niloufar shabanikia

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a noninvasive method to detect pancreaticobiliary strictures. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of MRCP and detect sensitive and specific radiologic features in distinguishing malignant and benign pathologies.

In this study, 50 patients with biliary obstruction and a confirmed diagnosis using histopathology were included. The pathologies were evaluated using MRCP which were categorized into malignant and benign strictures. The etiology of strictures was detected using histopathology and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The diagnostic performance of MRCP was calculated using SPSS software. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Of 50 patients, 23 patients (46%) had malignant strictures based on MRCP and histopathology. The sensitivity and specificity of MRCP to detect malignancy were 95.7% and 96.3%, respectively. The most sensitive MRCP features to detect malignancy were upstream biliary duct dilation, abrupt tapering, and the presence of a solid mass with sensitivity 100%, 95.7%, and 78.2%, respectively. The malignancy rate was significantly higher in the strictures with length >11.5 mm or wall thickness >2.75 mm (P < 0.05).

MRCP is a sensitive method to differentiate malignant lesions from benign pathologies. A long and thick stricture with the presence of a solid mass, upstream biliary duct dilation, and abrupt tapering is highly suggestive of malignancy

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the biliary tract (B‑IPMN) is an intraductal growing mucin producing tumor that is precursor of cholangiocarcinoma. Dilation of both upstream and downstream biliary ducts is the radiological key feature that is respectively caused by intraductal obstructive growth and massive mucin production. Although B‑IPMN is rare, if the radiologist is familiar with its manifestation, can lead to early diagnosis when surgical resection can be curative. Here, we report a long standing pathologically proved case of B‑IPMN with emphasis on radiological manifestation during a long time of 13 years across different imaging modalities.

Dietary intakes, especially dairy products, can be the cause of change or onset of the symptoms in functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dairy consumption and prevalence of IBS in Iranian adults.
This cross-sectional study was based on SEPAHAN project that was done among 4763 of staffs of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, during 2 phases. IBS and nutrient intake were assessed using ROME III criteria and validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), respectively. Completed questionnaires of the 2 phases which were of the subjects with lactose intolerance were excluded which resulted in 2849 questionnaires. Cases were devided to 3 consecutive groups of dairy consumption named dairy intake tertiles. The odds ratios (OR) were evaluated for IBS in dairy intake tertiles.
Findings: Prevalence of IBS was estimated 20.7%. There was no significant difference between odds ratio of IBS in crude models of low- and high-fat dairy consumption. Controlling for potential confounders did not change the results. However, there was a positive and negative association between consumption of average amount of high fat (OR: 1.11, Confidence interval of 95%: 0.87-1.41) and higher intake of low-fat dairy products (OR: 0.87, Confidence interval of 95%: 0.69-1.10) with higher prevalence of IBS. In addition, abdominal pain was related adversely to average amount of dairy consumption (OR: 0.79, Confidence interval of 95%: 0.64-0.98).
There was no significant association between IBS prevalence and dairy consumption; although, average intake of dairy products can be protective against abdominal pain.