A Case of Double Primary Cancer in the Esophagus / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Double primary cancer is usually accompanied by gastrointestinal cancer. The incidence of histologically different cancers in the same organ is less than that of double cancers arising from different organs. The cancers accompanied by esophageal squamous cell carcinoma are laryngopharyngeal cancer, gastric adenocarcinoma and primary hepatocarcinoma. Esophageal cancer is supposed to be frequently accompanied by squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck or the upper respiratory tract because of such common carcinogens as smoking and alcohol ingestion. On the other hand, it is vary rare that a synchronous double primary cancer is diagnosed at the esophagus. We present here a case of double esophageal cancer in a 77 year-old patient who visited our hospital because of progressive dysphagia that she'd experienced for 3 weeks.

Three Cases of Double Primary Cancer in the Esophagus and Stomach / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Double primary cancer means that more than 2 cancers occur independently in an individual. There have been many reports on double primary cancer since Billroth reported it for the first time in 1889 and Warren and Gates established it. The incidence of esophageal cancer is low, about 1~2% of all cancer and, 7% of all gastrointestinal cancer, but double cancer with including esophageal cancer is 9.5~27% of all double primary cancer. Double primary cancer of the esophagus and stomach has occasionally been reported. We have experienced three cases of double primary cancer of squamous carcinoma in the esophagus and adenocarcinoma in the stomach. In this study we reviewed the clinical characteristics of the reported cases of double primary esophageal and gastric cancer that have been reported in Korea and these three cases we experienced at our hospital.

A Case of Malignant Duodenocolic Fistula / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Malignant duodenocolic fistula is a rare complication of colon cancer, and this usually develops as the right-side colon cancer or colonic hepatic flexure cancer infiltrates into the second portion of the duodenum. Six Korean cases of this malignancy have been previously reported on. The patients usually complain of watery diarrhea, feculant vomiting and weight loss that can be attributed to the altered normal flora. Barium enema has been the diagnostic procedure of choice to demonstrate the fistulous tract, but with the technical development of gastroendoscopy, the primary procedure is also changing. Curative resection is not possible in many cases. Palliative ileotransverse colostomy with gastrodjejunostomy is performed to relieve symptoms, but it cannot completely prevent the vomiting or diarrhea. We herein present a case of malignant duodenocolic fistula in a patient who had been suffering from indigestion, loose stool and feculant vomiting for one year. This case was diagnosed by endoscopy and the patient underwent a palliative operation.

Endoscopic Resection of a Large Colonic Lipoma / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Although colonic lipomas constitute the most common nonepithelial neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract, colonic lipomas are rare benign tumors. Most colonic lipomas are asymptomatic and are incidentally identified at the time of endoscopy or surgery. Lipomas may cause symptoms such as bleeding, obstruction or intussusception when the size of a tumor exceeds 2 cm. Surgical resection is recommended for larger lipomas to relieve symptoms or exclude a malignancy. There are few published reports on the endoscopic removal of colonic lipomas. Endoscopic snare polypectomy has been used to treat clinically symptomatic colonic lipomas. However, removal of lipomas 2 cm or greater in diameter has been associated with a greater risk of perforation. Using a detachable snare or hemoclipping may reduce the risk of complications after a polypectomy. We report a case of a large colonic lipoma that was treated with endoscopic polypectomy using a detachable snare and hemoclipping.

The Relationship of Gastrin, Pepsinogen, and Helicobacter pylori in Erosive Reflux Esophagitis / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is known as a major cause of atrophic gastritis and is associated with serum gastrin, pepsinogen, and gastric acid secretion. There is still a controversial association between gastroesophageal reflux disease and H. pylori infection. This study was designed to investigate the relationship among serum gastrin, pepsinogen, and H. pylori infection in the erosive reflux esophagitis (ERD) patients. METHODS: Patients who were diagnosed as ERD by one gastroenterologist at the Kangnam St. Marys hospital were prospectively enrolled. The persons without ERD in the control group were matched for age and sex. We examined the gastrin, pepsinogen I (PG I), PG II, PG I/II ratio, and H. pylori infection. RESULTS: Forty five patients were enrolled in ERD group and 66 persons in control group. The H. pylori infection rate in ERD group was lower than that in the control group (11.1% vs. 43.9%, p<0.001). PG I/II ratio in ERD group was higher than that in the control group (7.0+/-3.1 vs. 5.3+/-2.6, p=0.003). The PG II (p=0.016) and gastrin (p=0.029) in ERD group were lower than those in the control group. BMI in ERD group was higher than that in the control group (24.5 vs. 23.1 kg/m(2), p=0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The H. pylori infection rate in ERD group was lower and PG I/II ratio was higher than that in the control group. Reflux esophagitis is thought to be reversely associated with the atrophy of gastric mucosa.

Comparison of the 13C-urea breath test and the endoscopic phenol red mucosal pH test in the quantification of Helicobacter pylori infection loading

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The 13C-urea breath test (UBT) is a semiquantitative test for measuring Helicobacter pylori infection loading. H. pylori produces ammonia, which elevates the pH of the gastric mucosa and is detectable via endoscopy using a phenol red indicator. We evaluated whether this test could be used to diagnose H. pylori infection and whether phenol red staining was correlated with 13C-UBT results. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-three patients participated. The UBT was performed after ingestion of a capsule containing urea. A change in 13C-UBT >2 ppt was selected as the cutoff value for diagnosing infection. After spraying evenly with a 0.1% phenol red solution, the pH of the gastric mucosal surface was measured using an antimony electrode through the biopsy channel. RESULTS: The pH of stained mucosa (6.9+/-0.4) was significantly higher than that of unstained mucosa (1.9+/-0.8; p<0.001), and the H. pylori detection rate confirmed via histology was higher in stained versus unstained mucosa (p<0.01). Extensive mucosal staining resulted in a higher detection rate (p<0.001). The UBT produced results were very similar to those obtained via histological detection in stained mucosa (p<0.001). The extent of staining, expressed as a staining score, was positively correlated with the change in 13C-UBT (r=0.426, p<0.001). A significant correlation was also observed between the histologically determined H. pylori density and 13C-UBT results (r=0.674, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori infection elevates gastric mucosal surface pH, and endoscopic phenol red staining may be an alternative method for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection.

A Case of Dysphagia Lusoria Caused by an Aberrant Right Subclavian Artery in an Adolescent / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Dysphagia lusoria is used to describe the symptomatic compression of the esophagus from an anomalous vessel of the aortic arch. A right aortic arch with an aberrant left subclavian artery is the most common type of aortic arch abnormalities, followed by double aortic arch, and then an aberrant right subclavian artery. These anomalous vessels may cause dysphagia from the compression of the esophagus in adults, but they usually do not produce symptoms and they are usually found incidentally. Several cases of adult dysphagia lusoria have been reported in Korea, but there has been no reported case in an adolescent. We experienced a case of a 17-year-old female who suffered from dysphagia. We evaluated the possible causes of her dysphagia by performing esophagogastroduodenoscopy, esophagoraphy, esophageal manometry and chest computed tomography. We finally diagnosed this case as dysphagia lusoria caused by an aberrant right subclavian artery.

Spontaneous Resolution of Multiple Fundic Gland Polyps after Cessation of Treatment with Omeprazole / 대한소화기학회지

Fundic gland polyps (FGPs) are the most common type of gastric polyps, found primarily in the fundus and body of stomach. Long term use of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is known to be associated with certain histological changes of the normal gastric mucosa including parietal cell hyperplasia and fundic gland cysts. We experienced a patient who showed spontaneous resolution of multiple FGPs after the cessation of omeprazole. Two years ago, the patient showed only endoscopically confirmed erosive esophagitis without FGPs. Multiple FGPs developed one year after the use of omeprazole and spontaneously disappeared with the cessation of omeprazole.

A Case of Hyponatremia Due to Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor

We describe a patient with hyponatremia induced by the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor; imidapril HCl. Although the mechanism of severe hyponatremia due to ACE inhibitor is not clear, it is conceivable that ACE inhibitor therapy may complicate the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone and induce hyponatremia. In addition, the possibility should be considered that hyponatremia in our patient is a presumptive interaction between oxcarbazepine and imidapril HCl.

Toxic Hepatitis Associated with Carp Juice Ingestion / 대한간학회지

The potential hepatotoxicity of herbal remedies and/or health foods is usually ignored in daily life. There have been cases showing the toxic hepatitis and renal failure associated with the ingestion of raw carp bile. We experienced a case of toxic hepatitis without any evidence of renal failure that was associated with carp juice ingestion. The clinical manifestations were characterized by nausea and vomiting after the ingestion of carp juice for 3 months. The diagnosis of toxic hepatitis was made on the basis of the patient's history, laboratory data, RUCAM (Russel Uclaf Causality Assessment) and the results of ultrasonography guided liver biopsy. The patient showed rapid improvement after instituting supportive therapy.

A Case of Early Gastric Cancer Coincidentally Developed in a Patient with Acromegaly / 대한내분비학회지

Acromegaly is associated with an increased risk for a variety of cancers such as colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer. However, there have been few reports of gastric cancer developing in an acromegaly patient. A 66-year-old man suffered with diabetes mellitus and hypertension for 15 years, and he visited the endocrinology department due to dizziness. On physical examination, the biochemical studies and the sella MRI, he showed the typical features of acromegaly with pituitary microadenoma. During the cancer screening studies to find the cause of anemia, early gastric cancer was diagnosed by pathologic examination of the tissue biopsies. We described the summary of characteristics of the patient and reviewed literature.

A Case of Pulmonary Cryptococcosis in an Immunocompetent Patient / 결핵및호흡기질환

We experienced a case of pulmonary cryptococcosis in an immunocompetent patient who presented with uncommon radiological findings. He complained of a dry cough for 3 weeks. The chest X-ray and CT showed multiple, variable sized, and irregular patch consolidations with cavities combined with some ground glass opacities in both lower lung fields. The diagnosis was made histologically via a thoracoscopic lung biopsy. The patient was administered oral fluconazole has since been well.

A case of reactive airway dysfunction syndrome due to chlorine gas exposure / 천식및알레르기

The reactive airway dysfunction syndrome (RADS), a subset of irritant-induced asthma, has been described following exposure to various irritant gas. We describe a case of RADS occuring following a single exposure to high levels of chlorine gas in the workplace. No documented pre-existing respiratory illness and atopy was identified. Cough, dyspnea, and wheezing were developed with the single accidental exposure to chlorine gas and methacholine provocation test was positive. He was completely recovered with the treatment of corticosteroid and oxygen therapy.