The Feasibility and Safety of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Gastric Neoplasm in Elderly Korean Patients / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Elderly patients often have high operative risk due to their comorbid diseases, and the feasibility of performing endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for such patients should be investigated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of performing ESD in elderly patients. METHODS: From 2005 to 2007, 269 patients with gastric neoplasm were treated by ESD in our hospital. These patients were divided into the elderly patients who were 65 years of age or older and the younger patients. The number of enrolled elderly patients was 123. The en bloc complete resection rate and the complications were assessed and compared with those of the younger patients. RESULTS: The average age of the old age group of patients was 71.1. Of these patients, 53.7% had comorbid diseases and 51.2% revealed adenocarcinoma. The en bloc plus complete resection rate was 85.4%. Perforation during ESD occurred in 4.1% of the patients, and this was immediately closed with endoclips and then it was managed by conservative medical treatment. Bleeding occurred in 17.9% and there were no patients with severe bleeding. The en bloc plus complete resection rate and the complication rate for the elderly patients were not significantly different from those of the younger patients. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that ESD could be a safe and reliable treatment for gastric neoplasms in elderly patients.

The trend in the eradication rates of first- and second-line therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection in Daegu and Kyungpook provinces: a single center experience for the most recent 9 years / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The reported prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Helicobacter pylori infection has been increasing. However, recent trends in the eradication rates of H. pylori using first-line triple regimens are rarely reported. Therefore, we determined the trend in the H. pylori eradication rates in a single center for the most recent 9 years in Daegu and Kyungpook provinces, Korea. METHODS: From January 1999 through December 2007, the eradication rates in 615 H. pylori-positive patients who received one-week triple regimens were evaluated retrospectively according to year and ulcer location. RESULTS: The overall H. pylori eradication rate was 81.6%. The eradication rate from the years 1999 to 2007 was 76.3, 78.3, 82.8, 88.5, 77.8, 91.7, 84.8, 75.4, and 83.7%, respectively, based on the per-protocol analysis. No definite evidence of a decreasing tendency of the eradication rate was seen over the 9 years (p=0.760). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the eradication rate according to ulcer location. CONCLUSIONS: There is no decreasing trend in the H. pylori eradication rate over the past 9 years in Daegu and Kyungpook provinces. However, the eradication rates are not satisfactory, and further investigation is needed to develop more effective regimens.

A case of cerebral thromboembolism in ulcerative colitis / 대한내과학회지

Although cerebral thromboembolic disease is a rare extraintestinal manifestation of ulcerative colitis, it is one of the major causes of death in patients with the disease. A 29-year-old man who had a 7-year history of ulcerative colitis was admitted to our hospital complaining of nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and colicky abdominal pain. Fourteen days after admission, he developed sudden-onset left pure motor hemiplegia. Magnetic resonance imaging and angiography revealed an infarction involving the right temporo-occipital hemisphere and diffuse middle cerebral artery territory. Neck computed tomography angiography showed no evidence of cervical carotid or vertebral artery abnormalities, and transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms revealed no evidence of thrombi. Factor V was elevated to 176% (normal 50~150%) and protein S antigen had decreased to 57% (normal 60~150%). He was managed with antiplatelet agents and a total proctocolectomy.

Serum gamma-glutamyl transferase activity has no prognostic value in patients with acute myocardial infarction / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: Serum gamma-glutamyl transferase activity (GGT) is able to catalyse low-density lipoprotein oxidation in coronary atherosclerotic plaques and has a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. GGT has been shown to be an independent risk factor for cardiac mortality in patients with a previous myocardial infarction. The purpose of this study is to determine the prognostic value of GGT within its normal range at an acute stage in patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: In a retrospective study, GGT and other cardiac risk factors were evaluated in 192 patients (M/F=143/49; mean age: 60.8+/-11.8 years) who were diagnosed with an acute myocardial infarction at the emergency room. We compared the serum GGT values for each patient with or without a cardiac event, including cardiac death, non-fetal myocardial infarction and unstable angina, after an acute myocardial infarction for a mean follow-up of 16.5+/-10.8 months. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 17 patients underwent cardiac death and experienced an acute myocardial infarction and 23 patients had unstable angina. Although the mean GGT values were significantly different from patients with cardiac events (29.5+/-10.0 U/L vs 25.0+/-11.2 U/L, p=0.024), serum GGT was not an independent cardiac risk factor for a cardiac event based on multivariate analysis adjusted for age, sex, alcohol and known cardiovascular risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Serum GGT within its normal range at an acute stage in patients that experienced an acute myocardial infarction is not an independent prognostic marker.

A Case of Carney Complex: Diagnosed 11 Years after Resection of Recurrent Cardiac Myxomas

Carney complex (CNC) is a rare disease characterized by myxoma, spotty skin pigmentation, and multiple neuroendo crine tumors. Here, we present a case of CNC, diagnosed 11 years after resection of recurrent cardiac myxomas. We had previously reported a 37-year-old woman in 1984 as biatrial myxomas and in 1994 as recurrent left atrial and ventricular myxomas, and at those times, she did not have any other myxomas and skin lesions. On her present admission, she had skin pigmentation and myxomatosis of breast, nostril and forearm. Upon the examination of her relatives, no characteristics of CNC were found on them. She was diagnosed as a sporadic form of CNC. If cardiac myxomas tend to be multiple and recurrent, we should consider the possibility of CNC, even other characteristics of CNC except cardiac myxomas are not present at diagnosis.

Blood Pressure Response during the Exercise Treadmill Test and the Risk of Future Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many studies had established the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The Duke treadmill score has gained widespread acceptance for making the prognosis and diagnosis for patients with cardiac disease. Recently, the changes in blood pressure during and after exercise have also been studied to predict the prognosis of cardiac disease. We examined the relationship between the incidence of hypertension or cardiovascular disease and the changes of blood pressure during a routine exercise treadmill test. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 256 men were screened, and they performed exercise treadmill tests from March to May, 2000. Those subjects with histories of hypertension and ischemic heart disease or who were newly diagnosed with ischemic heart disease were excluded. 109 subjects were selected for the final analysis. The follow up period was 78 months. Review of medical records and telephone interviews were used for follow up. We defined clinical events as new onset hypertension, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular accident, diabetes and atrial fibrillation. The peak systolic blood pressure of 182.5mmHg had the highest specificity and sensitivity on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the systolic blood pressure for prediction of clinical events. We defined a hypertensive response as a peak systolic blood pressure over 180 mmHg. RESULTS: 43 (39.4%) of the subjects had a hypertensive response on their exercise treadmill test. The mean exercise capacity was higher in the hypertensive response group. No significant differences were found between the hypertensive and non-hypertensive response groups, in terms of age, gender, body weight, height, body mass index and resting blood pressure. 18 (41.8%) of the hypertensive response subjects had clinical events, while only 11 (16.6%) of the non-hypertensive response subjects had clinical events. The hypertensive response group had more clinical events (p=0.006). 14 (32.5%) of the hypertensive response subjects had hypertension, while only 10 (15.1%) of the non-hypertensive response group had hypertension. The hypertensive response group had more hypertension (p=0.044). On the multivariate analysis, the hypertensive response on the exercise treadmill test was an independent risk factor for hypertension and clinical events (odds ratio=3.990, 95% confidence interval; 1.473-10.808, p=0.006). CONSLUSION: These results indicate that the exercise blood pressure response seems to be a risk factor for hypertension and clinical events. Careful medical care and close follow up may be needed for subjects with a hypertensive blood pressure response on the exercise treadmill test. Further study is needed to understand the significance of an exaggerated blood pressure response on the exercise treadmill test.

Influences of Perfusion Defect on the Measurement of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction and Volumes in Gated Myocardial Perfusion SPECT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and volume (LVV) are important variables in patients with coronary artery disease. Quantitative gated myocardial SPECT (QGS) permits the simultaneous assessment of perfusion, LVEF and LVV. However, the presence of a perfusion defect may influence the LVEF and LVV measured by QGS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 67 subjects (M/F=47/20; mean age: 60.2+/-12.4 years) underwent both QGS with Tc-99m MIBI and 2-D echocardiography (Echo) at less than 7 days apart. The LVEF and LVV were measured by Echo, using the modified Simpson's method, and by QGS, using the automatic software, AutoQUANT(TM). The QGS rest images were used to compare with the Echo. RESULTS: The correlations between the QGS and Echo for LVEF, LVEDV and LVESV were good in all 67 subjects (r=0.781, 0.754 and 0.906, respectively, p<0.0001). In patients with no perfusion defect (n=34), the correlations between the QGS and Echo for LVEF, LVEDV and LVESV were good (r=0.689, 0.593 and 0.586, p<0.0001). In patients with a perfusion defect (n=33), the LVEF between the QGS and Echo was well correlated (r=0.777, p<0.0001), but the LVEF was higher by 7.1+/-8.7% from the Echo results. The LVEDV and LVESV by both QGS and Echo were also well correlated (r=0.804 and 0.929, respectively, p<0.0001), but the LVEDV and LVESV were higher from QGS by 17.9+/-34 and 16.9+/-25 mL, respectively. A Bland-Altman analysis showed the agreement between the QGS and Echo in patients without perfusion defect was better than for those with a perfusion defect. CONCLUSION: The perfusion defect from QGS might affect the measurements of the LVEF and LVV; therefore, the QGS and Echo values are not interchangeable.