Two Approaches for Infected Necrotizing Pancreatitis Go Head-to-Head
Upfront endoscopic necrosectomy may be suitable for certain patients with confirmed or suspected infected necrotizing pancreatitis, results of a small randomized trial suggested. In 70 patients undergoing drainage with endoscopic transluminal stenting, upfront necrosectomy immediately afterward led to fewer subsequent interventions to achieve treatment success compared with when this procedure was reserved for stubborn cases […]
Duodenoscopes With Disposable Caps Led to Less Microbial Contamination
Use of duodenoscopes with disposable elevator caps during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) led to lower rates of contamination following high-level disinfection compared with standard scope designs, and did not affect the technical performance and safety of ERCP, the randomized ICECAP trial showed. Among over 500 patients undergoing ERCP, persistent microbial contamination was detected in 3.8% […]
Removing Small Asymptomatic Kidney Stones Significantly Reduces Recurrence
Removing small, asymptomatic kidney stones during endoscopic removal of ureteral or contralateral stones significantly prolonged the time to relapse as compared with leaving the asymptomatic stones behind, a randomized trial showed. The time to relapse averaged about 4.5 years with removal of asymptomatic stones versus about 2.5 years without (P<0.001). The difference represented an 82% […]