The Stability of Peritoneal Dialysis for the Treatment of Chronic Renal Failure in Cirrhotic Patients Acompanying Ascites / 대한신장학회지

PURPOSE: When liver cirrhosis patients accompanying ascites need renal replacement therapy because of chronic renal failure (CRF), peritoneal dialysis (PD) can allow direct removal of ascites and prevent anticoagulants use. However, since PD might aggravate hypoalbuminemia and increase chances of peritonitis, clinicians tend to hesitate to apply it to those patients. The aim of the present study is to assess the outcome and stability of PD for the treatment of CRF patient with cirrhosis acompanying ascites. METHODS: A retrospective study based on the clinical records was performed in cirrhotic patients with ascites in whom PD was performed for the treatment of CRF and who were followed up at Samsung Medical Center unit, between January 1995 and July 2005. RESULTS: In our study, 15 patients were enrolled. Child-pugh class was worse in non-survival group than survival group (p<0.01). One-year patient survival was 40% in Class C and 75% in Class B, and patient survival differed between Class C and Class B (p=0.0014). Causes of death were terminal liver failure (n=6) and sepsis due to pneumonia (n=1). Total 27 episodes of peritonitis occurred, and the peritonitis rates were 0.91 episodes/patients-year. CONCLUSION: Although the peritonitis rates turned out somewhat high, the use of PD for the treatment of CRF in patients with liver cirrhosis accompanying ascites seems to be safe and effective. Main cause of death in our study seems to be related to liver disease.

Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP), N-terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP) and Cardiac Troponin T (cTnT) as Markers of Cardiac Diseases in Stable Hemodialysis Patients / 대한신장학회지

PURPOSE: The prevalence of coronary artery disease and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is higher in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) than in the general population. In the general population, BNP, NT-proBNP, and cTnT are useful markers of cardiac disease. Recently, studies on biomarkers in patients with CKD have been reported. However, the effect of renal disease on these markers is still uncertain particularly in hemodialysis patients. We investigated the potential of BNP, NT-proBNP, and cTnT as biomarkers of cardiac disease in hemodialysis patients. Methods: We prospectively studied 27 hemodialysis patients without cardiovascular event within the last 6 months. We performed an echocardiography and blood samples for plasma BNP, NT-proBNP and cTnT. RESULTS: Median BNP, NT-proBNP, and cTnT level (pg/mL) were 433, 10,598, and 0.021, respectively. NT-proBNP was correlated with BNP (r=0.940, p=0.000) and cTnT (r=0.504, p=0.009). There was a negative correlation between BNP and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (r=-0.502, p=0.008), between NT-proBNP and LVEF (r=-0.556, p=0.003), and between cTnT and LVEF (r=-0.513, p=0.007). There was a positive correlation between BNP and LV mass index (LVMI) (g/m2) (r=0.619, p=0.001). Also, a positive correlation between NT-proBNP and LVMI was shown (r=0.718, p=0.000). There was an insignificant positive correlation between cTnT and LVMI (r=0.369, p=0.063). Albumin, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and NT-proBNP had an independent effect on LVEF (R2=0.80). Age, body mass index, LDL-cholesterol, NT-proBNP, and cTnT had an independent effect on LVMI (R2=0.78). Conclusion: BNP, NT-proBNP, and cTnT may be as a noninvasive diagnostic or prognostic marker of cardiac disease in stable hemodialysis patients.

Unawareness of Hypoglycemic Convulsion Due to Overestimation of Capillary Blood Glucose Levels in a Peritoneal Dialysis Patient Using Icodextrin / 대한신장학회잡지

In patients on peritoneal dialysis, ultrafiltration can be decreased after long-term dialysis. To solve this problem, icodextrin has been developed and used instead of glucose. Icodextrin infused into the peritoneal cavity is partially absorbed via lymphatics into the systemic circulation and hydrolyzed, and then its metabolites lead to measurement of high capillary blood glucose levels by reacting with the test strip. This excessive measurement of capillary blood glucose levels can lead to unawareness of hypoglycemia, but there has been no report of such cases in our country. A 26-year-old female patient who was on peritoneal dialysis with 7.5% icodextrin (Extraneal: Baxter Corporation, Chicago, IL, USA) presented with convulsion and hypoglycemia. To alert our physicians, we report it with a review of the literature, and recommend when a patient on peritoneal dialysis with icodextrin, blood sugar levels should be cross checked by other laboratory reference methods.

Plasma Levels of N-terminal pro-brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) and Left Ventricular Function in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure / 대한신장학회잡지

BACKGROUND: Circulating levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) have been used to identify and monitor myocardial dysfunction in patients with various cardiac diseases. However, its clinical significance in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) is uncertain because NT-proBNP clearance may be affected by renal function. METHODS: We studied 331 patients with CRF (eGFR 0.01) was strong independent correlate of NT-proBNP, eGFR (beta=-0.358, p0.01) and diastolic dysfunction 2 or higher (beta=0.171, p< 0.05) were also independent correlates of NT-proBNP. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses demonstrated NT-proBNP to be 75% sensitive and 76% specific for the detection of left ventricular systolic dysfunction, as indicated by area under the ROC curve of 0.78 (p<0.05), with NT-proBNP cutoff concentration of 25,000 pg/mL. CONCLUSION: Circulating NT-proBNP levels increased with declining renal function. However, its level were significantly correlated with LVH, systolic and diastolic dysfunction in patients with CRF. The measurement of NT-proBNP levels might be useful to predict left ventricular dysfunction in patients with CRF.

Efficacy and safety of high dose epoetin alfa therapy in CAPD patients by cross-over study / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) is an essential and well-established treatment for renal anemia. Rcently, clinicians have moved toward administration of high dose rHuEPO to reduce the inconvenience and time efficient.We aimed to determine whether high dose subcutaneous (SC) epoetin alfa is as efficient and safe as the usual dose for treating anemia in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. METHODS: Twenty-four patients on CAPD were randomly assigned to a high-usual dose group (n=12) and an usual-high dose group (n=12) with a variable interval for 48 weeks. Patients received 10 times treatments by scheduled visiting during Period I lasting 24 weeks and received 4 times treatments by scheduled visiting in Period II lasting 24 weeks by cross-over. The high dose was 10,000 IU and the usual dose was 4,000 IU epoetin alfa regimen. If hematocrit was out of the targeted range, 30~39%, the interval of epoetin alfa was changed within 50% of the previous interval. RESULTS: Fifteen patients, out of 24, completed the study (8 patients in the high-usual dose group; 7 patients in the usual-high dose group). Mean hemoglobin levels at randomization and after 12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks were 10.8+/-1.1, 11.5+/-0.9, 11.5+/-1.5, 11.4+/-1.5, 11.5+/-0.8 g/dL, respectively, in high-usual dose group compared with 11.2+/-0.8, 11.4+/-1.2, 11.2+/-0.9, 11.2+/-1.4, 11.4+/-0.9 g/dL, respectively, in usual-high dose group. The mean weekly epoetin alfa dosages at randomization and after 12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks were 83.6+/-38.1, 87.1+/-35.8, 89.4+/-34.2, 60.1+/-25.1, 62.8+/-30.7 IU/kg/week, respectively, in high-usual dose group compared with 69.8+/-31.6, 64.9+/-12.2, 69.9+/-46.1, 78.8+/-29.3, 75.9+/-16.4 IU/kg/week, respectively, in usual-high dose group. No statistically significant differences between the two groups were apparent for hemoglobin levels or mean weekly epoetin alfa dosages. Treatment interval at Period I and Period II were 13.3+/-5.3, 8.2+/-4.3 days in high-usual dose group compared with 7.0+/-2.5, 13.4+/-4.0 days in usual-high dose group with statistically significant differences. Treatment interval in high dose was about two times as longer as usual dose. Adverse events were generally mild and transient, and pain on injection site following subcutaneous administration was rarely reported. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that epoetin alfa 10,000 IU is as efficient and safe as 4,000 IU with a similar weekly dose in CAPD patients. Epoetin alfa 10,000 IU administration can reduce frequency of injections by about one half.

Patient with Renal Hypouricemia and Exercise Induced Acute Renal Failure / 대한신장학회잡지

We have described a male patient with a episode of acute renal failure after strenuous exercise. He was found to have low serum uric acid(0.6 mg/dL, after recovery) and normal 24 hour urinary excretion in the steady state. The possibility of other diseases that cause hypouricemia could be excluded, acute renal failure associated with idiopathic renal hypouricemia was diagnosed in this case. A renal computed tomography showed the delayed wedge shaped contrast enhancement, these findings suggested that the cause of acute renal failure could be renal vasoconstriction rather than obstruction by uric acid crystals. Hypouricemia appear to play a crucial role in this reperfusion oxygen free radical induced acute renal failure. We have suggested that the renal hypouricemia should be suspected in the case of acute renal failure associated with exercise when the patient's uric acid level was within or slight alone normal range at the time of acute renal failure.

The Influence of Mycophenolate(MMF) and Azathioprine(AZA) in the Same Cadaveric Renal Transplantation / 대한신장학회잡지

OBJECTIVE: In order to evaluate how immunosuppressive agents such as MMF and AZA would influence on the outcome of the graft kidney, we analyzed the incidence of acute rejection episodes and one year graft survival rate after minimizing influences of donor factors by grafting the same cadaveric donor kidney. METHODS: From April, 1998 to January, 2000, sixty eight patients grafted by 34 cadaver donors were enrolled in our study. From the same donor, one was randomly assigned to the MMF group(n=34) who were treated with cyclosporine, MMF, prednisolone while the other kidney was assigned to the AZA group(n=34) with cyclosporine, AZA, prednisolone. We analyzed the incidence of acute rejection episodes and CMV infection within the first 6 months of renal transplantation and one year graft survival rate was studied prospectively. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in sex, HLA mismatch, cold ischemic time, and patients' weight between two group. Acute rejection or treatment failure occurred in 35.3% in the MMF group by 6 months after transplant, compared with 32.4% in the AZA group without statistic significance(12/34 vs. 11/34, p>0.05). One year graft survival rate was 91.2% and 97.1%, respectively, and CMV infection was documented in 4 patients(1/34 vs. 3/34, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in the incidence of acute rejection episodes and one year graft survival rate between two groups. In contrast, previous studies showed that MMF could have lowered the incidence of acute rejection episodes and improved graft survival rate. This discrepancy in results might be explained that donor factors were important to cadaveric renal transplantation. Thus, we suggest that the influences of donor factors should be considered in further clinical study of cadaveric renal trans-plantation.

Medullary Nephrocalcinosis Associated with Long-term Furosemide Abuse in Adults / 대한신장학회잡지

BACKGROUND: The use of furosemide is well recognized as a predisposing factor to nephrocalcinosis (NC) in infants. Although furosemide is widely used for various clinical settings in adults, the association of furosemide use and nephrocalcinosis in adults is not well established. METHODS: We studied 18 consecutive adult patients(male : female=1 : 17, age range 21-59 years) who took furosemide habitually to control their weights or edema for a long-term period(range 3-25 years). NC was evaluated using renal ultrasonography(US), computed tomography(CT) and/or kidney biopsies. Patients were categorized into NC(+) and NC(-) groups while the difference in clinical features were investigated. RESULTS: Renal US and CT revealed nephrocalcinosis in the bilateral medullary pyramids in 15(83.3 %) out of 18 patients. The duration of furosemide abuse was not different between NC(+) and NC(-) groups(10.1+/-1.7 years vs. 15.3+/-0.9, p>0.05). The daily dose of furosemide was higher in NC(+) group than the NC(-) group(538+/-174 vs. 67+/-13 mg/day, p0.05). The kidney biopsies performed in three patients showed focal tubulointerstitial fibrosis and atrophy and calcifications were observed at outer medullary tubulointerstitium. CONCLUSION: Long-term furosemide abuse could cause medullary nephrocalcinosis in adults and the risk of developing of nephrocalcinosis is correlated with the daily dose of furosemide. We suggest that long-term furosemide abuse should be suspected in adult patients when medullary nephrocalcinosis is incidentally detected by US and/or CT.

2 Cases of Ectopic ACTH Syndrome due to Thymic Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Associated with Different Clinical Manifestations / 대한내분비학회지

Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the thymus (formerly known as thymic carcinoids) are unusual tumors that account for 5% of all anterior mediastinal neoplasms. Thymic neuroendocrine carcinomas exhibit a much more aggressive behavior than those originating from other foregut locations and are associated with the ectopic ACTH syndrome in 38% of cases. Patients having a thymic neuroendocrine carcinoma usually present with symptoms such as chest tightness, dyspnea, a palpable neck mass and sometimes a weight gain. We report on 2 patients with thymic neuroendocrine carcinoma who showed different clinical manifestations each other. One presented with a typical. Cushingoid appearance and the other had symptoms of fatigue and weight loss which is a common symptom of malignant tumors.

Dissociation between Clearances of Small and Middle Molecules in Incremental Peritoneal Dialysis / 대한신장학회잡지

OBJEVTIVE: To evaluate the peritoneal clearance of the middle molecule compared with that of the small molecule in incremental peritoneal dialysis(PD). METHODS: Peritoneal clearances of the creatinine and beta2-microgloblulin were compared in 57 continuous ambulatory PD patients with full dose 4 times exchange and in 54 incremental PD patients with 2 or 3 times exchange over 24 hours. The clearances were also compared when there were changes in the peritoneal dialysis regimen such as in the number of exchanges and dwelling time. RESULTS: Peritoneal creatinine clearance increased almost linearly along with the increase in the number of exchanges. In contrast, peritoneal clearance of beta2-microglobulin was 9.1+/-3.6 L/week, 8.8+/-4.4 L/ week, and 7.9+/-2.5 L/week respectively with 2, 3 and 4 exchanges per day, not different from each other. Peritoneal clearance of beta2-microglobulin did not change when there was an increase in the number of exchange from 2 to 3 times and 3 to 4 times over a period of 24 hours, whereas the peritoneal clearance of creatinine increased. Peritoneal clearance of beta2-microglobulin almost doubled from 5.4+/-2.7 L/ week with 2 times exchange over 12 hours per day, to 9.5+/-4.4 L/week with 2 times exchange over 24 hours, whereas the creatinine clearance did not change. CONCLUSION: In contrast to peritoneal clearance of small molecule which depends on the number of dialysate exchange, peritoneal clearance of middle molecule depends mainly on the total dwelling hours rather than the number of exchange per day in incremental PD. This can be another advantage of incremental PD since peritoneal clearance of middle molecules in incremental PD over 24 hours is comparable to that in full dose PD.

A Magnetic Resonance Angiographic Diagnosis and Successful Thrombolytic Therapy in The Thrombosis of Renal Vein Complicated from Nephroitc Syndrome / 대한신장학회잡지

The nephrotic syndrome has been considered a hypercoagulable state since it may be complicated by thromboembolic events of the venous or the arterial circulations. Diverse pathogenetic factors leading to the hypercoagulable state in nephrotic syndrome have been recognized. Renal vein thrombosis is a serious complication, which might lead to either renal failure or to secondary thromboembolic processes like pulmonary thromboembolism. Although it may present acutely with flank pain and macroscopic hematuria, the majority of cases run an indolent course. Until relatively recently, the diagnosis could only be confidently confirmed or excluded with selective renal venography but, more recently, computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging have been used. Anticoagulant therapy with heparin and warfarin apparently halts the natural progression of the disease and allowing for slow recovery. The possibility of more rapid and complete resolution with thrombolytic agents warranted their application. We described a case of bilateral renal vein thrombosis diagnosed by the new technique of magnetic resonance angiography and successful treatment by thrombolytic agent.

Involvement of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor(MIF) in Experimental Uric Acid Nephropathy / 대한신장학회잡지

Chronic deposition of uric acid in the kidney can lead to progressive tubulointerstitial injury with granuloma formation. We hypothesized that uric acid crystal deposition may induce granuloma formation by stimulating local expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor(MIF), which is a known mediator of delayed type hypersensitivity(DTH). A model of acute uric acid nephropathy was induced in rats by the administration of oxonic acid (an inhibitor of uricase) together with uric acid supplements. Kidney tissue examined at 35 days showed widespread tubulointerstitial damage with intratubular uric acid crystals deposition and granuloma formation. Tubules within the areas of granuloma showed a six-fold increase in MIF mRNA compared to uninvolved areas by in situ hybridization. Moreover, the areas of increased MIF mRNA expression correlated with sites of dense accumulation of macrophages and T cells. Control rats fed a normal diet had no discernible evidence of renal disease by routine light microscopy and minimal tubular expression of MIF mRNA and protein. These data suggest that intrarenal granulomas in urate nephropathy may be the consequence of a crystal induced DTH-like reaction mediated by MIF.

A case of respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease / 결핵

Respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease has been described among current or former smokers and has features consistent with interstitial lung disease. Symptoms include cough, dyspnea on exertion. Lung pathology is characterized by the accumulation of pigmented macrophages within respiratory bronchioles and adjacent air spaces associated with mild thickening of the peribronchiolar interstitium. It must be separated from the other interstitial lung disease because of marked differences in treatment and prognosis. Recently we experienced a case of respiratory bronchiolitis -associated interstitial lung disease in a 48-year-old man. As far as we know, this is the first case in Korea.