Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology : Official Journal of the Saudi Gastroenterology Association

BACKGROUND: Multichannel Intraesophageal Impedance with pH (MII-pH) provides complete characterization of gastroesophageal reflux (GER). The aim of this study was to report our experience in this relatively new technique, emphasizing the challenges in the performance and interpretation of the results. METHODS: The study was conducted at King Khalid University Hospital at King Saud University in Riyadh. A retrospective review of the medical records of children who underwent MII-pH was performed...

Recent advances in the field of hepatology include new and effective treatments for viral hepatitis. Further effort is now being directed to other disease entities, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, with an increased need for assessment of liver function and histology. In fact, with the evolving nomenclature of fat-associated liver disease and the emergence of the term "metabolic-associated fatty liver disease" (MAFLD), new diagnostic challenges have emerged as patients with histologic absence of steatosis can still be classified under the umbrella of MAFLD...

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic head cancer accompanied by obstructive jaundice is a common clinical situation. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) on clinical outcomes in patients with severe obstructive jaundice. METHODS: Patients with a bilirubin level of ≥250 mmol/L at diagnosis who underwent PBD were included. The primary endpoints and secondary endpoints were the postoperative severe complications rates. Secondary endpoints were the degree of improvement in general condition, predictors of severe postoperative complications, and the impact of PBD on patients with bilirubin levels >300 mmol/L...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is the most common malignancy in Saudi males and third most common in females. Patients with locally advanced colon cancer may eventually develop metastatic disease if not treated promptly and according to guidelines. The recent National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline recommends tumor resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III and high-risk stage II tumors. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize patients with locally advanced colon cancer and identify factors associated with the use of adjuvant chemotherapy and the addition of oxaliplatin in locally advanced colon cancer patients...

A substantial proportion of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) do not fall into any of the defined phases and are considered to be in the "gray zone" or "indeterminate phase." Most of the current clinical practice guidelines have no recommendations for antiviral treatment for them. However, the gray zone CHB patients with significant hepatitis B virus levels (>2000 IU/mL) and persistently normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels have a significantly high risk of hepatic inflammation, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma...

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to construct an enteral nutrition evaluation system for critically ill patients using the Delphi method to direct the formulation of enteral nutrition support strategies and reduce interruption to enteral feeding. METHODS: We used domestic and foreign databases to obtain and analyze the literature and form "The Whole-Proceeding Enteral Nutrition Evaluation System for Critically Ill Patients." The Delphi method was used to conduct two rounds of expert opinion consultation, combined with the suggestions from the research group to finalize the nutrition evaluation content of the system...

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to estimate the effectiveness of early biologics compared to conventional treatment in the management of Crohn's disease among pediatric and adolescent patients. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in four electronic databases to identify relevant studies published from inception to 2023. The inclusion criteria comprised randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies that reported on the efficacy and clinical outcomes of early biologic therapy compared to late/conventional therapy in children with Crohn's disease...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: We utilized the data from the Saudi national biliary atresia (BA) study (2000-2018) to describe the clinical, biochemical, imaging, and histopathological features of BA and the perioperative clinical practices among local pediatric gastroenterologists. METHODS: This is a retrospective, multicenter, nationwide study that included 10 tertiary care governmental hospitals including the four liver transplant (LT) centers in different regions across Saudi Arabia...

BACKGROUND: : The yield of colonoscopy in cases presenting with lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) in previously published studies varies according to several factors, including endoscopic skills, histopathological experience, and pattern of colonic pathology in different countries. The local literature is limited to a single small 20-year-old study. Our objective was to provide updated data on the diagnostic yield of colonoscopy in Saudi children with LGIB in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: : This was a retrospective analysis of pediatric patients (0-14 years of age) who underwent colonoscopy for LGIB at the King Fahad Medical City (KFMC), from 2008 to 2018...

BACKGROUND: The aim of the observational, prospective study was to validate a novel, nonverbal assessment tool for perceived disease burden-Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self-Measure (PRISM)-in ulcerative colitis (UC) against established patient health questionnaires. The cumulative burden of patients recently diagnosed (<3 years) with UC was also evaluated. METHODS: "ICONIC" - Understanding the impact of ulcerative colitis and its associated disease burden on patients - was a noninterventional, multicountry, multicenter study performed in a 2-year follow-up format in adult patients with recently diagnosed UC in 33 countries, regardless of disease severity or treatment...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: To determine KRAS gene in circulating tumor DNA in comparison with histological grading through liquid biopsy in colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: This dual-centered cross-sectional study included 73 diagnosed patients of colorectal cancer at different grading levels [Grade I, well differentiated (n = 7, 9.5%); Grade II, moderately differentiated (n = 14,18.9%); and Grade III, poorly differentiated (n = 52, 70%)]. Blood was collected, and plasma was separated...

BACKGROUND: Esophageal motility disorders (EMDs) can significantly impact patients' quality of life. The Chicago Classification (CC) was developed as a robust framework to enable clinicians to better understand and classify the nature of motility disorders. Previous studies have primarily focused on the CC version 3.0 (CCv3.0), and data regarding the correlation between symptoms and CC version 4.0 (CCv4.0) in the Saudi Arabian population are lacking. This study aimed to assess the correlation between symptoms and CCv3...

BACKGROUND: The epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its metabolic effects present a serious public health concern. We hypothesized that the Ramadan fasting model (RFM), which involves fasting from dawn to dusk for a month, could provide potential therapeutic benefits and mitigate NAFLD. Accordingly, we aimed to validate this hypothesis using obese male rats. METHODS: Rats were split into two groups (n = 24 per group), and they were given either a standard (S) or high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks...

BACKGROUND: Methods that minimize the time for on-site bowel preparation before colonoscopy are needed. We prospectively validated that a novel algorithm-based active cleansing (ABAC) protocol could reduce the time for preparation compared with the conventional method. METHODS: This was an open-label, multicenter, prospective comparative study from April to October 2021. The study compared the bowel preparation time for colonoscopy between patients instructed with the ABAC protocol and control groups...

BACKGROUND: Early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) may differ by race and ethnicity, and recently South Korea has witnessed a surge in cases. We aimed to evaluate the clinical and pathological features of patients with EOCRC, and to determine the predictors of overall survival. METHODS: In this retrospective study, EOCRC was defined as CRC diagnosed in patients aged < 50 years, and late-onset CRC was defined as CRC diagnosed in those over 75 years of age. The clinical and pathological characteristics of patients with EOCRC were compared with late-onset CRC...

BACKGROUND: Smoking poses a significant risk for colorectal cancer (CRC), considered the third leading reason for cancer-related deaths worldwide. However, there has been limited research on the relationship between smoking and CRC in the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO). Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted to combine available data and gain a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between smoking and CRC in EMRO. METHODS: Two independent researchers searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science until December 2022...

BACKGROUND: Despite the success of current treatments, many chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients still live with low-level viremia [LLV] resulting in liver disease progression. This study evaluated the long-term health and economic impact of switching to tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) from entecavir (ETV) in Saudi Arabia (SA) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) LLV patients. METHODS: A hybrid decision tree Markov state-transition model was developed to simulate a cohort of patients with CHB LLV treated with ETV and switched to TAF over a lifetime horizon in SA...