Background Various techniques using magnifying endoscopy (ME) and chromoendoscopy are being developed to enhance images of gastrointestinal tumor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ME enhanced by acetic acid-indigo carmine mixture (ME-AIM) and ME enhanced with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) for differential diagnosis of superficial gastric lesions identified with conventional white-light endoscopy (WLE). Methods Patients with superficial gastric lesions picked up with WLE were enrolled in the study. ME-NBI and ME-AIM were used to further characterize the lesions. All images of the lesions were evaluated by four skilled endoscopists blinded to the clinical data. The microarchitectural patterns in the lesions were analyzed with reference to the ''VS classification'' system. Results A total of 643 lesions (mean diameter, 7 mm) from 508 patients (316 men, 192 women; mean age, 63 years) were evaluated. Pathologically, 24 of the 643 lesions were diagnosed as gastric cancer; the others were noncancerous lesions. For diagnosis of gastric cancer, the negative predictive value of each of the three magnified findings (irregular microvascular pattern, irregular microsurface pattern, and demarcation line) was high (nearly 100 %). According to the ''VS classification'' system, either ME-NBI or ME-AIM had a higher specificity (99.5 % or 99.4 % vs. 89.5 %, P \ 0.001) and accuracy (99.2 % or 98.9 % vs. 89.0 %, P \ 0.001) than WLE, and ME-AIM was not superior to ME-NBI for identifying carcinoma. Conclusions Enhanced ME is useful for correctly diagnosing early gastric cancer, and in contrast with ME-AIM, ME-NBI is a more feasible and efficient method for clinical practice.
Characteristic endoscopic features with punch-out ulcers and high CMV viremia load may be useful for predicting the presence of CMV colitis in histology. Punch-out ulcers were found to be associated with a higher number of inclusion bodies on histology, suggesting a role of targeted biopsy for endoscopist.
Objective. To evaluate the diagnostic value of single-photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT) in severe central nervous system (CNS) involvement of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods. Forty-three patients with SLE, including 22 with CNS-SLE and 21 with non-CNS-SLE, underwent SPECT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. SPECT was repeated 1-2 months after treatment in patients with abnormal findings. Results. SPECT and MRI abnormalities were detected in 20 (90.9%) and 10 (45.5%) of the 22 patients with CNS-SLE, respectively (P < 0.01). For 4 patients with cerebral infarction or hemorrhage, SPECT was equally as sensitive as MRI (100%). For the patients with CNS-SLE with diffuse presentations, SPECT was more sensitive than MRI in revealing abnormalities (16 [88.9%] of 18 patients versus 6 [33.3%] of 18 patients; P < 0.01). In 19 (95.0%) patients, the abnormal SPECT finding manifested as moderate to severe perfusion defect (15 in frontal lobe, 11 in parietal lobe, 11 in basal ganglia, 3 in temporal lobe, and 17 in multiple regions). Although mild perfusion defect was also detected in 4 (19.0%) of the patients with non-CNS-SLE, it only involved a single region and spared the frontal and parietal lobes. Repeated SPECT after treatment showed that perfusion defect had improved significantly or even disappeared in 11 (84.6%) of 13 patients with diffuse CNS-SLE with abnormal findings before treatment. Conclusion. Moderate to severe perfusion defect in SPECT involving multiple regions, especially in the frontal and parietal lobes and basal ganglia, in patients with lupus suggests CNS involvement. SPECT is more sensitive than MRI in revealing damage in diffuse CNS-SLE, and is useful in followup, especially for monitoring disease severity and guiding treatment.
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