The opinion magazine of the American Gastroenterological Association
This is half of a two-part debate — read the opposing argument. Recurrent bleeding, along with advanced age and medical co-morbidities, is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with upper gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage. Although we as endoscopists cannot alter the patient’s age or their comorbidities, we may be able to reduce the risk of […]
This is half of a two-part debate — read the opposing argument. Why use Doppler endoscopic probe (DEP) in the management of severe non-variceal gastrointestinal hemorrhage (NVUGIH)? The fundamental reason is that DEP gives endoscopists a new dimension to help them treat patients: the ability to monitor arterial blood flow underneath stigmata of recent hemorrhage […]
A recent case in the forum involves a patient with cirrhosis and a MELD-Na of 7 who presents for evaluation of uncontrolled hepatic encephalopathy. The current medication regimen includes lactulose titrated to three bowel movements per day, rifaximin 550 mg BID and zinc 220 mg BID. The patient continues to report symptoms of forgetfulness and […]
AGA Research Foundation pilot research awards are an invaluable tool for investigators. They provide seed funding to explore promising new lines of research and generate preliminary data for larger grants. When Ans Pauwels, PhD, MPharmSc, received the 2016 AGA-Rome Foundation Pilot Award in Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders from the AGA Research Foundation, she was able to intensify her […]
As in many other fields of medicine, valiant efforts are being directed towards personalizing medical therapy for individual patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The holy grail of personalized medicine in IBD would be to have a test that could identify the predominant pathways contributing to disease activity for an individual patient. That test would […]
Endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) with a combined approach of resection and ablation is safe and effective. The evolution of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) for visible lesions followed by radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has become the gold standard for Barrett’s associated neoplasia. Despite the effectiveness of EET, recurrence of intestinal metaplasia (IM) after achieving complete eradication (CE-IM) […]
Encoded by the Orphan Drug Act (ODA) in 1983, rare diseases are those that afflict less than 200,000 persons in the U.S. from infancy through adulthood. While “rare” may connote qualities separate from “common,” this should not marginalize rare diseases. In fact, rare gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary diseases are advancing our field in an ever-expanding manner […]
This is half of a two-part debate — read the opposing argument. Recurrent bleeding, along with advanced age and medical co-morbidities, is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with upper gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage. Although we as endoscopists cannot alter the patient’s age or their comorbidities, we may be able to reduce the risk of […]
This is half of a two-part debate — read the opposing argument. Why use Doppler endoscopic probe (DEP) in the management of severe non-variceal gastrointestinal hemorrhage (NVUGIH)? The fundamental reason is that DEP gives endoscopists a new dimension to help them treat patients: the ability to monitor arterial blood flow underneath stigmata of recent hemorrhage […]
Despite nearly 15 years of clinical availability, computed tomography colonography (CTC) remains an infrequently utilized method of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. High-quality trials and meta-analyses demonstrate comparable test performance between CTC and colonoscopy to detect colorectal polyps in average-risk individuals, especially for polyps 1 cm or greater. Variation in insurance coverage, limited endorsement by gastroenterology […]
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