Browsing by Author "Matović, Vera (57193242761)"

Background/Aim. In recent years, many studies have demonstrated a proximal shift in the distribution of adenomas and colorectal cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in the incidence and anatomical distribution of adenomas and colorectal cancers spanning a 20 year time gap. Methods. We performed a retrospective observational study of colorectal adenomas and cancers diagnosed during total colonoscopy in a high volume tertiary care facility in two 1-year periods of time – 1990 and 2010. Results. During the analyzed period, 4,048 colonoscopies were performed, 1,148 were performed in 1990 and 2,900 were done in 2010. The study included 466 patients with adenomas and 121 patients with colorectal cancers. Frequency of proximal adenoma changed from 16.5% to 32.7% (p < 0.001). By analyzing colonoscopies in 2010, an increase in the incidence of adenomas compared to 1990 was noticed. The number of adenomas sized 0–5 mm rose from 32.8% to 56.9% (p < 0.001). Frequency of colon carcinoma changed from 5.3% to 2.0% (p < 0.001). Incidence of cancers in the proximal colon rose from 21.3% to 48.4% (p = 0.002). A higher incidence of cancers in the proximal colon and a lower incidence of distal cancers were observed, while no difference was observed in the incidence of rectal cancers. Conclusion. Presence of proximal colon adenoma and cancer is higher, while the overall incidence of colon cancer is lower. This finding should be taken into account when planning the screening for colorectal cancer. © 2018, Inst. Sci. inf., Univ. Defence in Belgrade. All rights reserved.

Introduction. Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder with estimated prevalence of one in 5,000 to 10,000. The disease has age-related penetrance and the HHT signs and symptoms occur and worsen with age. A diagnosis of HHT is based on the Curacao`s criteria. Case report. We report a case series of 6 patients diagnosed with HHT, 5 with definite and one with probable diagnosis according to the Curacao criteria. In 5 patients, the recurrent epistaxis occurred in adolescence as the first presentation while one patient presented with melena. The diagnosis was delayed in 5 patients and the presence of HHT was diagnosed during or after the fifth decade. In 4 patients, the overt gastrointestinal bleeding occurred in the later course of the disease. The asymptomatic pulmonary circulation arteriovenous malformations were detected in 2 patients. The cerebral arteriovenous malformations were not detected. Conclusion. Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia is a rare disorder affecting multiple organs. It should be considered in the adolescents with recurrent epistaxis and in the differential diagnosis of anemia with signs of the gastrointestinal bleeding in order to shorten the delay in the diagnosis and subsequently improve the outcome of the disease. © 2019, Inst. Sci. inf., Univ. Defence in Belgrade. All rights reserved.

Introduction. Angiosarcomas are malignant tumors of vascular endothelium that may arise from different locations. Although primary hepatic angiosarcoma accounts for only 1.8% of primary liver tumors, it is the most common malignant mesenchymal tumor of the liver. We report a case of primary hepatic angiosarcoma with melena as an unusual initial manifestation of this extremely rare tumor. Case report. Forty-four-years old patient with melena was referred to our Clinic because melena was not resolved after repeated argon plasma coagulation of bleeding lesions during esophagogastroduodenoscopy in the regional hospital. Abdominal ultrasound and multislice computed tomography (MSCT) revealed enlarged liver, with focal lesion 6 cm in diameter localized in the left lobe with multiple satellite lesions in both liver lobes, enlarged spleen and extremely dilated and long umbilical vein. Double-balloon enteroscopy and video capsule endoscopy detected the multiple bleeding vascular lesions in the small bowel. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry of the small bowel lesions revealed malignant mesenchymal proliferation with vascular/endothelium differentiation of neoplastic cells. The patient was diagnosed with metastatic angiosarcoma probably of hepatic origin with metastasis in the small bowel, that caused melena, and in the lumbar spine, causing back pain. Conclusion. Rare causes of melena include bleeding from primary or metastatic hemangiosarcoma localized in the gastrointestinal tract, especially small bowel. © 2019, Inst. Sci. inf., Univ. Defence in Belgrade. All rights reserved.

Backgrund/Aim. In recent decades noninvasive methods for the assessment and monitoring of liver fibrosis have been developed and evaluated in numerous chronic liver diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of noninvasive markers for fibrosis assessment transient elastography (TE) and biochemical markers using liver biopsy as reference in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Methods. One hundred and twenty-two patients underwent both liver biopsy and blood tests on the same day and TE in a month following the biopsy and the tests. Liver biopsies were reviewed by a single pathologist using the METAVIR scoring system for assessment of liver fibrosis. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), platelet ratio index (APRI), Forns scores, AST and alanine transaminase (ALT) ratio and TE were compared with liver fibrosis stage in order to determine the best noninvasive marker of liver fibrosis. Results. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) for the APRI score, Forns index and TE according to stages of liver fibrosis. TE showed superior diagnostic performance when compared to other surrogate markers of liver fibrosis that were investigated. Optimal cut-off for TE were 4.25 and 5.9 kPa for diagnosing the presence of fibrosis and distinguishing mild/moderate and advanced stages of fibrosis respectively. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) of TE were 0.963 and 0.865, respectively. Conclusion. Based on our investigation the APRI score, Forns index and TE adequately predict fibrosis stage in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, but the most sensitive and specific parameter appears to be TE. Using noninvasive markers and methods in the evaluation of patients in daily clinical practice may reduce, but not eliminate, the need for invasive diagnostic procedures. © 2018, Inst. Sci. inf., Univ. Defence in Belgrade. All rights reserved.