Case Reports in Gastrointestinal Medicine

Ectopic varices account for 1%–5% of all variceal bleeding episodes in patients with portal hypertension. They can be found at any part of gastrointestinal tract including the small intestines, colon, or rectum. We report a case of a 59-year-old man who presented with bleeding per rectum 2 days after a routine colonoscopy, in which 2 lesions were biopsied. Gastroscopy was negative for bleeding, and he was not stable enough to undergo colonoscopy. CT angiography showed a large portosystemic shunt with multiple collaterals in the right lower quadrant. These findings were clues for a diagnosis of ectopic cecal varices.

Patients with autoimmune conditions show a high expression of proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-17. While IL-17 inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in managing autoimmune disorders, rare instances of de novo or exacerbated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been reported. The factors that affect the onset and severity remain unclear. Here, we present a case of a 38-year-old female who developed manifestations of Crohn’s disease within 1 month of initiating secukinumab treatment for psoriatic arthritis, in addition to a review of the role of IL-17 in the pathophysiology of Crohn’s disease.

The cribriform-morular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (CMV-PTC) is now designated as morular cribriform thyroid carcinoma (CMTC) according to the 5^th edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Thyroid Tumors. CMTC can appear within a familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or be sporadic. We report the first case of a young female patient in China who was diagnosed with FAP and CMTC with a mutation in exon 16 of the APC gene underlying the disease. The main purpose of this case report is to provide a special pathological type of thyroid tumors, which is expected to be helpful for clinical work in the future.

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is a common cause of gastric lymphoma. Although most cases are associated with an H. pylori infection, approximately 10% are H. pylori-negative. Patients with gastric MALT lymphoma are usually asymptomatic or present with nonspecific symptoms such as abdominal pain, dyspepsia, weight loss, and occult gastrointestinal bleeding. In this report, we describe two patients with H. pylori-negative MALT lymphoma who both presented with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding that led to hemodynamic instability. After resuscitation, emergent endoscopy was performed. Both patients had the t (11; 18) (q21; q21) translocation, which prompted direct treatment by radiotherapy.

Acquired tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) is a rare complication of esophageal or lung cancer. A 57-year-old male presented with complaints of vomiting, cough, 20 lb weight loss, and progressive dysphagia. Early laryngoscopy and CT chest showed a normal pharynx with an irregular thickness of the thoracic esophagus. The upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) and upper endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) revealed a hypoechoic mass evolving as complete obstruction. During the procedure, minimal CO₂ was used for insufflation; however, when attempts were made to traverse the obstruction, capnography revealed an end-tidal CO₂ (EtCO₂) estimating 90 mmHg indicating possible TEF. This case depicts the use of capnography during UGIE in diagnosing an acquired TEF.

Collagenous gastritis has been reported as a rare cause of nausea, diarrhea, weight changes, and early satiety in female patients. Here, we describe two women aged 43 and 71 years who presented with similar symptoms. Gastric biopsies from both individuals showed thickened, irregular subepithelial collagen bands (>10 μm). The pathogenesis of collagenous gastritis is poorly understood, but it may be the presenting symptom for many underlying autoimmune conditions. In particular, there is a well-established connection between collagenous disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and celiac sprue, Sjögren syndrome, and lymphocytic colitis; however, none of these conditions had been diagnosed in our patients. The older woman had incidentally discovered hypogammaglobinemia and IgA deficiency, whereas the younger woman suffered from fibromyalgia. Although a gluten-free diet and budesonide have been effective in some cases, there is no standardized therapy for collagenous gastritis. Our patients trialed diet modification and have required no additional medical interventions.