Background/Aims: Gastric varices (GV) are present in 25% of cirrhotic patients with high rates of rebleeding and mortality. Data on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided treatment in severe liver disease (model for end stage liver disease sodium [MELD-Na] >18 and Child-Turcotte-Pugh [CTP] C with GV) are scarce. Thus, we performed a retrospective comparison of endoscopic glue injection with EUS-guided therapy in cirrhotic patients with large GV. Methods: A retrospective study was performed in the tertiary hospitals of India. A total of 80 patients were recruited. The inclusion criteria were gastroesophageal varices type 2, isolated gastric varices type 1, bleeding within 6 weeks, size of GV >10 mm, and a MELD-Na >18. Treatment outcomes and complications of endoscopic glue injection and EUS-guided GV therapy were compared. Results: In this study, the patients’ age, sex, liver disease severity (CTP, MELD-Na) and clinical parameters were comparable. The median number of procedures, injected glue volume, complications, and GV obturation were better in the EUS group, respectively. On subgroup analysis of the EUS method (e.g., direct gastric fundus vs. paragastric collateral [PGC] coil placement), PGC coil placement showed decreased coil requirement, less injected glue volume, decreased luminal coil extrusion, and increased successful GV obturation. Conclusions EUS-guided treatment is more efficient and safer, and requires a smaller number of treatment sessions, as compared to endoscopic treatment in severe liver disease patients with large GV. Furthermore, PGC coil placement increases the complete obliteration of GV.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Data on frequency of fecal evacuation disorder (FED) among patients with solitary rectal ulcer syndrome (SRUS), hitherto an enigmatic condition, are scanty. Moreover, most such studies had limitations due to small sample size and lack of inclusion of healthy controls (HC). METHODS: Forty patients with SRUS underwent symptom assessments, sigmoidoscopy, anorectal manometry, defecography, balloon expulsion test (BET); endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) of anal sphincter complex was performed in a subgroup. Physiological tests (anorectal manometry and BET) were also performed in 19 HC. RESULTS: Patients with SRUS (26/40 male, age 37 [18-80] years) more often had FED than HC (10/19 male, age 43 [25-72] years) as shown by weight needed to expel the balloon (300 [0-700] g vs. 100 [0-400] g; P = 0.006), a trend towards abnormal BET (need of > 200 g weight for expulsion) (21/40 [53%] vs. 5/19 [26%], P = 0.058) and impaired anal relaxation (14/40 [35%] vs 2/19 [10.5%]; P = 0.048). Using Rome III criteria, most patients with SRUS reported having chronic constipation (36/40 [90%]) in spite of having normal (Bristol stool type IV, 21/40 [53%]) and diarrheal (types V, VI, VII, 6/40 [20%]) stool forms (Asian classification). SRUS patients more often (17/40 [43%]) had functional defecation disorder (Rome III criteria). Patients with SRUS with abnormal BET had thicker internal anal sphincter than those without (3.9 [3.4-7.0] mm vs 2.8 [2.0-4.0] mm; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: FED was commoner among patients with SRUS as evidenced by abnormal BET and sphincter relaxation. Those with abnormal BET had thicker internal sphincter on EUS than those without.
Anal Canal ; Case-Control Studies* ; Constipation ; Defecation ; Defecography ; Humans ; Male ; Manometry ; Relaxation ; Sample Size ; Sigmoidoscopy ; Symptom Assessment ; Ulcer* ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: Shoulder dislocation comprises 60% of all major joint dislocations worldwide and a number of reduction techniques are described in the literature with varying degrees of success. The description of a large number of techniques speaks for itself that no method is effective all the times and one should be acquainted with more than one technique. An ideal method of reduction should be simple, easily reproducible, relatively painless that can be performed unassisted without sedation or anaesthesia with minimal or no further complications. We report our results of using a novel method of anterior shoulder reduction described recently in the literature that claims to fulfil most of the characteristics of an ideal method if not all. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted in a tertiary care centre. All the cases of primary anterior shoulder dislocation presenting within three days of injury without any associated fracture or spine trauma with or without greater tuberosity fracture were included. The reduction was done using a novel method by orthopaedic residents in all cases. The need for a second reduction attempt or anaesthesia was considered a treatment failure. Time taken for reduction, pain felt during reduction and complications if any were noted. RESULTS: There were 47 (77.04%) males and 14 (22.95%) females with a mean age of (37.04 ± 12.63) years. The new technique was effective in locating a shoulder dislocation on the first attempt in 58 of the 61 dislocated shoulders (95.08%). The remaining three shoulders were reduced on second attempt by the same technique. Sedative, pre-medication or anaesthesia was not used in any case. The average time taken for the shoulder reduction was (130.5 ± 25.8) seconds and confidence interval (95%) 124-137 s. Iatrogenic complications were not seen in any of the patients. CONCLUSION This relatively painless technique of shoulder reduction is easy to acquire and practice in emergency department. The advantages of this manoeuvre and its associated safety may justly lead surgeons to select it as their primary method for reduction of anterior shoulder dislocations.

Objective: To study the spectrum and outcome of severe scrub typhus in adult patients and to predict the hospital mortality by organ failure on admission. Methods: This was a prospective observational cohort study conducted between July 2017 and October 2020 at the medical emergency centre of PGIMER, Chandigarh, India. One hundred and twenty-six patients aged =13 years were diagnosed with scrub typhus. Severe disease was defined as the presence of organ failure based on the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score on admission. Results: About two-thirds of the patients were from geographic regions outside the endemic sub-Himalayan belt. Fever (99.21%) and dyspnea (79.36%) were the most frequent complaints. Respiratory failure (81.75%) was the most common organ failure, followed by hepatic (52.38%), coagulative (47.62%), circulatory (33.33%), renal (21.43%), and cerebral dysfunction (13.49%). The median (Q1, Q3) SOFA score was 8 (6, 9), and 48.41% of the patients had a quick-SOFA score =2. Organ supports with invasive ventilation (40.48%), vasopressors (36.51%), and renal replacement therapy (7.14%) were frequently required. The in-hospital mortality was 11.90% and was independently predicted by circulatory and hepatic failures on multivariate logistic regression (OR 11.12, 95% CI 1.73-71.31 and OR 8.49, 95% CI 1.18-61.41, respectively). Conclusions: Most patients had pulmonary dysfunction; circulatory or hepatic failure on admission strongly predicts death.