Behcet's disease is a multi-systemic vasculitis and characterized by systemic organ involvement. Although the gastrointestinal and systemic features of Behcet's disease and inflammatory bowel disease overlap to a considerable extent, they are generally viewed as two distinct diseases. A 39-yr-old female was diagnosed as having Behcet's disease. She was admitted to our hospital because of oral and genital ulcer, lower abdominal pain, and frequent diarrhea. Colonosopy showed diffuse involvement of multiple longitudinal ulcers with inflammatory pseudopolyps with a cobblestone appearance and ano-rectal fistula was suspected. These findings are extremely rare in Behcet's disease. However, there were no granulomas, the hallmark of Crohn's colitis. Microscopically, perivasculitis and multiple lymph follicles compatible with Behcet's disease were seen. Although being rarely encountered, multiple longitudinal ulcers, cobblestone appearance, and ano-rectal fistula can develop in Behcet's disease, as in Crohn's colitis. Therefore, Behcet's disease and Crohn's disease may be closely related and part of a spectrum of disease.
Adult ; Behcet Syndrome/diagnosis/*therapy ; Colitis ; Colonoscopy ; Crohn Disease/diagnosis/*therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/pathology ; Intestinal Diseases/diagnosis/*therapy ; Perineum/pathology ; Ulcer ; Vulva/pathology

Self-expandable stents are widely available for the treatment of perforation of the gastrointestinal tract. Because of the risk of migration, there has been no report of the use of self-expandable stents for the treatment of perforation of the colon or rectum. This is a report of successful treatment of iatrogenic colonic perforation during balloon dilatation of anastomotic stricture with a fully covered stent. Fully covered, self-expandable metallic stents can be considered useful tools for management of this condition.
Aged, 80 and over ; Colon/*injuries/pathology/radiography ; Colonic Diseases/diagnosis/*therapy ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dilatation/*adverse effects ; Humans ; *Iatrogenic Disease ; Intestinal Obstruction/diagnosis/*therapy ; Intestinal Perforation/diagnosis/etiology/*therapy ; Male ; *Metals ; Prosthesis Design ; Sigmoidoscopy ; *Stents ; Treatment Outcome ; Wound Healing

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used for the management of various conditions, such as pain, fever, inflammation, cancer, or cardiovascular diseases. These drugs may induce injury throughout the gastrointestinal tract. NSAIDs are associated with diverse upper gastrointestinal adverse effects, including dyspepsia, erosions, peptic ulcer diseases and complications such as bleeding perforation. Established risk factors for these adverse effects include age, prior ulcer, types, doses and duration of NSAIDs, concurrent other NSAIDs administration, and the concomitant uses of corticosteroids or anticoagulants. Misoprostol, proton pump inhibitors, and cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitors have been used to reduce the risk of NSAID-associated upper gastrointestinal events. NSAID-induced enteropathy is more common than complications of the stomach and duodenum and is usually manifested by occult blood loss or hypoalbuminemia. Furthermore, NSAIDs induce small intestinal injuries causing gut barrier damage, and bacterial translocation that have been proposed to be associated with the burden of illness in decompensated chronic heart failure. However, the risk factors for NSAID-induced enteropathy and bacterial translocation, as well as its preventive measures, are not well documented.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Capsule Endoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Diseases/*chemically induced/diagnosis/therapy ; Humans ; Intestinal Diseases/chemically induced/diagnosis/therapy ; Risk Factors ; Upper Gastrointestinal Tract/pathology

Behcet's disease (BD) is a multisystem inflammatory disorder that presents as recurrent oral and genital ulcers in conjunction with other dermatological and ocular manifestations. The prevalence of BD is higher in Middle and East Asia than in Western countries. Intestinal BD is a specific subtype of BD, characterized by intestinal ulcers and associated gastrointestinal symptoms. Similar to inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal BD exhibits a fluctuating disease course with repeated episodes of relapse and remission that necessitate adequate maintenance therapy after achievement of clinical remission. Medical treatment of intestinal BD is largely empirical since well-controlled studies have been difficult to perform due to the heterogeneity and rarity of the disease. To date, 5-aminosalicylic acid, systemic corticosteroids, and immunosuppressants have been used anecdotally to treat intestinal BD. The clinical course of intestinal BD shows considerable variability, and the exact point at which more potent agents such as immunosuppressants should be used has not yet been elucidated. Given the difficulty in predicting which patients will experience complicated disease courses and the fact that these drugs are related with certain risk resulting from immunosuppression, proper identification of prognostic factors in intestinal BD may allow physicians to implement tailored medical therapy and individualized patient monitoring based on risk stratification. In this review, the impact of baseline characteristics on the long-term course of intestinal BD, prognostic factors during various medical therapies, and outcome predictors related to surgery will be discussed.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Behcet Syndrome/*diagnosis/pathology/therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Immunotherapy ; Intestinal Diseases/*diagnosis/pathology/therapy ; Male ; Prognosis ; Sex Factors

Complications associated with an intramural hematoma of the bowel, is a relatively unusual condition. Most intramural hematomas resolve spontaneously with conservative treatment and the patient prognosis is good. However, if the symptoms are not resolved or the condition persists, surgical intervention may be necessary. Here we describe internal incision and drainage by endoscopy for the treatment of an intramural hematoma of the duodenum. A 63-yr-old woman was admitted to the hospital with hematemesis. The esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed active ulcer bleeding at the distal portion of duodenal bulb. A total of 10 mL of 0.2% epinephrine and 2 mL of fibrin glue were injected locally. The patient developed diffuse abdominal pain and projectile vomiting three days after the endoscopic treatment. An abdominal computed tomography revealed a very large hematoma at the lateral duodenal wall, approximately 10X5 cm in diameter. Follow-up EGD was performed showing complete luminal obstruction at the second portion of the duodenum caused by an intramural hematoma. The patient's condition was not improved with conservative treatment. Therefore, 21 days after admission, endoscopic treatment of the hematoma was attempted. Puncture and incision were performed with an electrical needle knife. Two days after the procedure, the patient was tolerating a soft diet without complaints of abdominal pain or vomiting. The hematoma resolved completely on the follow-up studies.
Drainage ; Duodenal Diseases/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/*etiology/therapy ; Hematoma/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Humans ; Intestinal Obstruction/*etiology/therapy ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Animals ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Gastric Mucosa ; pathology ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; etiology ; pathology ; therapy ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; complications ; epidemiology ; pathology ; Intestinal Mucosa ; pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis ; complications ; pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental ; complications ; pathology ; Rats ; Stomach Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; pathology ; therapy

Malakoplakia is a rare granulomatous disease that occurs commonly in the urinary tract and secondarily in the gastrointestinal tract. Most reported cases of malakoplakia are associated with immunosuppressive diseases or chronic prolonged illness. Here, we report a rare case of malakoplakia in a young healthy adolescent without any underlying disease. A 19-year-old female was referred to our hospital following the discovery of multiple rectal polyps with sigmoidoscopy. She had no specific past medical history but complained of recurrent abdominal pain and diarrhea for 3 months. A colonoscopy revealed diverse mucosal lesions including plaques, polyps, nodules, and mass-like lesions. Histological examination revealed a sheet of histiocytes with pathognomonic Michaelis-Gutmann bodies. We treated the patient with ciprofloxacin, the cholinergic agonist bethanechol, and a multivitamin for 6 months. A follow-up colonoscopy revealed that her condition was resolved with this course of treatment.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Bethanechol/therapeutic use ; Biopsy ; Ciprofloxacin/therapeutic use ; *Colon/drug effects/pathology ; *Colonic Diseases/diagnosis/therapy ; Colonoscopy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Humans ; *Intestinal Mucosa/drug effects/pathology ; *Malacoplakia/diagnosis/therapy ; Muscarinic Agonists/therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Vitamins/therapeutic use ; Young Adult