Objective:To investigate the risk factors for neoplasia in pale lesions of gastric mucosa, and provide clinical clues for early diagnosis.Methods:A total of 402 patients with gastric mucosal pale lesions who underwent gastroscopy at The Seventh Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2020 to May 2021 were enrolled in the retrospective analysis. Data of gender and age of patients, degree of gastric mucosal atrophy, lesion boundaries, size, location, morphology, narrow band imaging magnifying endoscopy (NBI-ME) findings and histopathological results, etc. were collected for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for diagnosed as tumor.Results:Among 402 cases, 33 cases (8.2%) were diagnosed as neoplasia, and 23 cases (5.7%) were high-risk epithelial neoplasia (high grade dysplasia or early gastric cancer). The age of patients, the degree of gastric mucosal atrophy, lesion size, surface depression, NBI-ME positive findings, surface microvessels and surface microstructures were related to neoplasia of gastric mucosal pale lesion ( P<0.05). While the age of patients, the degree of gastric mucosal atrophy, lesion size, surface depression, surface microstructures were related to high-risk epithelial neoplasia of gastric mucosal pale lesion ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that lesion diameter<20 mm ( OR=4.487, 95% CI: 1.776-11.332, P=0.001) and NBI-ME positive findings ( OR=40.510, 95% CI: 1.610-1 019.456, P=0.024) were independent risk factors for neoplasia, and abnormal surface microstructure of lesion was an independent risk factor for high-risk epithelial neoplasia ( OR=0.003, 95% CI: 0.000-1.587, P<0.001). Conclusion:Abnormal surface microstructure, the lesion size, and NBI-ME positive findings are important clues for the diagnosis of neoplasia in the pale lesions.

OBJECTIVES: With the increase in aging population in China, elderly Crohn's disease (CD) patients need to receive more attention. This study aims to explore the clinical characteristics and disease process of elderly onset CD (EOCD) patients in a single center. METHODS: From January 2002 to January 2022, a total of 221 patients with CD from the Seventh Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital were enrolled. According to the Montreal CD classification standard, the patients were further divided into 4 groups: an EOCD group (≥60 years old, n=25), a middle age onset CD (MOCD) group (40-59 years old, n=46), a young onset CD (YOCD) group (17-40 years old, n=131), and a childhood onset CD (COCD) group (6-16 years old, n=19). We compared the clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis among them. RESULTS: Females were predominant in the EOCD group (15/25, 60%). The number of people without smoking in the EOCD group (80%) was lower than that in COCD group (100%), higher than that in the YOCD group (70.2%) and the MOCD group (69.6%) (all P<0.05). Patients with perianal diseases at diagnosis were rare in the EOCD group (0%), lower than that in the COCD group (21.1%) and the YOVD group (19.8%) (all P<0.05). Stenosis was the most common disease behavior in the EOCD group (63.0%), significantly higher than that in the COCD group (15.8%), the YOCD group (36.6%) and the MOCD group (43.5%) (all P<0.05). The EOCD group was easier to be misdiagnosed as tumor (24%), higher than that in the COCD group (0%), the YOCD group (6.9%) and the MOCD group (19.6%) (all P<0.05). The EOCD group was prone to comorbidities (52%), and 20% of them were complicated with multiple comorbidities (P<0.05). During the follow-up, the all-cause mortality of EOCD was 12%, and the CD-related mortality was 8%, which was significantly higher than the other groups (all P<0.05). The use of immunosuppressants in the EOCD group (4.8%) was lower than that in the COCD group (12.8%), the YOCD group (16.8%) and the MOCD group (16.1%), but there was no statistical significance among the 4 groups (P=0.467). In addition, there was no significant difference in the rate of intestinal resection among the 4 groups (P=0.062). CONCLUSIONS In EOCD patients, females were predominant, smoking was less common, and they were prone to comorbidity. At the initial stage of diagnosis, it is easy to be misdiagnosed as tumor, and the disease behavior mainly showed stricture type, less complicated with perianal diseases. During the follow-up, all-cause mortality and CD-related mortality of EOCD patients were significantly higher than those of the non-elderly onset CD patients.
Female ; Middle Aged ; Humans ; Aged ; Child ; Adult ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Crohn Disease/epidemiology* ; Prognosis ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Aging ; Hospitals, General

To investigate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic bougie dilation and stent implantation for pediatric caustic esophageal stenosis. Clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of children with pediatric caustic esophageal stenosis from October 2009 to December 2019 at Department of Gastroenterology, the Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 50 caustic esophageal stenosis cases were enrolled, among whom, 94.0% (47/50) received conservative treatment before sending to our hospital. Thirty-six (72.0%) of them accidently ingested caustic substance of alkali and 22.0% (11/50) of them accidently ingested caustic substance of acid. Forty-six children (92.0%) who ingested caustic agents were younger than 7 years old. The stenosis was more common in the upper esophagus, accounting for 64.0% (32/50). Twenty-seven cases (54.0%) underwent simple bougie dilation and 16 cases (32.0%) underwent bougie dilation combined with stent treatment. All 50 children underwent a total of 1 260 expansions. The numbers of simple dilations and dilations combined with stent implantation were 37.8±26.2, 20.9±12.6 respectively with significant difference ( t=2.453, P=0.021). Among them, 2 cases (4.0%) underwent surgery, 5 cases (10.0%) underwent surgery combined with dilatation and stent implantation. The stenosis diameter widened significantly after treatment (1.1±0.2 cm VS 0.2±0.1 cm, t=23.004, P<0.001), and the Stooler grade of dysphagia improved significantly (grade 3.5±0.5 VS 1.2±0.7, t=19.925, P<0.001). Perforation occurred in only 1 patient, who was cured by conservative treatment with stent implantation. The total effective rate was 100.0% (50/50) and the satisfaction rate was 98.0% (49/50). Endoscopic bougie dilation and bougie dilation combined with stent implantation is safe and effective for pediatric caustic esophageal stenosis. Combination with stent implantation can reduce the number of dilation times.

Objective:To study the effectiveness of a strategy for detecting early gastric cancer using high-definition gastroscopy.Methods:A total of 849 patients over 35 years old who underwent gastroscopy in the Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from December 2018 to January 2019 were enrolled to a prospective study. During gastroscopy, biopsies were taken at any suspicious lesions in patients who had never been infected with Helicobacter pylori. In ulcer-type lesions, biopsies were taken at the edge of the ulcer. Outside the atrophic area, biopsies were taken at lesions in the cardia which were reddish under white light, or lesions in the non-cardiac area which were white or showed clear borders under white light. Inside the atrophic area, biopsies were taken at elevated lesions with clear borders or irregular depressions on the top, or flat/depressed lesions with irregular borders or being ocherous under narrow band imaging. In addition, biopsies were performed on any lesion that did not meet the above standard but was considered necessary. The high-risk patients were followed up by gastroscopy to observe the detection and missed diagnosis of neoplasm that meet the above standard, and to determine the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the strategy. Results:A total of 548 patients were biopsied (781 lesions). Among the 327 lesions that met the above standard, 16 lesions (4.9%) were diagnosed as epithelial neoplasm, of which 10 (3.1%) were high-grade neoplasm. Among the 454 lesions that did not meet the standard, only 1 (0.2%) epithelial neoplasm was diagnosed, and there was no high-grade neoplasm. The positive predictive value of this screening strategy for gastric epithelial neoplasm and high-grade neoplasm was higher than those who did not meet the standard (4.9% VS 0.2%, χ2=19.49, P<0.01; 3.1% VS 0, P<0.001). There were 146 patients (17.2%, 146/849) followed up by gastroscopy. During the follow-up, 2 high-grade intramucosal neoplasms were found. 84.2% (16/19) of epithelial tumors and 83.3% (10/12) of high-grade neoplasm were detected during the initial gastroscopy. Conclusion:This screening strategy can efficiently detect early gastric cancer under high-definition gastroscopy.

Objective:To propose a strategy for detecting early gastric cancer (EGC) under high-definition gastroscopy.Methods:Data of 469 lesions of EGC or high grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN) confirmed by pathology detected at The Seventh Medical Center of Chinese People′s Liberation Army General Hospital from January 2013 to January 2020 were collected and gastroscopic images were re-interpreted. The Helicobacter pylori ( HP) infection status, lesion location in the area of atrophy or at the cardia, morphological type of lesions, lesions with/without clear or regular boundary, and lesion color were analyzed for morphological characteristics of EGC and HGIN under high-definition gastroscopy. Results:Among the 469 lesions of EGC or HGIN, HP-negative lesions accounted for 2.1% (10/469) and ulcerative lesions for 7.7% (36/469). Among non-ulcerative lesions of suspected HP infection ( n=423), there were 28 lesions in the cardia outside the atrophic area and 82.1% (23/28) were reddish under white light imaging. There were 29 non-cardiac lesions outside the atrophic area and 82.8% (24/29) were white or showed clear border under white light imaging. Inside the atrophic area, there were 73 elevated lesions, 95.9% (70/73) of which had clear border or irregular depression on the top. There were 293 flat/depressed lesions in the atrophic area, and 90.8% (266/293) had irregular border or were brown under narrow band imaging. Conclusion:According to the status of HP infection, the location and morphological category of lesions, above endoscopic features can be used as clues to detect EGC and HGIN.

Objective:To analyze the endoscopic and histological characteristics of Helicobacter pylori ( HP)-negative early gastric cancer (EGC) and high grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN). Methods:Data of patients diagnosed as having EGC or HGIN confirmed by pathology at the Seventh Medical Center of Chinese People′s Liberation Army General Hospital from January 2013 to January 2020 were collected. Patients were included according to the diagnostic criteria of HP-negative gastric cancer, and their endoscopic features and histopathological characteristics were retrospectively analyzed. Results:Among 469 lesions of EGC/HGIN, HP-negative lesions accounted for 2.1% (10/469), which included 3 signet ring cell carcinomas, 3 fundic gland type carcinomas, 1 foveolar adenocarcinoma, 1 HGIN of the cardia, 1 familial adenomatous polyposis with gastric HGIN, and 1 Lynch syndrome with gastric HGIN. The 3 cases of signet ring cell carcinoma were all whitish flat/depressed lesions and commonly seen in the lower part of the stomach (2/3). Most of the 7 cases of differentiated EGC/HGIN were elevated type (5/7) and commonly seen in the upper and middle stomach (6/7). Conclusion:HP-negative EGCs are usually solitary lesions under gastroscopy. Undifferentiated type mostly appears whitish flat/depressed in the lower part of the stomach, while differentiated type appears elevated in the upper and middle part.

Objective:To prospectively follow up the patients with ileocecal inflammatory lesions, to explore the characteristics of Crohn′s disease(CD) at early stage, and to provide references for early diagnosis of CD.Methods:From January 2013 to December 2018, at Department of Gastroenterology, The Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, 232 patients with unexplained ileocecal inflammatory lesions under colonoscopy examination were enrolled, which were followed up for more than one year. Chi-square test and Fisher exact probability text were used to compare the patients with early CD, with non-specific enteritis and intestinal tuberculosis in abdominal symptoms (abdominal pain, diarrhea, abdominal distension, constipation, hematochezia, changes in bowel habits), accompanying symptoms (oral ulcer, arthralgia), the proportion of patients with elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) level, serum antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA), anti-saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (ASCA), tuberculosis infection of T cells spot test, positive rate of fecal occult blood, lesion size, morphology, involvement site under endoscopy and histopathological results. Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to analyze the related factors of early CD.Results:Among 232 patients, 155 were males and 77 were females, and the age of first diagnosis was (43.9±13.8) years old. The follow-up period (range) was 27 months (12 to 79 months). Twenty-nine cases (12.5%) were diagnosed as early CD, 45 cases (19.4%) were intestinal tuberculosis, 105 cases (45.3%) were non-specific enteritis, and 53 cases (22.8%) as undetermined. All of 29 patients with early CD had abdominal symptoms, which accounted for 16.9% (29/172) of 172 patients with ileoceccal inflammatory lesion as well as abdominal symptoms. In early CD patients, the proportions of patients with abdominal pain, elevated CRP level and ESR level, positive rate of ASCA, positive rate of tuberculosis infection T cells and percentage of patients with thickened intestinal wall were all higher than those in patients with non-specific enteritis (62.1%, 18/29 vs. 33.3%, 35/105; 13.8%, 4/29 vs. 0; 13.8%, 4/29 vs. 1.0%, 1/105; 24.1%, 7/29 vs. 1.0%, 1/105; 20.7%, 6/29 vs. 3.8%, 4/105; 95.7%, 22/23 vs. 0), and the proportion of patients without abdominal symptoms was lower than that of patients with non-specific enteritis (0 vs. 31.4%, 33/105). And the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=6.692, Fisher exact probability text, χ2=7.162, χ2=17.826, χ2=7.497, Fisher exact probability text, and Fisher exact probability text, all P<0.05). Early CD patients were more likely to have multiple lesion sites (55.2%, 16/29), and mainly deep ulcers (55.2%, 16/29) and ulcers with a long diameter of 5 to 10 mm (39.3%, 11/28). The lesions of non-specific enteritis were mostly confined to the end of ileum (75.2%, 79/105), which were mainly superficial ulcers (41.0%, 43/105) and ulcers with a long diameter less than 5 mm (69.0%, 49/71). The proportion of patients without abdominal symptoms and the positive rate of tuberculosis infection of T cells spot test of early CD patients were both lower than those of intestinal tuberculosis group (0 vs. 15.6%, 7/45 and 20.7%, 6/29 vs. 68.9%, 31/45). The positive rate of ASCA and the proportion of patients with thickened intestinal wall were higher than those of intestinal tuberculosis group (24.1%, 7/29 vs. 0 and 95.7%, 22/23 vs. 11/19), and the differences were statistically significant (Fisher exact probability text, χ2=13.713, Fisher exact probability text and χ2=6.710, all P<0.05). The results of multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that abdominal pain and positive ASCA were independent risk factors for early CD (odds ratio ( OR)=2.855, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.014 to 8.037, P=0.047; OR=10.033, 95% CI 2.274 to 44.250, P=0.002). Conclusions:Prospective follow-up for more than one year in patients with unexplained ileocecal inflammatory lesions can effectively identify and diagnose early CD. Ileocecal inflammatory lesions with abdominal symptoms are one of the early manifestations of CD. Abdominal pain and positive serum ASCA at the initial diagnosis are independent risk factors for early diagnosis of CD.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of dysplasia in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in China.Methods:From March 1st, 2012 to December 30th, 2013, a total of 154 UC patients were prospectively enrolled from the following 11 hospitals, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Nanfang Hospital affiliated to Southern Medical University, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, West China Hospital affiliated to Sichuan University, The Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Xiamen University, and the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. The patients were followed up till December 1st, 2017. All the UC patients underwent colon endoscopy and histopathological evaluation. T test and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Cox proportional risk model was used for identifying the risk factors of dysplasia in UC patients. Results:Finally, 133 UC patients were enrolled, the age was (50.0±11.9) years, the diagnosis age was (35.5±11.6) years, the course of disease was (14.5±6.7) years, and the number of endoscopic examinations was (3.4±1.6) times. A total of 21 patients were detected with dysplasia. No patients were detected with colorectal cancer. The results of univariate analysis revealed that the diagnosis age (hazard ratio ( HR)=1.05, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.01 to 1.10, P=0.009) and extensive colitis ( HR=2.92, 95% CI 0.97 to 8.79, P=0.057) were factors with statistically significant difference. The results of multivariate analysis revealed that the old age at diagnosis ( HR=1.06, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.11, P=0.003) and extensive colitis ( HR=3.68, 95% CI 1.21 to 11.19, P=0.022) were independent risk factors of dysplasia in UC patients. The cumulative incidence of dysplasia of UC patients with extensive colitis was higher than that of patients with left-sided colitis (24.3%, 17/70 vs. 6.3%, 4/63), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=8.023, P=0.005). Conclusions:Extensive colitis and older age at diagnosis are two independent risk factors of dysplasia in UC patients of our country. The cancer monitoring should be strengthened in UC patients with long course of disease and extensive colitis.

Objective: To explore the valuable indicators for differential diagnosis by comparing the clinical features of Crohn′s disease (CD) with primary intestinal lymphoma (PIL). Methods: From 2010 to 2017, at The Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, a total of 91 patients diagnosed with CD or PIL were enrolled, including 76 cases of CD, 14 cases of PIL and one case of CD with secondary lymphoma. The clinical data of enrolled patients were retrospectively analyzed. T-test, non-parametric test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results: The average age at diagnosis of CD patients was (37.7±16.0) years, which was younger than that of PIL patients (52.6±19.6) years, and the difference was statistically significant (t=-3.085, P=0.003). The median duration of CD was 36.0 months, which was longer than that of PIL (3.5 months), and the difference was statistically significant (Z=-3.616, P<0.01). Abdominal pain and extra-intestinal manifestations (oral ulcers, joint injuries, erythema nodosum and perianal lesions) were more common in CD patients, and the differences were all statistically significant (χ²=9.427 and 5.173, both P<0.05). CD patients were not diagnosed by colonoscopic biopsy alone. Totally 13 of 14 patients were diagnosed by colonoscopic biopsy and immunohistochemisty and one patient was diagnosed after surgery. The diagnostic rate of pathological biopsy in PIL group was significantly higher than that in CD group (χ²=82.584, P<0.01). One patient was initially clinically diagnosed as CD, and then developed secondary lymphoma after five times of infliximab treatment. Conclusions The diagnosis of CD is generally supported by young age, long course of disease, abdominal pain and extra-intestinal manifestations. The diagnostic rate of colonoscopic biospsy in PIL patients is higher than that in CD patients.

Objective To evaluate the clinical value of epithelial vessel branch detected by non-magnifying narrow-band imaging ( NM-NBI ) in diagnosis of early esophageal cancer. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on data of 59 patients, who underwent endoscopy with NM-NBI and iodine staining to screen early esophageal cancer in PLA General Hospital from January 2013 to May 2015. The final diagnosis for all lesions were determined by pathology. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of NM-NBI and iodine staining for early esophageal cancer were compared. Results The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of NM-NBI on the epithelial vessel branch in diagnosis of early esophageal cancer were 83. 1％ (49/59), 91. 3％ (21/23) and 77. 8％ (28/36), respectively, and the corresponding statistical values of iodine staining were 55. 9％ ( 33/59) , 95. 7％ ( 22/23) and 30. 6％ ( 11/36), respectively. The accuracy (χ2=1. 45, P=0. 028) and specificity (χ2=21. 4, P=0. 000) of epithelial vessel branch by NM-NBI were significantly higher than those of iodine staining, and there was no significant difference in the sensitivity between the two methods (χ2=22. 3, P=1. 000) . Conclusion The observation of epithelial vessel branch using NM-NBI was useful and reliable in diagnosis of early esophageal cancer with high accuracy and specificity, and can be possible for application in the clinic.