debris.

METHODSThis study was a retrospective analysis of data collected from a prospective database of patients who underwent DEN in the presence of infected walled-off pancreatic necrosis or infected pseudocysts with solid debris from April 2007 to October 2011. DEN was performed as a staged procedure. Endoscopic ultrasonography-guided transgastric stenting was performed during the first session for initial drainage and to establish endoscopic access to the infected collection. In the second session, the drainage tract was dilated endoscopically to allow transgastric passage of an endoscope for endoscopic necrosectomy. Outcome data included technical success, clinical success and complication rates.

RESULTSEight patients with infected walled-off pancreatic necrosis or infected pseudocysts with solid debris (mean size 12.5 cm; range 7.8-17.2 cm) underwent DEN. Underlying aetiologies included severe acute pancreatitis (n = 6) and post-pancreatic surgery (n = 2). DEN was technically successful in all patients. Clinical resolution was achieved in seven patients. One patient with recurrent collection opted for surgery instead of repeat endotherapy. No procedural complications were encountered.

CONCLUSIONDEN is a safe and effective minimally invasive treatment for infected walled-off pancreatic necrosis and infected pseudocysts.

Adult ; Aged ; Cysts ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Endoscopy ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Necrosis ; Pancreas ; pathology ; Pancreatic Diseases ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; therapy ; Singapore ; Stents ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultrasonography

Background/Aims: Proximal colorectal cancers (CRCs) account for up to half of CRCs. Sessile serrated lesions (SSLs) are precursors to CRC. Proximal location and presence of dysplasia in SSLs predict higher risks of progression to cancer. The prevalence of dysplasia in proximal SSLs (pSSLs) and clinical characteristics of dysplastic pSSLs are not well studied. Methods: Endoscopically resected colonic polyps at our center between January 2016 and December 2017 were screened for pSSLs. Data of patients with at least one pSSL were retrieved and clinicopathological features of pSSLs were analysed. pSSLs with and without dysplasia were compared for associations. Results: Ninety pSSLs were identified, 45 of which had dysplasia giving a prevalence of 50.0%. Older age (65.9 years vs. 60.1 years, p=0.034) was associated with the presence of dysplasia. Twelve pSSLs were 10 mm or larger. After adjusting for age, pSSLs ≥10 mm had an adjusted odds ratio of 5.98 (95% confidence interval, 1.21–29.6) of having dysplasia compared with smaller pSSLs. Conclusions In our cohort of pSSLs, the prevalence of dysplasia is high at 50.0% and is associated with lesion size ≥10 mm. Endoscopic resection for all proximal serrated lesions should be en-bloc to facilitate accurate histopathological examination for dysplasia as its presence warrants shorter surveillance intervals.

Background/Aims: Proximal colorectal cancers (CRCs) account for up to half of CRCs. Sessile serrated lesions (SSLs) are precursors to CRC. Proximal location and presence of dysplasia in SSLs predict higher risks of progression to cancer. The prevalence of dysplasia in proximal SSLs (pSSLs) and clinical characteristics of dysplastic pSSLs are not well studied. Methods: Endoscopically resected colonic polyps at our center between January 2016 and December 2017 were screened for pSSLs. Data of patients with at least one pSSL were retrieved and clinicopathological features of pSSLs were analysed. pSSLs with and without dysplasia were compared for associations. Results: Ninety pSSLs were identified, 45 of which had dysplasia giving a prevalence of 50.0%. Older age (65.9 years vs. 60.1 years, p=0.034) was associated with the presence of dysplasia. Twelve pSSLs were 10 mm or larger. After adjusting for age, pSSLs ≥10 mm had an adjusted odds ratio of 5.98 (95% confidence interval, 1.21–29.6) of having dysplasia compared with smaller pSSLs. Conclusions In our cohort of pSSLs, the prevalence of dysplasia is high at 50.0% and is associated with lesion size ≥10 mm. Endoscopic resection for all proximal serrated lesions should be en-bloc to facilitate accurate histopathological examination for dysplasia as its presence warrants shorter surveillance intervals.