Simultaneous Occurrence of Gallbladder Cancer in a Laundry Couple: Association between Gallbladder Cancer and Benzene / 대한소화기학회지

Gallbladder (GB) cancer occurs predominately as a biliary tract malignant tumor. It generally has a very poor prognosis, and early detection is often difficult. A variety of carcinogens have been implicated as an important cause for GB cancer. Benzene is a well-known carcinogen for hematologic malignancy, and its casual relationship with GB cancer has been suggested. We report a case of two patients who had operated a laundry cleaning facility together and later simultaneously got GB cancer after prolonged benzene exposure.

Herpes Simplex Virus Duodenitis Accompanying Crohn's Disease / 대한소화기학회지

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a recognized cause of gastrointestinal infection in immunodeficient patients. Although a few cases of HSV gastritis and colitis in immunocompromised patients have been reported, there are no reports of HSV duodenitis in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). A 74-year-old female was admitted with general weakness and refractory epigastric pain. She had been diagnosed with CD three years ago. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed diffuse edematous and whitish mucosa with multiple erosions in the duodenum. Considering the possibility of viral co-infection, cytomegalovirus (CMV) immunohistochemical staining, PCR, and cultures of duodenal biopsies were performed, all of which were negative with the exception of the isolation of HSV in culture. After administration of intravenous acyclovir for 1 week, follow-up EGD showed almost complete resolution of the lesions and the patient's symptoms improved. In CD patients with refractory gastrointestinal symptoms, HSV, as well as CMV, should be considered as a possible cause of infection, so that the diagnosis of viral infection is not delayed and the appropriate antiviral treatment can be initiated.

Gastric Schwannoma Diagnosed by Endoscopic Ultrasonography-Guided Trucut Biopsy

Schwannomas of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are rare subepithelial tumors comprising approximately 3.3% to 12.8% of all mesenchymal tumors of the GI tract. On endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) they are seen as hypoechoic tumors arising most commonly from the 4th proper muscle layer. Although EUS helps to distinguish tumor characteristics, tissue sampling is required for differentiation with other more common tumors such as GI stromal tumors. Both EUS-guided fine needle aspiration and EUS-guided trucut biopsy (EUS-TCB) can be used for tissue sampling. However, only EUS-TCB allows core biopsy and a high yield of immunohistochemical staining. We report a case of a gastric schwannoma diagnosed by EUS-TCB.

Clinical Comparison for Colon Polyps between Right and Left Colon in Koreans

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Comparative studies of colon polyps between right and left colon in Korean population are limited. We investigated the clinical characteristics of the patients according to polyp location and compared the results of the morphological and histological analysis of right and left colon polyps. METHODS: The study was performed prospectively for the patients who underwent colon polypectomy for health check-ups in a single tertiary center. The patients were classified into three groups by the location of the polyps: right group (from the cecum to the splenic flexure), left group (from the descending colon to the anus), and total group. The size, the morphology, the location and the pathology of the polyps were evaluated. RESULTS: From June 2010 to June 2011, Overall 2596 polyps from 950 patients (male=646) were analyzed. Colon polyps were right side-shift with increased patients age (P<0.001). The incidence of polyps was most common in sigmoid colon (26.5%). Polyps less than 5 mm size were more common in left colon (P<0.001) and flat polyps larger than 1 cm in right colon (P=0.006), respectively. In histopathological findings, the distribution of advanced adenoma was not different according to the location, however tubular adenomas and serrated adenomas (P<0.001) were more common in right colon. Female was more distributed in right group, respectively (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In a single center study, colon polyps were more distributed in right colon with age and in females. Also flat polyps larger than 1cm, tubular adenoma and serrated adenoma were found in larger proportion in right colon.

A Case of Idiopathic Nodular Glomerulosclerosis Related to Hypertension and Smoking / 대한신장학회지

A 39-year-old man with a history of hypertension for 10 years and 10 pack-years smoking, was admitted with dyspnea and generalized edema. On admission, renal insufficiency accompanied with nephrotic syndrome was diagnosed. Even on careful examination including history, blood chemistry test, and fundoscopic examination, no clinical evidence of diabetes was found. Renal biopsy findings, which strongly resembled that of diabetic nodular glomerulosclerosis in microscopic features, showed glomerular hypertrophy and nodular mesangeal sclerosis. Additional immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural investigations excluded other possible diseases that should be differentiated; membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, thrombotic microangiopathy, amyloidosis, monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease, fibrillary glomerulonephritis, and immunotactoid glomerulopathy. Idiopathic nodular glomerulosclerosis is histopathologically similar to nodular diabetic glomerulosclerosis but is unusually developed in persons with hypertension and smoking history. Though there were three reports about cases of nodular glomerulosclerosis in the Korean literature, the cases were related to hepatitis B virus or diabetic retinopathy without overt diabetes. We report a rare case of idiopathic nodular glomerulosclerosis that was related to hypertension and smoking without other medical history.

Rectus Muscle Hematoma Due to Severe Cough in CAPD Patient / 대한신장학회지

Rectus muscle hematoma is uncommon condition, caused by a tear in an epigastric vessel. Most cases were caused by direct trauma or anticoagulation therapy. In addition, it has been frequently associated with other conditions such as coughing, sneezing, vomiting, pregnancy, hypertension, prior paracentesis or laparotomy, excessive retraction in surgery. There are several reports of rectus muscle hematoma in renal failure, but no report has come out with CAPD patients in Korea. We herein present a case of rectus muscle hematoma due to severe cough in end-stage renal disease patient on CAPD.

A Case of Retroperitoneal Liposarcoma in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patient / 대한신장학회잡지

Liposarcoma accounts for at least 20% of all soft tissue sarcoma in adults and occur anywhere in the body, although about 14% of cases arise from retroperitoneum. Liposarcoma usually presents as a painless, enlarging mass that can slowly grow over many years. We here report a case of retroperitoneal liposarcoma in a 52 years old female patient undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Retroperitoneal liposarcoma was incidentally found by computed tomography which was performed due to ventral hernia and confirmed by ultrasonography guided-biopsy. She was treated successfully by wide surgical resection and transferred to hemodialysis.

A Case of Massive Intra-Abdominal Hematoma Due to Inferior Epigastric Artery Rupture During Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Insertion / 대한신장학회지

With the development of the Tenckhoff catheter and subsequent Trochar device for percutaneous placement, a bed-side approach for peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter insertion has been frequently used by nephrologists. Bleeding complications resulting from PD catheter placement are infrequent and massive bleeding by the rupture of inferior epigastric artery is very rare. We report a case of massive intra-abdominal hematoma caused by traumatic rupture of inferior epigastric artery during percutaneous placement of PD catheter.