Gut
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Review Practice Guideline Guideline
Current European concepts in the management of Helicobacter pylori infection. The Maastricht Consensus Report. European Helicobacter Pylori Study Group.
There is considerable confusion over the management of Helicobacter pylori infection, particularly among primary care physicians, and numerous European countries lack national guidelines in this rapidly growing area of medicine. The European Helicobacter Pylori Study Group therefore organised a meeting in Maastricht of H pylori experts, primary care physicians and representatives of National Societies of Gastroenterology from Europe to establish consensus guidelines on the management of H pylori at the primary care and specialist levels, and to consider general health care issues associated with the infection. As in previous guidelines, eradication therapy was recommended in all H pylori positive patients with peptic ulcer disease. ⋯ Moreover, at the specialist level the indications for eradication of H pylori were also broadened to include H pylori positive patients with functional dyspepsia in whom no other possible causes of symptoms are identified by the specialist (after a full investigation including endoscopy, ultrasound and other necessary investigations), patients with low grade gastric mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma (managed in specialised centres) and those with gastritis with severe macro- or microscopic abnormalities. There was consensus that treatment regimens should be simple, well tolerated and achieve an eradication rate of over 80% on an intention to treat basis. It was strongly recommended, therefore, that eradication treatment should be with proton pump inhibitor based triple therapy for seven days, using a proton pump inhibitor and two of the following: clarithromycin, a nitroimidazole (metronidazole or tinidazole) and amoxycillin.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Does oesophageal motor function improve with time after successful antireflux surgery? Results of a prospective, randomised clinical study.
There is a continuing debate whether motor abnormalities associated with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) are primary phenomena or occur as a consequence of repeated injury caused by inflammation. To get new insights into mechanisms involved, patients were studied before and three years after effective and durable reflux control induced by two types of fundoplications. ⋯ Despite adequate and durable reflux control after fundoplication in patients with chronic GORD, no change was found in oesophageal motor function with time. The higher contraction amplitude and decreased frequency of failed primary peristalsis seen in patients having a total fundic wrap were thus most likely due to a mechanical outflow obstruction in the gastro-oesophageal junction. These results could therefore be interpreted in favour of the hypothesis that GORD is pathogenetically linked to a primary defect in oesophageal motor function.