No abstract

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia is a rare vascular genetic disease. Epistaxis is the most frequent and disabling manifestation, and timolol appears to be a new therapeutic option as non-selective beta-blockers have in vitro and in vivo anti-angiogenic properties. Our main objective was to evaluate the efficacy of TIMOLOL nasal spray as a treatment for epistaxis in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. This study is a single-center, randomized, phase 2, double-blind placebo-controlled study with an allocation ratio of 1:1. It was proposed to patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia monitored at the French Reference Center, and we included patients aged over 18 years, diagnosed with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and epistaxis. The treatment was self-administered by the patient with a posology of one spray (50 µL) of timolol 0.5% or placebo in each nostril twice a day for 28 consecutive days. The primary efficacy endpoint was mean monthly epistaxis duration, assessed by monitoring epistaxis grids. A total of 58 patients were randomized and treated. The baseline characteristics were similar in the 2 groups. Mean monthly epistaxis duration measured at 3 months was not significantly different in the 26 patients receiving the drug in comparison with the placebo group (p = 0.54). Toxicity was low and no severe adverse events were reported. One limitation is that we included all HHT patients with nosebleeds and did not take into account history of nasal surgery or nasal crusts. Timolol, administered by nasal spray at a dose of 0.25 mg in each nostril twice a day for 28 consecutive days, did not improve epistaxis in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia at 4 months after the beginning of the treatment.

Most serious button-battery ingestions are not witnessed and they can cause life threatening complications. We present here the case of a 3-year-old girl who swallowed a button battery in January 2016 with a delayed diagnosis being made after 10 days. A 5-mm tracheoesophageal fistula was endoscopically diagnosed (▶ Fig. 1). The first attempts at closure involved the deployment of two successive esophageal covered stents between January and May (▶ Fig. 2). The fistula decreased in size but persisted, so we then attempted controlled wound healing with a nasogastric tube, but the fistula still remained. Next, we tried a side fistula abrasion with argon plasma coagulation. Unfortunately, these techniques did not allow full recovery, even though the fistula reduced notably. After 1 year, we tried endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of the mucosa surrounding the fistula, resecting a 1-cm mucosal patch centered on the fistula. After injecting the submucosa and making the mucosal incision, we used a Dual-Knife (Olympus) to dissect the fibrotic area. After the dissection, the fistula was closed with three clips anchored into the submucosa of the resected area (▶ Fig. 3; ▶ Video 1). We arranged a radiologic check with contrast, which Video 1 Views of the fistula and previous attempts to close it. The endoscopic submucosal dissection procedure is performed to resect the surrounding mucosa, which is subsequently clipped to close the fistula. ▶ Fig. 1 Appearance of the tracheoesophageal fistula in a 3-year-old girl after ingestion of a button battery. ▶ Fig. 2 Radiographic images showing: a the fistula on a barium swallow; b the first attempted closure procedure with a stent positioned in the esophagus.