Browsing by Author "Gromski, Mark"

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    A composite score using quantitative magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography predicts clinical outcomes in primary sclerosing cholangitis
    (Elsevier, 2023-06-29) Vuppalanchi, Raj; Are, Vijay; Telford, Alison; Young, Liam; Mouchti, Sofia; Ferreira, Carlos; Kettler, Carla; Gromski, Mark; Akisik, Fatih; Chalasani, Naga; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine
    Background & aims: Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) for evaluation of biliary disease currently relies on subjective assessment with limited prognostic value because of the lack of quantitative metrics. Artificial intelligence-enabled quantitative MRCP (MRCP+) is a novel technique that segments biliary anatomy and provides quantitative biliary tree metrics. This study investigated the utility of MRCP+ as a prognostic tool for the prediction of clinical outcomes in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Methods: MRCP images of patients with PSC were post-processed using MRCP+ software. The duration between the MRCP and clinical event (liver transplantation or death) was calculated. Survival analysis and stepwise Cox regression were performed to investigate the optimal combination of MRCP+ metrics for the prediction of clinical outcomes. The resulting risk score was validated in a separate validation cohort and compared with an existing prognostic score (Mayo risk score). Results: In this retrospective study, 102 patients were included in a training cohort and a separate 50 patients formed a validation cohort. Between the two cohorts, 34 patients developed clinical outcomes over a median duration of 3 years (23 liver transplantations and 11 deaths). The proportion of bile ducts with diameter 3-5 mm, total bilirubin, and aspartate aminotransferase were independently associated with transplant-free survival. Combined as a risk score, the overall discriminative performance of the MRCP+ risk score (M+BA) was excellent; area under the receiver operator curve 0.86 (95% CI: 0.77, 0.95) at predicting clinical outcomes in the validation cohort with a hazard ratio 5.8 (95% CI: 1.5, 22.1). This was superior to the Mayo risk score. Conclusions: A composite score combining MRCP+ with total bilirubin and aspartate aminotransferase (M+BA) identified PSC patients at high risk of liver transplantation or death. Prospective studies are warranted to evaluate the clinical utility of this novel prognostic tool. Impact and implications: Primary sclerosis cholangitis (PSC) is a disease of the biliary tree where inflammation and fibrosis cause areas of narrowing (strictures) and expansion (dilatations) within the biliary ducts leading to liver failure and/or cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). In this study, we demonstrate that quantitative assessment of the biliary tree can better identify patients with PSC who are at high risk of either death or liver transplantation than a current blood-based risk score (Mayo risk score).
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    Bleeding After Elective Interventional Endoscopic Procedures in a Large Cohort of Patients With Cirrhosis
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2020-12-17) Kundumadam, Shanker; Phatharacharukul, Parkpoom; Reinhart, Kathryn; Yousef, Andrew; Shamseddeen, Hani; Pike, Francis; Patidar, Kavish R.; Gromski, Mark; Chalasani, Naga; Orman, Eric S.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Elective therapeutic endoscopy is an important component of care of cirrhotic patients, but there are concerns regarding the risk of bleeding. This study examined the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of bleeding after endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL), colonoscopic polypectomy, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy in cirrhotic patients. Methods: A cohort study of patients with cirrhosis who underwent the above procedures at a single center between 2012 and 2014 was performed. Patients with active bleeding at the time of procedure were excluded. Patients were followed for 30 days to assess for postprocedural bleeding and for 90 days for mortality. Results: A total of 1,324 procedures were performed in 857 patients (886 upper endoscopies, 358 colonoscopies, and 80 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatograpies). After EVL, bleeding occurred in 2.8%; after polypectomy, bleeding occurred in 2.0%; and after sphincterotomy, bleeding occurred in 3.8%. Independent predictors of bleeding after EVL and polypectomy included younger age and lower hemoglobin. For EVL, bleeding was also associated with infection and model for end-stage liver disease-Na. International normalized ratio was associated with bleeding in univariate analysis only, and platelet count was not associated with bleeding in any procedure. Bleeding after EVL was associated with 29% 90-day mortality, and bleeding after polypectomy was associated with 14% mortality. Of the 3 patients with postsphincterotomy bleeding, none were outliers regarding their baseline characteristics. Discussion: In patients with cirrhosis, bleeding occurs infrequently after elective therapeutic endoscopy and is associated with younger age, lower hemoglobin, and high mortality. Consideration of these risk factors may guide appropriate timing and preprocedural management to optimize outcomes.
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    COVID-Associated Cast-Forming Cholangiopathy: A Commentary on Disease Mechanism, Treatment, and Prognosis
    (Dove Press, 2023-03-28) Sarkis, Yara; Saleem, Nasir; Vuppalanchi, Raj; Gromski, Mark; Medicine, School of Medicine
    The complete impact of COVID-19 infection continues to develop since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 cholangiopathy has been recently described in a subset of patients who recovered from severe COVID-19 infection. The most common phenotype of patients suffering from COVID-19 cholangiopathy had severe infection requiring a stay in the intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation and vasopressor medications. Patients with COVID-cholangiopathy present with severe and prolonged cholestatic liver injury. In cases where biliary cast formation is identified, we defined the entity as “COVID-19 cast-forming cholangiopathy”. This subset of COVID-19 cholangiopathy is not well understood and there are no standardized diagnosis or management to this date. The reported clinical outcomes are variable, from resolution of symptoms and liver test abnormalities to liver transplant and death. In this commentary, we discuss the proposed pathophysiology, diagnosis, management, and prognosis of this disease.
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    Full-Thickness Resection Device for Complex Colorectal Lesions in High-Risk Patients as a Last-Resort Endoscopic Treatment: Initial Clinical Experience and Review of the Current Literature
    (Hoon Jai Chun, 2018-01) Wedi, Edris; Orlandini, Beatrice; Gromski, Mark; Jung, Carlo Felix Maria; Tchoumak, Irina; Boucher, Stephanie; Ellenrieder, Volker; Hochberger, Jürgen; Medicine, School of Medicine
    The full-thickness resection device (FTRD) is a novel endoscopic device approved for the resection of colorectal lesions. This case-series describes the device and its use in high-risk patients with colorectal lesions and provides an overview of the potential indications in recently published data. Between December 2014 and September 2015, 3 patients underwent endoscopic full thickness resection using the FTRD for colorectal lesions: 1 case for a T1 adenocarcinoma in the region of a surgical anastomosis after recto-sigmoidectomy, 1 case for a non-lifting colonic adenoma with low-grade dysplasia in an 89-year old patient and 1 for a recurrent adenoma with high-grade dysplasia in a young patient with ulcerative rectocolitis who was under immunosuppression after renal transplantation. Both technical and clinical success rates were achieved in all cases. The size of removed lesions ranged from 9 to 30 mm. Overall, the most frequent indication in the literature has been for lifting or non-lifting adenoma, submucosal tumors, neuroendocrin tumors, incomplete endoscopic resection (R1) or T1 carcinoma. Colorectal FTRD is a feasible technique for the treatment of colorectal lesions and represents a minimally invasive alternative for either surgical or conventional endoscopic resection strategies.
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    Prospective Assessment of the Performance of a New Fine Needle Biopsy Device for EUS-Guided Sampling of Solid Lesions
    (Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 2018-11) Hajj, Ihab I.; Wu, Howard; Reuss, Sarah; Randolph, Melissa; Harris, Akeem; Gromski, Mark; Al-Haddad, Mohammad; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) remains the most common EUS-guided tissue acquisition technique. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of a new Franseen tip fine needle biopsy (FNB) device for EUSguided sampling of solid lesions and compare it with the historical FNA technique. METHODS: Acquire® 22 G FNB needle (Boston Scientific Co., Natick, MA, USA) was used for solid tumor sampling (Study group). Tissue was collected for rapid on-site evaluation, and touch and crush preparations were made. Historical EUS-FNA samples obtained using Expect® 22 G FNA needle (Boston Scientific Co.) were used as controls (Control group). All specimens were independently evaluated by two cytopathologists blinded to the formal cytopathological diagnosis. RESULTS: Mean cell block histology scores were significantly higher (p=0.046) in the FNB group (51 samples) despite a significantly lower (p<0.001) mean number of passes compared to the FNA group (50 specimens). The overall diagnostic yields for the FNB vs. FNA groups were 96% vs. 88%. The degree of tumor differentiation was adequately assessed in all cell block qualifying lesions in the FNB group. Two patients developed post-FNB abdominal pain. CONCLUSION: The new Franseen tip FNB device provides histologically superior and cytologically comparable specimens to those obtained by FNA, but with fewer passes.