Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a dreaded complication of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC); however, marked variability in the incidence of CCA in PSC is reported. Furthermore, limited information exists on risk factors for the development of CCA in PSC. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of CCA in patients with PSC and to evaluate baseline risk factors for the later development of CCA. From a previous study of the natural history of PSC, we identified 161 patients with PSC who did not have CCA at study entry. Patients were followed until a diagnosis of CCA was established, liver transplantation was performed, or death occurred. Patients were followed for a median of 11.5 yr (interquartile range 4.0-16.1 yr). Fifty-nine patients (36.6%) died, 50 patients (31.1%) underwent liver transplantation, and 11 patients (6.8%) developed CCA. The rate of CCA developing was approximately 0.6% per year. Compared to the incidence rates of CCA in the general population, the relative risk of CCA in PSC was significantly increased (RR = 1,560; 95%CI = 780, 2,793; p < 0.0001). On univariate analysis, a history of variceal bleeding (p < 0.001), proctocolectomy (p= 0.01), and lack of symptoms (p= 0.02) were significant risk factors for CCA with the Mayo Risk Score being marginally significant (p= 0.051). Multivariate analysis determined only variceal bleeding to be a significant risk factor for CCA (RR 24.2; 95%CI: 3.3-67.1). No association was found between the duration of PSC and the incidence of CCA. In conclusion, approximately 7% of PSC patients later developed CCA over a mean follow-up of 11.5 yr, which is dramatically higher than the rates in the general population. Variceal bleeding is a major risk factor for the later development of CCA.

Colonoscopy can result in significant morbidity and carries a small risk of death. Sigmoidoscopy has lower risk. The following situations may represent increased risk to colonoscopy patients: unusual difficulty in traversing the sigmoid colon; difficult examinations in female patients, and difficult examinations performed by trainee physicians.

Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis (GIB) is an unusual fungal infection that is rarely reported in the medical literature. From April 1994 through May 1999, 7 cases of GIB occurred in Arizona, 4 from December 1998 through May 1999. We reviewed the clinical characteristics of the patients and conducted a case-control study to generate hypotheses about potential risk factors. All patients had histopathologic signs characteristic of basidiobolomycosis. Five patients were male (median age, 52 years; range, 37--59 years) and had a history of diabetes mellitus (in 3 patients), peptic ulcer disease (in 2), or pica (in 1). All patients underwent partial or complete surgical resection of the infected portions of their gastrointestinal tracts, and all received itraconazole postoperatively for a median of 10 months (range, 3--19 months). Potential risk factors included prior ranitidine use and longer residence in Arizona. GIB is a newly emerging infection that causes substantial morbidity and diagnostic confusion. Further studies are needed to better define its risk factors and treatment.

Esophageal Crohn's disease may be underdiagnosed. Patients with Crohn's disease complaining of esophageal symptoms should undergo upper endoscopy with biopsies, and the diagnosis of esophageal Crohn's disease should be entertained if aphthous or deep ulcers or strictures are present. Immune modifier therapy should be considered for steroid-dependent and steroid-resistant cases.

Lower preoperative handgrip strength and branched chain amino acid levels are associated with longer ICU stays and increased likelihood of posttransplant infections. In our program, in which nutritional support was provided to potential recipients exhibiting malnourishment, none of the measured nutritional parameters were associated with mortality or greater global resource utilization.

No abstract

The risk of a major complication from ''blind'' percutaneous liver biopsy is reported to be in the range of 0.24% to 3.8%. In a recent randomized trial, patients whose liver biopsies were performed with ultrasonography had a significant reduction in complications requiring hospitalization compared with patients without ultrasound-guided biopsies (0.5% vs. 2.2%, P F .05). Despite this, routine use of ultrasonography for liver biopsies has not been implemented because of controversies with respect to costeffectiveness. The aim of our study was to analyze the relative cost-effectiveness of performing ultrasound-guided liver biopsies using decision analysis. A decision tree was constructed to compare a strategy of liver biopsy using ultrasonography with a strategy without ultrasonography. The major outcomes included were minor complications such as pain requiring analgesics and major complications, which require hospitalization. Costs included were direct medical costs from the payer's perspective. In our baseline model, the cost from complications per patient with and without ultrasonography was $62 and $129, respectively. The marginal effectiveness expressed as the number of major complications avoided was 1.2/100 liver biopsies. The incremental cost to avoid one major complication was $2,731. The model was most sensitive to the frequency of major complications and the additional cost of ultrasonography. Our decision analysis model suggests that ultrasoundguided liver biopsy is cost-effective. Future studies assessing the efficacy of image-guided liver biopsies should be conducted. (HEPATOLOGY 1998;27:1220-1226

Transmission of hepatitis B infection has been reported in liver transplant recipients whose donor livers were negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and positive for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). These infections usually have a mild clinical course and no adverse effects on survival. However, the outcome of liver transplant recipients with serologic evidence of past infection to hepatitis B virus (HBV) is unknown. The prevalence of HBV DNA positivity by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) pretransplantation in HBsAg-negative, anti-HBc-positive people is reported to be 0% to 32%. To assess the prevalence of HBV DNA in pretransplantation serum and liver tissue and to determine the clinical outcome of HBsAg-negative, anti-HBc-positive recipients, we retrospectively reviewed the first 693 orthotopic liver transplantations performed at Mayo Clinic between March 19, 1985, and May 25, 1996. Pretransplantation specimens of frozen serum and liver tissue were available for HBV DNA by PCR for 35 of 56 HBsAg-negative, anti-HBc-positive recipients. Twenty-two recipients had positive serologic findings for anti-HBc alone, and 13 were positive for anti-HBc and antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs). Pretransplantation prevalence of HBV DNA in HBsAg-negative, anti-HBc-positive recipients was 6% (serum) to 29% (liver). Of those recipients whose liver was HBV DNA-positive pretransplantation, 40% also had evidence of HBV DNA in posttransplantation liver biopsy specimens, and this finding was more common in patients co-infected with hepatitis C. None of the recipients became antigenemic (HBsAg-positive) or developed clinical hepatitis B posttransplantation. Thus, prophylactic intervention (eg, antiviral or antinucleoside analog therapy) is not warranted after liver transplantation in HBsAg-negative, anti-HBc-positive recipients. In our experience, infected donor livers are the most common source of de novo posttransplantation hepatitis B infection in transplant recipients.