The diagnosis and management of colorectal cancer in patients who have inflammatory bowel disease is fraught with challenges and the subject is not without controversy. Optimal management requires a thorough knowledge of both diseases as well as the benefits and limitations of colonoscopic surveillance, careful IBD control, high-quality colonoscopy, robust surveillance booking mechanisms, empathic patient education and excellent communication across the multidisciplinary team looking after the patient. Make a mistake and your patient might be subjected to unnecessary life-changing surgery or exposed to an avoidably high lifetime risk of cancer. Here I discuss the mistakes that are often made when managing patients undergoing colitis surveillance. The discussion is evidence based, but where evidence is lacking, the discussion is based on my personal experience of more than 20 years in the field.  

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains an important global health concern. It is estimated that there are approximately 50 million people infected with HCV globally, with around 1 million new infections each year and about 242,000 deaths annually attributed to HCV-related complications. Most acute HCV infections (55–85%) become chronic due to the virus’s effective evasion strategies, with spontaneous clearance being rare once chronicity is established. This condition often progresses silently, with many individuals unaware of their infection until advanced liver damage has occurred. If left untreated, HCV can lead to severe complications, including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCV transmission occurs mainly through percutaneous exposure to infected blood. HCV can also spread from mother to infant (vertical transmission) and, less frequently, via sexual contact.1,2 In recent years, the introduction of oral direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), with remarkable safety and effectiveness profiles, has led to a sustained virological response (SVR) in virtually all (>97%) HCV-infected patients, regardless of HCV genotype or disease stage. However, significant barriers remain, such as issues with diagnosis, access to treatment and awareness of the disease.

Here, we discuss some of the misconceptions in HCV management and provide a practical management approach grounded in evidence and clinical experience.

Jaundice can be caused by abnormalities in any of the steps comprising the formation, metabolism and excretion of bilirubin. In addition, these processes may be functioning properly, but jaundice can be seen because of an obstruction of the biliary tree at any point, from its intrahepatic origins to its end at the ampulla of Vater. For this reason, it is clear that numerous conditions can result in jaundice. When faced with a patient presenting with jaundice a reasonable and careful diagnostic approach is, therefore, warranted to elucidate the underlying cause of this sign. Conventional wisdom may be that “jaundice by itself never killed anyone,” but it is imperative to find the cause as soon as possible, as prompt intervention saves lives in many cases.

It is a difficult task and a great responsibility to evaluate and manage patients with acute - and potentially life-threatening - clinical presentations. It is even more complex to achieve high standards of care for cases on call. Indeed, on-call gastroenterologists, hepatologists and endoscopists are faced with a wide and protean range of gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatic emergencies.  The decision-making process for cases on call is mainly based on information received over the phone, on medical knowledge and clinical experience, and on the resources available. As the degree of confidence in any information given on call may vary, it is of tremendous importance to note, and to document, with precise timing, what has been communicated by, proposed to, and eventually decided with, multiple caregivers (i.e. nurses, emergency physicians, intensive care physicians, surgeons, radiologists etc.)

Acute diverticulitis is an inflammatory complication of diverticulosis and can either be uncomplicated or complicated. Making the distinction between uncomplicated and complicated acute diverticulitis is essential because treatment strategies differ between the two. Here, we discuss 10 mistakes frequently made when managing patients with acute diverticulitis. We focus on using the correct terminology, diagnostic preference and several treatment options, such as omitting or administering antibiotics, radiological interventions and various aspects of surgery. Acute diverticulitis is an important topic because its incidence is rising worldwide and it is becoming a considerable burden on healthcare systems. Most of the discussion included here is evidence-based, supplemented with many years’ combined clinical experience where evidence is lacking.

Adequate nutrition is essential for the homeostasis of fluids and nutrients, growth and thriving, especially in children. While the underlying principle of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement is the same for both adults and children—providing a means of enteral feeding through the stomach—the indications, considerations and techniques differ owing to anatomical differences, age-dependent physiological concerns, and the age- and disease-specific needs of the child.

If feeding via nasogastric tube (NGT) or naso-jejunal tube (NJT) is necessary for a prolonged time, placement of a PEG or percutaneous endoscopic gastro-jejunal (PEG-J) tube should be considered. A PEG tube also allows the delivery of medications and venting of the stomach when needed. Nutrition via PEG facilitates the transition to out-of-hospital care and improves the quality of life (QoL) for children and families while improving the outcome of children with chronic diseases.

There are recent clinical guidelines providing guidance for PEG tube placement in children, but little advice on, e.g., choosing the right device for the right patient, details on postoperative management, removal of the PEG tube and other specific cases. The following article provides a combination of evidence-based data and the authors’ clinical experience.