Browsing by Author "Rahal, Mahmoud"

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    Comparative Safety and Effectiveness of Vedolizumab to Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonist Therapy for Ulcerative Colitis
    (Elsevier, 2022) Lukin, Dana; Faleck, David; Xu, Ronghui; Zhang, Yiran; Weiss, Aaron; Aniwan, Satimai; Kadire, Siri; Tran, Gloria; Rahal, Mahmoud; Winters, Adam; Chablaney, Shreya; Koliani-Pace, Jenna L.; Meserve, Joseph; Campbell, James P.; Kochhar, Gursimran; Bohm, Matthew; Varma, Sashidhar; Fischer, Monika; Boland, Brigid; Singh, Siddharth; Hirten, Robert; Ungaro, Ryan; Lasch, Karen; Shmidt, Eugenia; Jairath, Vipul; Hudesman, David; Chang, Shannon; Swaminath, Arun; Shen, Bo; Kane, Sunanda; Loftus, Edward V., Jr.; Sands, Bruce E.; Colombel, Jean-Frederic; Siegel, Corey A.; Sandborn, William J.; Dulai, Parambir S.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background & aims: We aimed to compare safety and effectiveness of vedolizumab to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-antagonist therapy in ulcerative colitis in routine practice. Methods: A multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study (May 2014 to December 2017) of ulcerative colitis patients treated with vedolizumab or TNF-antagonist therapy. Propensity score weighted comparisons for development of serious adverse events and achievement of clinical remission, steroid-free clinical remission, and steroid-free deep remission. A priori determined subgroup comparisons in TNF-antagonist-naïve and -exposed patients, and for vedolizumab against infliximab and subcutaneous TNF-antagonists separately. Results: A total of 722 (454 vedolizumab, 268 TNF antagonist) patients were included. Vedolizumab-treated patients were more likely to achieve clinical remission (hazard ratio [HR], 1.651; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.229-2.217), steroid-free clinical remission (HR, 1.828; 95% CI, 1.135-2.944), and steroid-free deep remission (HR, 2.819; 95% CI, 1.496-5.310) than those treated with TNF antagonists. Results were consistent across subgroup analyses in TNF-antagonist-naïve and -exposed patients, and for vedolizumab vs infliximab and vs subcutaneous TNF-antagonist agents separately. Overall, there were no statistically significant differences in the risk of serious adverse events (HR, 0.899; 95% CI, 0.502-1.612) or serious infections (HR, 1.235; 95% CI, 0.608-2.511) between vedolizumab-treated and TNF-antagonist-treated patients. However, in TNF-antagonist-naïve patients, vedolizumab was less likely to be associated with serious adverse events than TNF antagonists (HR, 0.192; 95% CI, 0.049-0.754). Conclusions: Treatment of ulcerative colitis with vedolizumab is associated with higher rates of remission than treatment with TNF-antagonist therapy in routine practice, and lower rates of serious adverse events in TNF-antagonist-naïve patients.
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    Metal Stent Insertion for Malignant Obstruction of a Colostomy
    (Cureus, 2020-08-29) Wehbeh, Antonios; Rahal, Mahmoud; Fatima, Hala; Medicine, School of Medicine
    A 47-year-old female with metastatic cervical cancer and diverting colostomy presented with abdominal distention and minimal stool output from her colostomy. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a metastatic mass causing partial obstruction at the colostomy level and significant proximal colonic dilation. Her obstruction was relieved by the endoscopic placement of a metal stent through the stoma, with the stent’s distal edge visible externally but not protruding beyond skin level. Two months later, the stent remained patent and did not migrate. This case highlights a viable palliative treatment option for patients who are not operative candidates.