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PURPOSE@#To assess the venographic findings of central venous abnormalities before exchanging dysfunctional tunneled hemodialysis catheters and the outcome of endovascular salvage techniques.@*MATERIALS AND METHODS@#A total of 110 episodes of tunneled hemodialysis catheter dysfunction in 78 patients undergoing catheter-directed hemodialysis treatment from January 2011 to December 2015 were retrospectively evaluated. Venography was performed before catheter exchange, and the following procedures were conducted according to the venographic findings: balloon disruption of a fibrin sheath, angioplasty for central vein stenosis, or stent insertion. Technical success was defined as at least one successful session of hemodialysis with the exchanged catheter. Patients were followed until the study endpoints or the last hospital visit.@*RESULTS@#Venography showed abnormalities in patients with 67 of the 110 exchanged catheters, including central vein stenosis (n = 27), fibrin sheath formation (n = 17), and thrombus formation (n = 12). Technical success was confirmed in all cases. The estimated 30-day catheter patency for all assessable catheters was 61.7%. Nine catheters were removed during the follow-up period because of suspected catheter-related infections.@*CONCLUSION@#In approximately 60% of cases of dysfunctional tunneled hemodialysis catheter, abnormal venographic findings were observed in the patients. Following appropriate endovascular techniques could be helpful in improving catheter patency with a low risk of procedure-related complications.
ABSTRACT
Localized forms of gallbladder adenomyomatosis are rarely polypoid and may mimic gallbladder cancer. Herein, we present a unique case of polypoid gallbladder adenomyomatosis penetrating the colon and preoperatively misdiagnosed as advanced hepatic flexure colon cancer.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Decreased fertility and impaired health owing to early menopause are significant health issues. Smoking is a modifiable health-related behavior that influences menopausal age. We investigated the effects of smoking-associated characteristics on menopausal age in Korean women. METHODS: This study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2012. Menopausal age in relation to smoking was analyzed as a Kaplan-Meier survival curve for 11 510 women (aged 30 to 65 years). The risk of entering menopause and experiencing early menopause (before age 48) related to smoking were assessed using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The menopausal age among smokers was 0.75 years lower than that among non-smokers (p<0.001). The results of the Cox proportional hazards model showed pre-correction and post-correction risk ratios for entering menopause related to smoking of 1.26 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 1.46) and 1.27 (95% CI, 1.10 to 1.47), respectively, and pre-correction and post-correction risk ratios for experiencing early menopause related to smoking of 1.36 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.80) and 1.40 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.85), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Smokers reached menopause earlier than non-smokers, and their risk for experiencing early menopause was higher.