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ACG is committed to keeping members abreast of current clinical
updates on disease treatment. We offer Clinical Updates through
practice guidelines and research published in The American
Journal of Gastroenterology and Nature Reviews
Gastroenterology & Hepatology. The American Journal of
Gastroenterology is available for free to all ACG Members.
ACG Members, Fellows (FACG), Masters, and International Members
qualify for a free subscription to Nature Reviews
Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Members also receive clinical
updates twice-weekly through ACG’s e-newsletter, ACG SmartBrief,
that delivers summaries of the latest news. ACG also publishes
special papers and monographs throughout the year.
To learn more about ACG’s Clinical Updates, see below.

The College publishes guidelines on gastrointestinal diseases
in the American Journal of Gastroenterology that have been developed
and reviewed under the auspices of the ACG Practice Parameters
Committee.
Diagnosis
and Management of Achalasia (December 1999)
Diagnosis, Surveillance and Therapy of Barrett’s
Esophagus (March 2008)
Colorectal Cancer Screening (March 2009)
Diagnosis, Treatment and Surveillance for Patients with Colorectal Polyps (November 2000)
Management of Crohn’s
Disease in Adults (February 2009)
Diagnosis and Management of C. difficile-Associated Diarrhea and Colitis (May 1997)
Acute Infectious Diarrhea in Adults (November 1997)
Diagnosis and Management of Diverticular Disease of the Colon in Adults (November 1999)
Management of Dyspepsia (October 2005)
Esophageal
Cancer (January 1999)
Diagnosis and Treatment of Esophageal Diseases Associated with HIV Infection (November 1996)
Esophageal Reflux Testing (March 2007)
Role of Esophageal Stents in Benign and Malignant Diseases (February 2010)
Diagnosis
and Management of Fecal Incontinence (August 2004)
Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (January 2005)
Management of the Adult Patient with Acute Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding (August 1998)
Management of Helicobacter pylori Infection (August 2007)
Hepatic
Encephalopathy (July 2001)
Liver
Disease in the Pregnant Patient (July 1999)
Prevention of NSAID-Related Ulcer Complications (March 2009)
Acute
Pancreatitis (October 2006)
Management of Primary Schlerosing Cholangitis (March 2002)
Ulcerative
Colitis in Adults (March 2010)
Guidelines Produced in Association with other Organizations
Alcoholic
Liver Disease (January 2010)
Prevention and Management of Gastroesophageal Varices and Variceal Hemorrhage in Cirrhosis (September 2007)
Screening and Surveillance of the Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer And Adenomatous Polyps (March 2008)
Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment of Hepatitis C: An Update (April 2009)

Measuring
the Quality of Endoscopy
Quality
Indicators for Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Procedures: An Introduction
Quality
Indicators for Colonoscopy
Quality
Indicators for Esophagogastroduodenoscopy
Quality
Indicators for Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
Quality
Indicators for Endoscopic Ultrasonography

Are hospitals and health insurance plans exposed to potential
litigation if they don't establish guidelines for determining competency
in providing endoscopic procedures? ACG in cooperation with ASGE,
has published "Ensuring Competence in Endoscopy" which
helps to answer this question. Along with the joint publication,
a legal memorandum from a nationally-renowned litigation law firm,
Williams & Connolly, is included. ACG members will receive
a copy in the mail and ACG is also mailing a copy to all hospitals
and health plans across the country. PDF's of each may also be
found by clicking on one of the links below.
Ensuring
Competence in Endoscopy (for the GI physician)
Ensuring
Competence in Endoscopy Executive Briefing (for the hospital
or health plan administrator)

Highlights from the current issue:
Ulcerative Colitis Practice Guidelines in Adults
It has been six years since the American College of Gastroenterology updated its guidelines on the management of adults with ulcerative colitis. In this issue of the Journal, Kornbluth and Sachar provide a comprehensive resource covering diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy for patients with this disease. CME is available for this article. (more)
Prospective Multicenter Trial Comparing Push-and-Pull Enteroscopy with the Single- and Double-Balloon Techniques in Patients With Small-Bowel Disorders
Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) is now an established method for diagnostic and therapeutic small-bowel endoscopy. Single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) has been introduced to simplify the technique. This prospective randomized study was carried out to compare the two methods. The authors conclude that complete enteroscopy is achievable three times more frequently with DBE than with SBE, accompanied by a higher diagnostic yield. For this reason they suggest that DBE be regarded as the nonsurgical gold-standard procedure for deep small-bowel endoscopy. (more)
Predictors of Colorectal Cancer After Negative Colonoscopy: A Population-Based Study A higher proportion of colorectal neoplasia among women occurs in the proximal colon, which might be more frequently missed by colonoscopy. There are no data on predictors of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) after a negative colonoscopy in usual clinical practice. After evaluating gender differences and predictors of CRC occurring after a negative colonoscopy, the authors concluded that women may have a higher rate of missed/early CRCs with colonoscopy. Predictors of missed/early CRCs after negative colonoscopy include older subject age and performance of index colonoscopy by a non-gastroenterologist. CME is available for this article. (more)

Highlights from the current issue:
The role of alcohol and smoking in pancreatitis
Chronic alcohol use has been linked to pancreatitis for over a century, but its role in the disease has only been recently elucidated. This Review focuses on what is known from animal models and association studies conducted in humans about the relationship between alcohol consumption, smoking, and chronic pancreatitis. The authors discuss the incidence, pathogenesis and etiology of pancreatitis as well as mechanisms of disease. (more)
Gastrointestinal eosinophils in health, disease and functional disorders
Eosinophils are potent innate immune cells that are numerous in the gastrointestinal tract in health and disease. This Review discusses the role of eosinophils in the pathogenesis of numerous disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, including primary eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders, common functional conditions (such as dyspepsia), and gastrointestinal disorders in patients with allergic disease. CME is available for this article. (more)
Mortality in celiac disease
Although the prevalence rates of celiac disease tend to be very similar in different Western populations, mortality rates for this disease vary widely. This Review focuses on the mortality rates for the different forms of celiac disease and potential protective factors, such as adherence to a gluten-free diet, early diagnosis and severity of clinical presentation. The authors also propose a hypothesis that links mortality rates to the amount of gluten consumed not only after but also before the diagnosis of celiac disease. (more)
Pathogenesis of IBS: role of inflammation, immunity and neuroimmune interactions
IBS is thought to be caused by dysfunctions in the gut–brain axis. Low-grade inflammation and immunological alterations may underlie disease symptoms. The authors discuss evidence for a role of innate and adaptive immunity in IBS and the mechanisms by which the immune and neural systems interact in the generation of symptoms. (more)

ACG SmartBrief, emailed twice weekly to ACG members,
provides summaries of the latest news in gastroenterology. You’ll
find news coverage of Clinical Updates, Legal & Regulatory,
Practice News, Business & Market Trends, Patient Perspectives,
and more. If you are an ACG member and are not currently receiving ACG
SmartBrief, update your member record by adding your email
address information.
Coming soon, search past issues of ACG SmartBrief to
find articles of interest.

You may request a free copy on any of the monographs listed below
by visiting the ACG Store. Many of these monographs are for
ACG members only.
IBD & Osteoporosis:
A Guide to Diagnosis and Management (2001)
Managing
Variceal Bleeding in the Cirrhotic (1996)
You may download a copy of the monograph listed below by clicking on the link.
Pregnancy in Gastrointestinal Disorders (Updated 2007)
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