The American journal of gastroenterology
-
Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jun 1992
Gastric myoelectrical activity in the first trimester of pregnancy: a cutaneous electrogastrographic study.
Recently, it has been shown that changes in gastric electrical rhythm can be connected with clinical syndromes characterized by nausea and vomiting, among these the nausea of pregnancy. We studied gastric electrical activity during the first trimester of pregnancy in nine women with nausea and vomiting (study group) by means of cutaneous electrogastrography. Recordings were made before and after a standardized meal in the 6th-8th wk of gestation, and 2 months after voluntary interruption of pregnancy (VIP). ⋯ Comparison of the EGGc data for the pregnant women in the study and control groups revealed a similar pattern of gastric electrical activity in the two, the only exception being the power ratio, which was lower in the study group (p less than 0.01). We conclude that pregnant women without symptoms of nausea and vomiting at the time of EGG recordings have normal 3-cpm myoelectrical activity, and that EGGc activity is more unstable and less responsive to the ingestion of food during pregnancy than after VIP. Furthermore, in pregnant women with a history of nausea and vomiting, EGGc activity is less responsive to the ingestion of food than it is in symptom-free pregnant women.
-
The cost-effectiveness of two colon cancer-screening strategies was compared. The first strategy mirrors the recommendations of the American Cancer Society and includes sigmoidoscopy starting at age 50, and yearly fecal occult blood testing. The second strategy is screening with colonoscopy. ⋯ The calculated cost of preventing one death from colon cancer is $444,133 with sigmoidoscopy versus $347,214 with colonoscopy. In conclusion, colon cancer prevention with current screening methods is very costly. Screening with sigmoidoscopy and fecal occult blood testing may not be cost-effective, compared to screening with colonoscopy.
-
Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Dec 1991
Case ReportsMagnetic resonance imaging of an esophageal duplication cyst.
A confirmed case of an esophageal duplication is reported. We review the clinical and pathologic features of this rare anomaly, and describe its appearance on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The potential advantages of utilizing MRI in the diagnosis of suspected esophageal duplications, and in the detection of any associated lesions, are outlined.
-
Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Nov 1991
Case ReportsHemoductal pancreatitis secondary to gastroduodenal artery-ruptured pseudoaneurysm: a rare cause of hematemesis.
A 65-yr-old alcoholic man with a history of calcific pancreatitis presented with massive hematemesis complicated by lipothymia. Physical examination disclosed stigmata of chronic liver disease. The laboratory picture was predominantly of cholestatic type with impaired liver protein synthetic activity. ⋯ A visceral angiography revealed an anomalous arising of the common hepatic artery from the superior mesenteric artery and a pseudoaneurysm of the gastroduodenal artery at its origin. A second massive hemorrhage required an emergency operation, and surgical liver biopsy revealed focal steatosis. In conclusion, bleeding of a pancreatic pseudoaneurysm may be massive but intermittent, and side-viewing duodenoscopy, even prolonged, is essential in the diagnosis.