Although the diagnostic and severity grading criteria on the 2013 Tokyo Guidelines (TG13) are used worldwide as the primary standard for management of acute cholangitis (AC), they need to be validated through implementation and assessment in actual clinical practice. Here, we conduct a systematic review of the literature to validate the TG13 diagnostic and severity grading criteria for AC and propose TG18 criteria. While there is little evidence evaluating the TG13 criteria, they were validated through a large-scale case series study in Japan and Taiwan. Analyzing big data from this study confirmed that the diagnostic rate of AC based on the TG13 diagnostic criteria was higher than that based on the TG07 criteria, and that 30-day mortality in patients with a higher severity based on the TG13 severity grading criteria was significantly higher. Furthermore, a comparison of patients treated with early or urgent biliary drainage versus patients not treated this way showed no difference in 30-day mortality among patients with Grade I or Grade III AC, but significantly lower 30-day mortality in patients with Grade II AC who were treated with early or urgent biliary drainage. This suggests that the TG13 severity grading criteria can be used to identify Grade II patients whose prognoses may be improved through biliary drainage. The TG13 severity grading criteria may therefore be useful as an indicator for biliary drainage as well as a predictive factor when assessing the patient's prognosis. The TG13 diagnostic and severity grading criteria for AC can provide results quickly, are minimally invasive for the patients, and are inexpensive. We recommend that the TG13 criteria be adopted in the TG18 guidelines and used as standard practice in the clinical setting. Free full articles and mobile app of TG18 are available at: http://www.jshbps.jp/modules/en/index.php?content_id=47. Related clinical questions and references are also included.

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Tokyo Guidelines 2018: diagnostic criteria and severity grading of acute cholecystitis (with videos).

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an important tool for the clinical evaluation of patients with cardiovascular disease. Since its introduction in the late 1980s, 2-dimensional phase contrast MRI (2D PC-MRI) has become a routine part of standard-of-care cardiac MRI for the assessment of regional blood flow in the heart and great vessels. More recently, time-resolved PC-MRI with velocity encoding along all three flow directions and three-dimensional (3D) anatomic coverage (also termed ‘4D flow MRI’) has been developed and applied for the evaluation of cardiovascular hemodynamics in multiple regions of the human body. 4D flow MRI allows for the comprehensive evaluation of complex blood flow patterns by 3D blood flow visualization and flexible retrospective quantification of flow parameters. Recent technical developments, including the utilization of advanced parallel imaging techniques such as k-t GRAPPA, have resulted in reasonable overall scan times, e.g., 8-12 minutes for 4D flow MRI of the aorta and 10-20 minutes for whole heart coverage. As a result, the application of 4D flow MRI in a clinical setting has become more feasible, as documented by an increased number of recent reports on the utility of the technique for the assessment of cardiac and vascular hemodynamics in patient studies. A number of studies have demonstrated the potential of 4D flow MRI to provide an improved assessment of hemodynamics which might aid in the diagnosis and therapeutic management of cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this review is to describe the methods used for 4D flow MRI acquisition, post-processing and data analysis. In addition, the article provides an overview of the clinical applications of 4D flow MRI and includes a review of applications in the heart, thoracic aorta and hepatic system.

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4D flow imaging with MRI

Background: Pregnancy is associated with considerable changes in the physiological, anatomical and biochemical attributes in women. These may alter the exposure to xenobiotics between pregnant and non-pregnant women who receive similar doses, with implications for different susceptibility to environmental pollutants or therapeutic agents. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models together with in vitro in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) characteristics may capture the likely changes. However, such models require comprehensive information on the longitudinal variations of PBPK parameter values; a set of data that are as yet not available from a singular source. Aim: The aim of this article was to collect, integrate and analyse the available time-variant parameters that are needed for the PBPK modelling of xenobiotic kinetics in a healthy pregnant population. Methods: A structured literature search was carried out on anatomical, physiological and biochemical parameters likely to change in pregnancy and alter the kinetics of xenobiotics. Collated data were carefully assessed, integrated and analysed for trends with gestational age. Algorithms were generated to describe the changes in parameter values with gestational age. These included changes in maternal weight, the individual organ volumes and blood flows, glomerular filtration rates, and some drug-metabolising enzyme activities. Results: Articles were identified using relevant keywords, quality appraised and data were extracted by two investigators. Some parameters showed no change with gestational age and for others robust data were not available. However, for many parameters significant changes were reported during the course of pregnancy, e.g. cardiac output, protein binding and expression/activity of metabolizing enzymes. The trend for time-variant parameters was not consistent (with respect to direction and mono-tonicity). Hence, various mathematical algorithms were needed to describe individual parameter values. Conclusion: Despite the limitations identified in the availability of some values, the collected data presented in this paper provide a potentially useful singular resource for key parameters needed for PBPK modelling in pregnancy. This facilitates the risk assessment of environmental chemicals and therapeutic drug dose adjustments in the pregnant population.

Anatomical, physiological and metabolic changes with gestational age during normal pregnancy: A database for parameters required in physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling

The clinical efficacy of bariatric surgery has encouraged the scientific investigation of the gut as a major endocrine organ. Manipulation of gastrointestinal anatomy through surgery has been shown to profoundly affect the physiological and metabolic processes that control body weight and glycaemia. The most popular bariatric surgical procedures are gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding and vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Even though these procedures were designed with the aim of causing restriction of food intake and nutrient malabsorption, evidence suggests that their contributions to weight loss are minimal. Instead, these interventions reduce body weight by decreasing hunger, increasing satiation during a meal, changing food preferences and energy expenditure. In this Review, we have explored these mechanisms as well as their mediators. The hope is that that their in-depth investigation will enable the optimization and individualization of surgical techniques, the development of equally effective but safer nonsurgical weight-loss interventions, and even the understanding of the pathophysiology of obesity itself.

Mechanisms underlying weight loss after bariatric surgery

Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is a commonly performed bariatric procedure. Weight regain following SG is a significant issue. Yet the defining, reporting and understanding of this phenomenon remains largely neglected. Systematic review was performed to locate articles reporting the definition, rate and/or cause of weight regain in patients at least 2 years post-SG. A range of definitions employed to describe weight regain were identified in the literature. Rates of regain ranged from 5.7 % at 2 years to 75.6 % at 6 years. Proposed causes of weight regain included initial sleeve size, sleeve dilation, increased ghrelin levels, inadequate follow-up support and maladaptive lifestyle behaviours. Bariatric literature would benefit from standardising definitions used to report weight regain and its rate in clinical series. Larger prospective studies are required to further understand mechanisms of weight regain following SG.

Weight Regain Following Sleeve Gastrectomy-a Systematic Review.

https://www.soard.org/article/S1550-7289(15)00110-0/pdf

Persistent gastric fistula after sleeve gastrectomy: an analysis of the time between discovery and reoperation

Radiologic drainage of post-operative collections and abscesses.

Gastric fistula (GF) is the most serious complication after longitudinal sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), with an incidence ranging from 0 to 5 %. In this context, concomitant upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) has never been described. Here, we describe our experience of this situation and suggest a procedure for the standardized management of this life-threatening complication. We retrospectively analyzed all patients having been treated for post-LSG UGIB in our university medical center between November 2004 and February 2012. Data on GF and UGIB (time to onset, diagnosis and management) were assessed. Forty patients were treated for post-LSG GF in our institution, 18 of whom (45 %) had been referred by tertiary centers. Four patients presented UGIB (10 %): two had undergone primary LSG, one had undergone simultaneous gastric band removal and LSG, and one had undergone repeat LSG. The median time interval between GF and UGIB was 15 days. The four cases of UGIB included three pseudoaneurysms (75 %, with two affecting the left gastric artery and one affecting the upper pole of the splenic artery) and one case of bleeding related to stent-induced gastric ulceration. Computed tomography enabled diagnosis of the pseudoaneurysm in all cases. Two of the four patients (50 %) were treated with selective embolization during arteriography, and two (50 %) were treated surgically with arterial ligation. One of the surgically treated patients died during follow-up. UGIB after LSG was investigated in the context of a postoperative GF and was found to have been caused by a pseudoaneurysm in 75 % of cases. When looking for a pseudoaneurysm, a primary angiography should be preferred to endoscopy allowing selective arterial embolization in hemodynamically stable patients, whereas surgery should be reserved for treatment failures or hemodynamically instability.

Gastrointestinal bleeding complication of gastric fistula after sleeve gastrectomy: consider pseudoaneurysms

Percutaneous transgluteal drainage of pelvic abscesses in interventional radiology: A safe alternative to surgery.

Background
Despite improvements in surgical techniques and postoperative care, morbidity associated with pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) is still high. Grade B pancreatic fistula (PF) requires a specific combination of radiologically guided external drainage and medical support. This treatment is effective but requires prolonged hospitalization and maintenance of external drainage. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a double-pigtail stent (DPS) to treat grade B PF after PD with pancreatogastric anastomosis.

Efficacy of the double-pigtail stent as a conservative treatment for grade B pancreatic fistula after pancreatoduodenectomy with pancreatogastric anastomosis

Brice Robert

Papers

Persistent gastric fistula after sleeve gastrectomy: an analysis of the time between discovery and reoperation

Radiologic drainage of post-operative collections and abscesses.

Gastrointestinal bleeding complication of gastric fistula after sleeve gastrectomy: consider pseudoaneurysms

Percutaneous transgluteal drainage of pelvic abscesses in interventional radiology: A safe alternative to surgery.

Efficacy of the double-pigtail stent as a conservative treatment for grade B pancreatic fistula after pancreatoduodenectomy with pancreatogastric anastomosis