Clinical Outcomes Associated with Treatment Modalities for Gastrointestinal Bezoars

• Published in: Gut and liver Vol. 8; no. 4; pp. 400 - 407
• Main Authors: Park, So-Eun, Ahn, Ji Yong, Jung, Hwoon-Yong, Park, Se Jeong, Lim, Hyun, Choi, Kwi-Sook, Lee, Jeong Hoon, Kim, Do Hoon, Choi, Kee Don, Song, Ho June, Lee, Gin Hyug, Kim, Jin-Ho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Gut and Liver 01.07.2014; Gastroenterology Council for Gut and Liver; 거트앤리버 소화기연관학회협의회
• Subjects: Abdominal Pain - etiology; Aged; bezoars; Bezoars - diagnosis; Bezoars - surgery; endoscopy; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal - methods; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases - diagnosis; Gastrointestinal Diseases - surgery; Humans; Lithotripsy - methods; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Retrospective Studies; surgery; Treatment Outcome; 내과학; Bezoars; Surgery; Endoscopy
• ISSN: 1976-2283; 2005-1212; 2005-1212
• DOI: 10.5009/gnl.2014.8.4.400

With technical and instrumental advances, the endoscopic removal of bezoars is now more common than conventional surgical removal. We investigated the clinical outcomes in a patient cohort with gastrointestinal bezoars removed using different treatment modalities. Between June 1989 and March 2012, 93 patients with gastrointestinal bezoars underwent endoscopic or surgical procedures at the Asan Medical Center. These patients were divided into endoscopic (n=39) and surgical (n=54) treatment groups in accordance with the initial treatment modality. The clinical feature and outcomes of these two groups were analyzed retrospectively. The median follow-up period was 13 months (interquartile range [IQR], 0 to 77 months) in 93 patients with a median age of 60 years (IQR, 50 to 73 years). Among the initial symptoms, abdominal pain was the most common chief complaint (72.1%). The bezoars were commonly located in the stomach (82.1%) in the endoscopic treatment group and in the small bowel (66.7%) in the surgical treatment group. The success rates of endoscopic and surgical treatment were 89.7% and 98.1%, and the complication rates were 12.8% and 33.3%, respectively. Endoscopic removal of a gastrointestinal bezoar is an effective treatment modality; however, surgical removal is needed in some cases.