Korean autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) criteria 2007 was aimed to diagnose the wide spectrum of AIP with high sensitivity. The most crucial issue when caring for patients with suspected AIP is to differentiate AIP from pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer can be distinguished from AIP by pancreatic imaging, measurement of serum IgG4 levels, endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration and trucut biopsy, and steroid trial. Autoimmune pancreatitis is a rare systemic fibroinflammatory disease which can affect not only the pancreas, but also a variety of organs such as the bile ducts, salivary glands, retroperitoneum, and lymph nodes. Organs affected by AIP have a lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate rich in IgG4-positive cells. This inflammatory process responds dramatically to oral steroid therapy. Granulocytic epithelial lesion (GEL) positive AIP patients differ from GEL negative AIP patients in clinical features such as equal gender ratio, younger mean age, no increase in serum IgG4, no association with extrapancreatic involvement, no relapse, and frequent association with inflammatory bowel disease. Further investigation is needed to clarify the pathogenic mechanisms including more definite serological markers for theses two entities.
Autoimmune Diseases/*diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; Common Bile Duct/radiography ; Fibrosis/pathology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G/blood ; Pancreatitis/*diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; Salivary Glands/pathology

No abstract available.
Aged ; Common Bile Duct/*pathology ; Common Bile Duct Diseases/*diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Polyps/*pathology ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the most accurate modality in diagnosis of choledocholithiasis. However, it carries some complications. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is less invasive than ERCP and used for the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis. Recent studies showed that a usefulness of EUS for the diagnosis of small choledocholithiasis without common bile duct (CBD) dilatation. For such a reason, ERCP is being replaced by EUS in the diagnosis of bile duct stones. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of EUS for the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis without CBD dilatation. METHODS: A total of 66 patients with suspected choledocholithiasis without CBD dilatation were enrolled. EUS were performed in all cases within 48 hours after computed tomography (CT) or ultrasonography (US). Final diagnosis was obtained by ERCP or clinical course (minimum 6 months follow-up). We analyzed the accuracy of US, CT, and EUS, respectively. RESULTS: CT and US were performed in 51 and 15 cases, respectively. CBD stones were detected in 23 (35%) patients by ERCP. EUS showed 100% sensitivity, 95% specificity, 92% positive predictive value, and 100% negative predictive value for identifying CBD stones. CT or US showed 26%, 93%, 67%, and 70%, respectively. There were no EUS-related complications. CONCLUSIONS: EUS was more effective than CT or US and as accurate as ERCP for the diagnosis of small choledocholithiasis without CBD dilatation. Thus, EUS may help to avoid unnecessary diagnostic ERCP and its complication.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Choledocholithiasis/pathology/*ultrasonography ; Common Bile Duct Diseases/diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dilatation, Pathologic/diagnosis ; *Endosonography ; Female ; Gallstones/ultrasonography ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

IgG4-related systemic diseases are characterized by a diffuse or mass forming inflammatory reaction rich in lymphocytes and IgG4-positive plasma cells (lymphoplasmacytic infiltration), fibrosclerosis of variable organs and obliterative phlebitis. They usually involve various organs including the pancreas, bile duct, gallbladder, salivary gland, retroperitoneum, kidney, lung, and prostate. However, most of them are accompanied by autoimmune pancreatitis, and good response to steroid treatment is one of the hallmarks of this disease. We report a case of an 67-year-old man with IgG4 associated sclerosing cholangitis, who was diagnosed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and successfully treated with steroid therapy.
Aged ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Autoimmune Diseases/complications/diagnosis ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic/pathology/ultrasonography ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangitis, Sclerosing/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Common Bile Duct/pathology/ultrasonography ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G/*blood ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Pancreatitis/complications/diagnosis ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed