A Case of Acute Myocardial Infarction with the Anomalous Origin of the Right Coronary Artery from the Ascending Aorta above the Left Sinus of Valsalva and Left Coronary Artery from the Posterior Sinus of Valsalva

Coronary anomalies are rare angiographic findings. Moreover, there are few reports of cases of an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva and of the left coronary artery from the posterior sinus of Valsalva. Here, we report a case with an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the ascending aorta above the left sinus of Valsalva and the left coronary artery from the posterior sinus of Valsalva. This was observed in a patient who was treated for a myocardial infarction of the inferior wall caused by a thrombus in the proximal right coronary artery. The patient was treated successfully with the implantation of a stent in the anomalous origin of the right coronary artery using a 6Fr Amplatz left 1 catheter.

A Case of Cryptococcal Pneumonia in a Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient after Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Antagonist Therapy / 대한류마티스학회지

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) plays a important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, TNF-alpha antagonist has been widely used for these disease, but it also plays a major role in cell mediated immunity. Cryptococcus neoformans, an encapsulated, ubiquitous environmental yeast, is pathogenic for humans, primarily those with compromised immune function. Cryptococcus neoformans is believed to be a facultative intracellular pathogen. We report a case of pulmonary cryptococcosis after chimeric anti-TNF monoclonal antibody therapy. No case has been reported in Korea for the best of our knowledge. A 66-year old woman was admitted because of severe cough. She was diagnosed to have rheumatoid arthritis 4 years ago and taken prednisolone and methotrexate. She was started on infliximab and received ten doses, the last dose being administered 6 weeks prior to above symptom. Chest PA and computed tomography of chest revealed multifocal consolidative lesions in both lungs. Pulmonary cryptococcosis confirmed by thoracoscopic lung biopsy tissue stained with Grocott-Gomori methenamine-silver (GMS). Initially the lung lesion responded to amphotericin B but leukopenia developed after 12 days of treatment. It was changed to fluconazole, then leukopenia and the pneumonia also improved. Physicians should remind pulmonary cryptococcosis in patients receiving TNF-alpha antagonist therapy.