Two cases of infliximab treatment in Patients with Behcet's disease and intractable colon ulcers / 대한내과학회지

Behcet's disease is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent systemic vasculitis. The pathogenesis remains unclear. This disease involves various organs of the body and it can have a variety of symptoms with an unpredictable course. The diagnosis of Behcet's disease is made in patients with oral and genital ulcers and uveitis. In addition, gastrointestinal symptoms are frequently present; however, intestinal ulcers are infrequent. The most common extra-oral sites of gastrointestinal involvement are ileocecal and colon lesions. The lesions are typically resistant to medical treatment and frequently recur after surgical treatment. Here we present two cases treated with the monoclonal antibody anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and regression of all symptoms.

A Case of Mucosal Necrosis of the Stomach after Endoscopic Injection Therapy with Hypertonic Saline-Epinephrine (HS-E) for a Bleeding Peptic Ulcer with an Exposed Vessel / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Peptic ulcer bleeding is a frequent cause of upper G-I bleeding. Endoscopic injection therapy with hypertonic saline-epinephrine (HS-E) is a cost-effective and widely used therapy for hemostasis; however, 1~3% of patients experience bleeding or perforation. A 70 year-old male patient was admitted with melena and hematemesis. An endoscopy on admission showed the presence of a 1 cm- sized well-demarcated ulcer with pulsatile bleeding at the lesser curvature of the distal antrum. Approximately 28 mL of HS-E solution was injected around the exposed vessel. Follow-up endoscopy performed 7 days later showed the presence of a 2 cm-sized newly developed mucosa necrosis at the lesser curvature of the pyloric channel, which was caused by ischemic necrosis of the gastric mucosa after HS-E injection. Endoscopic injection therapy with HS-E solution is a relatively safe technique, but mucosa necrosis can occur with the use of a dose of HS-E that is considered safe. We report a case of gastric mucosa necrosis following endoscopic HS-E injection therapy of a bleeding peptic ulcer.

A Case of Pyoderma Gangrenosum Associated with Takayasu's Arteritis Responding to Methotrexate / 대한류마티스학회지

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a vasculitic process, often associated with systemic diseases, including Takayasu's arteritis (TA), rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Most cases of PG associated with TA have been observed in Japan. However, this association is not commonly observed in North American and European patients. PG is often refractory to therapy, requiring high dosages of glucocorticoids. Here, we describe a case of recalcitrant PG that was associated with TA and successfully treated with methotrexate.