Publications by authors named "Gianluca Franchellucci"

Endoscopic ultrasonography represents a crucial aspect of the diagnosis of pancreatic lesions. The echo-endoscopic features of pancreatic lesions, particularly their contrast behavior with the advent of Contrast-Enhanced EUS (CE-EUS) and Contrast Enhanced Harmonic-EUS (CH-EUS), can predict a lesion's aggressiveness, depending on its nature. According to this, CH-EUS could be applied to structure an even more dedicated approach to patient care, for example, to ascertain eligibility for surgical intervention of a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) or the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in cases deemed borderline resectable.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background:  Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided gallbladder drainage (GBD) and EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy (CDS) with lumen-apposing metal stents are alternative approaches to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. We compared EUS-GBD and EUS-CDS as first-line therapies in the management of distal malignant biliary obstruction (MBO).

Methods:  This was an international, multicenter, retrospective, observational study at 28 tertiary care centers from April 2017 to August 2024.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Gender disparity has been documented in celiac disease (CD) with a female (F)-to-male (M) ratio of 2-2.5:1. Studies examining gender differences have yielded conflicting results.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the main cause of the most frequent gastroduodenal diseases and gastric atrophy, with or without intestinal metaplasia, which predisposes to gastric cancer development. Gastric juice analysis may be useful in diagnosing these conditions, revealing the H.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lumen-apposing metal stents have expanded the therapeutic potential of interventional endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). The Hot-Spaxus (Taewoong Medical Co., Ltd.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and psoriasis are chronic inflammatory conditions belonging to the heterogeneous group of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). A significant bidirectional link between these two entities has been observed, conditioning an increased risk of IBD in patients with psoriasis and vice-versa. Biological therapies used for IBD may lead to the occurrence of psoriasis as a "paradoxical reaction.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: Subepithelial lesions (SELs) of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract present a diagnostic challenge due to their heterogeneous nature and varied clinical manifestations. Usually, SELs are small and asymptomatic; generally discovered during routine endoscopy or radiological examinations. Currently, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is the best tool to characterize gastric SELs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Gastrojejunostomy is the principal method of palliation for unresectable malignant gastric outlet obstructions (GOO). Gastrojejunostomy was traditionally performed as a surgical procedure with an open approach butrecently, notable progress in the development of minimally invasive procedures such as laparoscopic gastrojejunostomies have emerged. Additionally, advancements in endoscopic techniques, including endoscopic stenting (ES) and endoscopic ultrasound-guided gastroenterostomy (EUS-GE), are becoming more prominent.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract characterized by relapsing-remission phases. CD often requires surgical intervention during its course, mainly ileo-cecal/ileo-colonic resection. However, surgery in CD is not curative and post-operative recurrence (POR) can happen.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The optimal management of duodenal neuroendocrine neoplasms (dNENs) sized 10-20 mm remains controversial and although endoscopic resection is increasingly performed instead of surgery, the therapeutic approach in this setting is not fully standardized. We performed a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis to clarify the outcomes of endoscopic resection for 10-20 mm dNENs in terms of efficacy (i.e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aims: Lynch syndrome (LS) is currently one of the most prevalent hereditary cancer conditions, accounting for 3% of all colorectal cancers and for up to 15% of those with DNA mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency, and it was one of the first historically identified. The understanding of the molecular carcinogenesis of LS tumors has progressed significantly in recent years. We aim to review the most recent advances in LS research and explore genotype-based approaches in surveillance, personalized cancer prevention, and treatment strategies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction:  Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided drainage of symptomatic pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) using the Hot-Axios device has recently been associated with a significant risk of bleeding. This adverse event (AE) seems to occur less frequently with the use of a different device, the Spaxus stent. The aim of the current study was to compare the rates of bleeding between the two stents.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aim: Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding or malabsorption represents the most frequent aetiologies of iron deficiency anemia (IDA). The cause of IDA remains undetermined in ~10% to 20% of patients undergoing upper and lower GI endoscopies. In this scenario, a small bowel examination with videocapsule endoscopy (VCE) is recommended.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face a two to three-fold higher risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) compared to the general population. In recent years, significant progress has been made in comprehending the natural history of IBD-associated CRC (IBD-CRC) and refining its treatment strategies. The decreased incidence of IBD-CRC can be attributed to improved therapeutic management of inflammation, advancements in endoscopy, and early detection of precancerous lesions via surveillance programs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is considered the preferred method for managing biliary obstructions. However, the prevalence of surgically modified anatomies often poses challenges, making the standard side-viewing duodenoscope unable to reach the papilla in most cases. The increasing instances of surgically altered anatomies (SAAs) result from higher rates of bariatric procedures and surgical interventions for pancreatic malignancies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMSs) are crucial for ultrasonography-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) in patients who are not fit for surgery, especially those with acute cholecystitis.
  • A retrospective study of 54 patients showed a 100% technical success rate for LAMS placement, with 76.67% of patients achieving clinical success and only 5.6% experiencing adverse events.
  • Patients typically left the hospital after about 5 days, highlighting EUS-GBD as a safe and effective option for high-risk surgical patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Gastroesophageal reflux disease has a high incidence and prevalence in the general population. Clinical manifestations are heterogenous, and so is the response to medical treatment. Proton pump inhibitors are still the most common agents used to control reflux symptoms and for healing esophagitis, but they are not a one-size-fits-all solution for the disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluates the effectiveness of endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) using a new electrocautery lumen apposing metal stent (EC-LAMS) as a first-line treatment for patients with distal malignant biliary obstruction (DMBO) who may not be suitable for surgery.
  • Out of 37 patients, the technical success of EC-LAMS placement was 100%, with a clinical success rate showing significant bilirubin reduction, although 10.8% experienced some adverse events, like bleeding and impaction.
  • The findings suggest that EUS-GBD with EC-LAMS is a viable palliative option for managing malignant jaundice, with
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Due to the high risk of morbidity and mortality associated with surgical resection in this tract, endoscopic resection (ER) has taken the place of surgical resection as the first line treatment for non-ampullary duodenal adenomas. However, due to the anatomical characteristics of this area, which enhance the risk of post-ER problems, ER in the duodenum is particularly difficult. Due to a lack of data, no ER technique for superficial non-ampullary duodenal epithelial tumours (SNADETs) has yet been backed by strong, high-quality evidence; yet, traditional hot snare-based techniques are still regarded as the standard treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Over the last two decades, endoscopic eradication therapy has been established as the therapeutic strategy of choice for patients with Barrett's oesophagus-related dysplasia and early oesophageal adenocarcinoma. With a multimodal approach, ablative therapies have been highly effective in achieving remarkable eradication rates of metaplastic epithelium with an acceptable adverse event rate. Among ablative techniques, radiofrequency ablation is currently considered as the first-line option as its efficacy and safety are strongly supported by relevant data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inflammatory bowel diseases, namely ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are chronic and relapsing conditions that pose a growing burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Because of their complex and partly unknown etiology and pathogenesis, the management of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease can prove challenging not only from a clinical point of view but also for resource optimization. Artificial intelligence, an umbrella term that encompasses any cognitive function developed by machines for learning or problem solving, and its subsets machine learning and deep learning are becoming ever more essential tools with a plethora of applications in most medical specialties.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF