The colonoscopy remains the gold standard of care for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Its success is, for the most part, hinged on its ability to reach the cecum— dubbed cecal intubation— and its adequate visualization of the colonic mucosa. Amongst multiple factors ranging from an inadequate bowel preparation to anatomical barriers, the ability to achieve cecal intubation is not always possible. Hence, with a smaller diameter and robust flexibility, the use of a smallercaliber endoscope or an ultraslim colonoscope makes more difficult procedures a possibility...

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a major global health threat. The infected patients may present with a broad spectrum of clinical signs and symptoms, from being asymptomatic to developing flu-like symptoms or pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiorgan failure, and death. 1, 2 Gastrointestinal symptoms are also common in patients with COVID-19, and some cases may first present with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea even without other symptoms. 3, 4 Although viral transmission is primarily through small respiratory droplets and direct contact, there is also the possibility of both bioaerosol transmission and fecal contamination...

This prospective, single center study examined the occurrence of synchronous Secondary Primary Tumours (SPTs) of the oesophagus in patients with a new diagnosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The idea of ‘ field cancerization’ – where similarly exposed areas to a primary cancer are at higher risk of developing carcinoma – is theorized for the cause of this common phenomenon. The findings of other studies put the incidence of synchronous SPTs in HNSCC as high as 36%...

Background: From many years ago, gastric lavage has been one of the main pillars of the classic treatment for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). The present study investigated the effect of gastric lavage with hemostatic powder on the UGIB complications. Methods: This clinical trial study was performed on 54 patients who referred to the emergency department during 2017-2018. The subjects were divided into two groups (n=27 per group). Gastric lavage with saline and hemostasis powder® was performed in the control and experimental groups, respectively. The patients' information was collected and analyzed using SPSS software Version. 18. The significance level was set to p<0. 05%. Results: In this study, 59. 2% and 18. 5% of the patients in the gastric lavage with Hemostasis Powder® and saline required no treatment during the early endoscopy, respectively (p=0. 002). The duration of endoscopy was shorter in the experimental group (p=0. 001), (4. 83± 8. 04 hours vs. 6. 73± 14. 12 hours, respectively) (p=0. 001). Moreover, the gastric lavage with Hemostasis Powder® significantly improved the quality of endoscopy. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of their need for blood transfusion (p=0. 4). Conclusion: Gastric lavage with hemostasis powder® is a useful measure in the primary treatment of patients with UGIB and can convert emergency therapeutic endoscopy to diagnostic elective endoscopy with higher quality.