1.Granulocyte and monocyte apheresis therapy for patients with active ulcerative colitis associated with COVID-19: a case report
Miki KOROKU ; Teppei OMORI ; Harutaka KAMBAYASHI ; Shun MURASUGI ; Tomoko KURIYAMA ; Yuichi IKARASHI ; Maria YONEZAWA ; Ken ARIMURA ; Kazunori KARASAWA ; Norio HANAFUSA ; Masatoshi KAWANA ; Katsutoshi TOKUSHIGE
Intestinal Research 2022;20(1):150-155
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is now a pandemic. Although several treatment guidelines have been proposed for patients who have both inflammatory bowel disease and COVID-19, immunosuppressive therapy is essentially not recommended, and the treatment options are limited. Even in the COVID-19 pandemic, adjuvant adsorptive granulocyte and monocyte apheresis may safely bring ulcerative colitis (UC) into remission by removing activated myeloid cells without the use of immunosuppressive therapy. Our patient was a 25-year-old Japanese male with UC and COVID-19. This is the first case report of the induction of UC remission with granulocyte and monocyte apheresis treatment for active UC associated with COVID-19.
2.Three-Dimensional Flexible Endoscopy Can Facilitate Efficient and Reliable Endoscopic Hand Suturing: An ex-vivo Study
Jun OMORI ; Osamu GOTO ; Kazutoshi HIGUCHI ; Takamitsu UMEDA ; Naohiko AKIMOTO ; Masahiro SUZUKI ; Kumiko KIRITA ; Eriko KOIZUMI ; Hiroto NODA ; Teppei AKIMOTO ; Mitsuru KAISE ; Katsuhiko IWAKIRI
Clinical Endoscopy 2020;53(3):334-338
Background/Aims:
Three-dimensional (3D) flexible endoscopy, a new imaging modality that provides a stereoscopic view, can facilitate endoscopic hand suturing (EHS), a novel intraluminal suturing technique. This ex-vivo pilot study evaluated the usefulness of 3D endoscopy in EHS.
Methods:
Four endoscopists (two certified, two non-certified) performed EHS in six sessions on a soft resin pad. Each session involved five stitches, under alternating 3D and two-dimensional (2D) conditions. Suturing time (sec/session), changes in suturing time, and accuracy of suturing were compared between 2D and 3D conditions.
Results:
The mean suturing time was shorter in 3D than in 2D (9.8±3.4 min/session vs. 11.2±5.1 min/session) conditions and EHS was completed faster in 3D conditions, particularly by non-certified endoscopists. The suturing speed increased as the 3D sessions progressed. Error rates (failure to grasp the needle, failure to thread the needle, and puncture retrial) in the 3D condition were lower than those in the 2D condition, whereas there was no apparent difference in deviation distance.
Conclusions
3D endoscopy may contribute to increasing the speed and accuracy of EHS in a short time period. Stereoscopic viewing during 3D endoscopy may help in efficient skill acquisition for EHS, particularly among novice endoscopists.