7 Reasons to Look for Cleveland Clinic at DDW 2016

Cleveland Clinic physicians and fellows will make over 70 oral and poster presentations at DDW 2016. John Vargo, MD, MPH, Chair of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, says the following seven should not be missed:

1. “The validation of triethylamine as a novel biomarker that identifies patients with alcoholic hepatitis.” Naim Alkhouri, MD. This novel approach may help diagnose alcoholic hepatitis in patients with severe hepatitis or liver failure of unknown etiology.
2. “Immunochip analysis identifies multiple susceptibility loci for collagenous colitis.” Florian Rieder, MD. The ability to identify a potential immunologic cause for this disease opens the door for development of a noninvasive way to diagnose the disorder and fashion immunotherapies to treat it.
3. “Endoscopic submucosal dissection vs laparoscopic surgery for large colonic polyps: A cost analysis.” Amit Bhatt, MD. Findings suggest that endoscopic dissection is a more cost-effective strategy than laparoscopic surgery for this purpose.
4. “Propylactic endotracheal intubation in critically ill patient with upper gastrointestinal bleeding is associated with higher cardiopulmonary events.” Peter Lee, MD. This provocative study shows that this common practice may increase morbidity and mortality independent of the severity of GI bleeding.
5. “Analysis of exhaled breath volatile organic compounds can be used to differentiate children with celiac disease from healthy controls.” Naim Alkhouri, MD. This exciting data demonstrates a noninvasive way to diagnose celiac disease and follow treatment efficacy in children.
6. “Endoscopic dilation for primary Crohn’s disease strictures in the upper GI tract: Efficacy, safety and long-term outcome.” Florian Rieder, MD. A work that examines the value of dilating strictures in the presence of active inflammation and fibrosis.
7. “Gastroesophageal reflux disease patterns after lung transplantation and their association with worse post-lung transplant outcomes.” Zubin Arora, MD. Gastroesophageal reflux — common after lung transplantation —can adversely impact the graft organ if left untreated.

Trends of note at DDW 2016

As always, DDW offers presentations on key topics of interest to practitioners. This year, Dr. Vargo says the focus is on endoscopy.

“I see a cornucopia of excellent studies designed to improve endoscopic practice outcomes in terms of quality, safety and efficacy. These studies will allow attendees to augment their approach to endoscopic practice,” he says.

Important presentations will include:

• New information on endoscopic-driven therapies for obesity
• More information on the volume of procedures trainees should have to gain competency.
• Peroral endoscopic pyloromyotomy as a treatment for gastroparesis. “By utilizing advanced endoscopic technique to disrupt the pylorus, the authors have shown this treatment may be an exciting nonpharmacologic way to treat gastroparesis,” says Dr. Vargo.

Follow Dr. Vargo on Twitter @JohnVargoMD and live-tweet #DDW16 with Cleveland Clinic physicians. Visit us at Booth #4620 to meet our staff and learn more about our program.