Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0011168 (dysphagia)
 15,644 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Nine polyps retrieved from the upper gastrointestinal tract by endoscopic polypectomy in nine patients are reported. Polyps were removed from the distal esophagus (1), stomach (7) and duodenum (1). Dysphagia, obstructive jaundice and upper gastrointestinal bleeding were the presenting features in four patients. In five patients gastric polyps were detected incidentally at endoscopy. Of the nine polyps, six were adenomas, two were hyperplastic polyps and one in the esophagus was inflammatory. All the polyps could be retrieved completely and there were no complications. Thus polyps do occur in the upper gastrointestinal tract in India; their electrosurgical removal is easy and safe and allows histopathological examination of the entire polyp.
 ...
PMID:Endoscopic polypectomies in upper gastrointestinal tract. 230

Many gastrointestinal cancers are diagnosed when no curative approach is possible. Patients with these malignancies frequently have dysphagia, jaundice, intestinal obstruction and other severe symptoms which significantly impair their quality of life. We present our experience with two new endoscopic techniques for palliative treatment in these patients: placement of biliary endoprostheses to alleviate malignant obstructive jaundice and destruction of neoplastic tissue by phototherapy with laser rays.
 ...
PMID:New endoscopic palliative treatments in gastrointestinal malignancies. 246 52

Patients with nonresectable gastrointestinal tumors have a life expectancy of a few months only. Effective palliative treatment has to ensure a good quality of life with minimal morbidity and mortality. Esophageal carcinoma: Endoscopic intubation or stent implantation guarantee a prompt improvement of dysphagia with minimal morbidity and mortality in esophageal carcinoma. Only in cervical or noncircumferential stenosis laser therapy is preferable. Obstructive jaundice: Metal stents offer the best quality of life after palliative treatment of malignant obstructive jaundice. However, in patients with bad general conditions and a short life expectancy a pigtail catheter is less expensive. Colorectal cancer: Laser therapy and cryosurgery offer uncomplicated nonsurgical therapy in rectal carcinoma. Stents in the colorectum have a high complication rate. Endoscopic palliative treatment of gastrointestinal tumors can be performed with minimal morbidity and mortality. However, it is essential that a surgeon is involved in the decisionmaking between endoscopic or operative treatment.
 ...
PMID:[Endoscopic palliative treatment of tumors of the gastrointestinal tract]. 970 43

Initially inserted percutaneously for malignant biliary stenoses, expandable gastrointestinal prostheses have evolved as primary treatment for malignant dysphagia and as an alternative to plastic prostheses for some types of obstructive jaundice. They are also in their infancy as a means to palliate unresectable obstructions of the gastric outlet, small bowel, and colorectum. Despite a decade of development, problems persist and include: maldeployment; inadequate expansion; ingrowth; overgrowth; erosion, and migration. This article outlines some of the problems noted and opportunities to improve this still-evolving technology.
 ...
PMID:Complications and lessons learned from 10 years of expandable gastrointestinal prostheses. 1043 53

Endoscopic therapy clearly has a primary role in many clinical conditions (such as dysphagia, obstructive jaundice, bleeding, and colonic polyps). There is much less certainty about the role of endoscopy in many other clinical contexts (e.g. management of chronic pancreatitis). Randomization is the gold standard for evaluation of competing therapies. Unfortunately, there are many difficulties in mounting meaningful randomized controlled trials of endoscopic methods. Many have been done, but few have provided us with real practical answers. This article argues that the evidence we need to advise patients is often better obtained through very stringent observational studies, provided that all necessary data elements are defined and documented and independent objective arbiters (referees) are fully involved in the process.
 ...
PMID:Randomization is not the (only) answer: a plea for structured objective evaluation of endoscopic therapy. 1081 81

The application of stents in the GI tract has expanded tremendously. Stent placement is the most frequently used treatment modality for palliating dysphagia from esophageal or gastric cardia cancer. Newly designed esophageal stents, including the Polyflex stent and the Niti-S double stent, have been introduced to reduce recurrent dysphagia owing to migration or nontumoral or tumor overgrowth. Stents are also the treatment of choice for esophagorespiratory fistulas, for proximal malignant lesions near the upper esophageal sphincter, for recurrent carcinoma after esophagectomy or gastrectomy and for sealing traumatic or iatrogenic nonmalignant ruptures, such as Boerhaave's syndrome and leakages following surgery. Stents in the latter patient group should be removed within 4-8 weeks after placement to prevent the formation of granulation tissue or hyperplasia at the stent ends. For gastric outlet obstruction, many case series have been published. Only two, small, randomized controlled trials have compared stent placement with gastrojejunostomy to date, and a large, randomized trial is currently being conducted in The Netherlands. Obstructive jaundice caused by a malignancy in the common bile duct can be treated effectively with plastic or metal stent placement. However, a prognostic score needs to be developed that guides a treatment decision towards using either of these stents. Finally, colonic stents are applied successfully for acute malignant obstruction as a 'bridge to surgery' in patients with tumors that are deemed to be resectable, or as a palliative treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease.
 ...
PMID:Stents in the GI tract. 1785 Feb 8

Desmoid type fibromatosis (DTF) is a rare, locally invasive, non-metastasizing soft tissue tumor. We report an interesting case of DTF involving the pancreatic head of a 54-year-old woman. She presented with intermittent dysphagia and significant weight loss within a 3-mo period. Laboratory findings showed mild elevation of transaminases, significant elevation of alkaline phosphatase and direct hyperbilirubinemia, indicating obstructive jaundice. Computerized tomography of the abdomen revealed a mass in the head of the pancreas, dilated common bile duct, and dilated pancreatic duct. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic ultrasound showed a large hypoechoic mass in the head of the pancreas causing extrahepatic biliary obstruction and pancreatic ductal dilation. The patient underwent a successful partial pancreatico-duodenectomy and cholecystectomy. She received no additional therapy after surgery, and liver function tests were normalized within nine days after surgery. Currently, surgical resection is the recommended first line treatment. The patient will be followed for any recurrence.
 ...
PMID:Desmoid type fibromatosis: A case report with an unusual etiology. 2897 21