24 ABSTRACT Objective: No study has yet compared the efficacy of endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy for treating facial blushing with other treatment or no treatment. We conducted a prospective, observational, openlabel, clinical study to compare endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy for blushing with generalized social anxiety disorder versus sertraline treatment and no treatment. Method: Three-hun...

Endoscopy is widely accepted as the first treatment option in the management of bile duct stones. In this review we focus on the alternative endoscopic modalities for the management of difficult common bile duct stones. Most biliary stones can be removed with an extraction balloon, extraction basket or mechanical lithotripsy after endoscopic sphincterotomy. Endoscopic papillary balloon dilation...

AIM To investigate the safety and effectiveness of endoscopic therapy with a paclitaxel-eluting balloon (PEB) for biliary anastomotic stricture (AS) after liver transplantation (LT). METHODS This prospective pilot study enrolled 13 consecutive eligible patients treated for symptomatic AS after LT at the University Hospital of Münster between January 2011 and March 2014. The patients were trea...

BACKGROUND Zenker's diverticulum is a rare disease in the general population. Its treatment can be carried out by either an endoscopic or surgical approach. The objective of this study was to systematically identify all reports that compare both treatment modalities and to assess the outcomes in terms of length of procedure, length of hospitalization, time until diet introduction, complication ...

Tumors of the papilla of Vater are rare, with a prevalence of 0.04%±0.12% reported in autopsy studies. They may occur as sporadic lesions or in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. Histologically, the malignant transformation of benign adenomas to carcinomas has been documented. The reported frequency of malignancy in an adenoma of the papillae ranges from 26 to 65%. Adenomatous residu...

BACKGROUND Acute variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients is an emergency with a high risk of rebleeding and death. Endoscopic procedures such as sclerotherapy or banding, combined or not with drugs such as octreotide could be considered. AIM To assess the value of octreotide in the control of acute variceal bleeding. PATIENTS AND METHODS Ninety-two patients were randomized into three groups...

Chronic pancreatitis can give rise to relapsing episodic or persistent upper abdominal pain (Frulloni et al., 2010). Apart from the derangement of endocrine and exocrine functions, it can cause local complications such as pancreatic ductal stenosis, formation of intraductal stones and development of pseudocysts (Strobel et al., 2009). Management of these complications can be challenging in some...

Digestive endoscopy represents an essential diagnostic and curative tool used when presented with a suspicion of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Its role is not only confined to primary detection but also to establishing the severity of a lesion and providing relevant information regarding its risk of bleeding. New endoscopic techniques, accessories and compounds make the minimally invasive tre...

The management strategy for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography-related duodenal perforation can be determined based on the site and extent of injury, the patient's condition, and time to diagnosis. Most cases of perivaterian or bile duct perforation can be managed with a biliary stent or nasobiliary drainage. Duodenal wall perforations had been treated with immediate surgical repair...