Two cases of massive duodenal variceal bleeding successfully controlled with endoscopic injection sclerotherapy / 대한내과학회지

Duodenal variceal bleeding is rare and difficult to diagnose. The rupture of duodenal varices leads to massive and often fatal bleeding. However, there is currently no definitive conservative therapy for duodenal varices, such as the methods used for treating esophageal and gastric varices. Endoscopic treatment of variceal hemorrhage has been implemented as an initial single, minimally invasive method for treatment. However, this approach has limited success in the treatment of duodenal variceal hemorrhage. We report two cases of massive duodenal variceal bleeding successfully controlled with endoscopic injection sclerotherapy.

Minute-depressed Type of Submucosal Colon Cancer / 대한소화기내시경학회지

The development of colorectal cancer has been known as the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Yet another route for cancer development has recently been proposed, which is call the de novo pathway based on the reports of the depressed-type early colorectal cancers. Early colorectal cancer is defined as invasive tumor limited to the colorectal mucosa or submucosa, regardless of the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis. Especially, depressed type colorectal cancers have a much higher rate of submucosal invasion and rapid progression despite of their relatively small sizes. Our case displayed a depressed type tumor that was only 5mm in diameter and it had invaded the deep submucosal layer (SM3); this was resected by operation with no predictive endoscopic finding. So, the depressed type tumor can show deep invasion or lymph node metastasis despite of its small size.

Is cardiovascular disease more common in Vietnam veterans exposed to agent orange? / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin), a material of agent orange, was reported as a deadly poison in spite of its presence at extremely small doses. It has been reported that TCDD can cause various kinds of cancers and harmful effects on humans. However, a correlation between exposure to TCDD and cardiovascular disease is not yet known. Thus, we intended to examine the correlation between TCDD exposure and cardiovascular disease through an analysis of coronary angiograms in veterans of the Vietnam War. METHODS: A consecutive 115 patients undergoing coronary angiograms between April 2004 and June 2005 at Gwangju Veterans Hospital were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: 57 patients exposed to TCDD (Group I, average age 59.2+/-4.2 years) and 58 patients that were not exposed to TCDD (Group II, Average age 60.1+/-5.6 years). The clinical and coronary angiographic findings were evaluated. RESULTS: Baseline clinical characteristics, inflammatory markers and echocardiographic parameters were not different between patients in the two groups. The incidence of diabetes (43.9% vs. 25.0%, p=0.035) and hyperlipidemia (47.4% vs. 27.6%, p=0.028) were higher in group I patients than group II patients. Significant coronary artery stenosis was more common in group I (45 cases, 78.9%) thanin group II (33 cases, 56.9%) (p=0.011). CONCLUSIONS: There was a higher incidence of diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and significant coronary artery stenosis in patients that underwent a diagnostic coronary angiogram that were previously exposed to TCDD.

A Case of Huge Ascending Aortic Aneurysm with Wall Calcification

Although ascending aortic aneurysm is a uncommon disease, it has fatal complications such as aortic rupture, dissection, or death. So, experts recommend a preemptive aortic operation. A 77-year-old man with hypertension visited for slow progressive exertional dyspnea and general weakness. Chest X-ray showed deviation of trachea to right, mediastinal widening, cardiomegaly, and bulging of right heart border to right. Transthoracic echocardiography(TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography(TEE) showed marked dilated ascending aorta with wall calcification associated with severe aortic regurgitation and pericardial effusion. Measured diameter of ascending aorta was 12 x 11 cm on Chest Computed Tomography (CT) scan, 8.35 cm on TTE, and 10.2 cm on TEE. Our exam found out the obstructive pneumonia and aortic regurgitation as consequences of complications of huge aneurysm. We report a case of huge ascending aortic aneurysm without any previous aortic operation, aortic complications, trauma, or other etiologic factors.

A Case of Colonic Metastatic Malignant Melanoma of Unknown Origin / 대한소화기내시경학회지

A metastatic melanoma to the gastrointestinal tract is observed in 1.5~4.4% of all melanoma patients. However, colonic and rectal involvement is less common. A 72-year-old woman was admitted due to abdominal pain and poor oral intake for 20 days. She had a 3 x 4 cm-sized mass on her right inguinal area 4 month ago, which was diagnosed as a malignant melanoma of the inguinal lymph node on excision biopsy. A large exophytic mass with an irregular ulcerlated, whitish patch, erythematous surface was observed in the hepatic flexure during colonoscopy. A histology diagnosis of a metastatic melanoma was made by an optical microscopy examination of the biopsies obtained during the colonscopy, and palliative right hemicolectomy was performed on account of a potential intestinal obstruction. We report a case of a metastatic melanoma of the colon with a review of the relevant literature.

A case of nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma with macroglobulinemia / 대한내과학회지

Macroglobulinemia is the result of an uncontrolled proliferation of lymphocytes and plasma cells in which a large IgM M protein is produced. IgM monoclonal gammopathy is recognized in a variety of lymphoproliferative diseases and Waldenstr?m's macroglobulinemia (WM) is the most frequent disease in this group. We report a case of nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (Nodal MZBCL) accompanied by monoclonal macroglobulinemia. A 58-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with chronic fatigue and dyspnea. Physical examination revealed cervical, subaxillary, and inguinal lymphadenopathy. Histopathologically, monocytoid B cells with abundant pale cytoplasm and small nuclei infiltrated the cervical lymph node. The neoplastic cells were positive for CD 20, bcl-2, and IgM. The serum and urine electrophoresis showed monoclonal spike in the globulin region and immunoelectrophoresis demonstrated immunoglobulin of IgM, kappa type. Immunohistochemically, this monoclonal gammaglobulinemia (IgM, Kappa) was produced and secreted from the nodal MZBCL. This is the first report of nodal MZBCL accompanying macroglobulinemia in Korea.