A Case of Idiopathic Granulomatous Hypophysitis

Granulomatous hypophysitis is a rare pituitary condition that commonly presents with enlargement of the pituitary gland. A 31-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with a severe headache and bitemporal hemianopsia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an 18 x 10-mm sellar mass with suprasellar extension and compression of the optic chiasm. Interestingly, brain MRI had shown no abnormal finding 4 months previously. On hormonal examination, hypopituitarism with mild hyperprolactinemia was noted. The biopsy revealed granulomatous changes with multinucleated giant cells. We herein report this rare case and discuss the relevant literature.

Hyalinizing Trabecular Tumor of the Thyroid Gland / 대한내분비외과학회지

A Hyalinizing Trabecular Tumor (HTT) is a very rare tumor. We report one case that was confirmed to be HTT after an operation. A 44-year-old female visited our hospital with about a 1.3-cm-sized mass on the left thyroid. Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNAB) indicated papillary thyroid cancer. After a left hemithyroidectomy, a frozen section biopsy reported the possibility of HTT. Therefore, we did not proceed with the surgery. According to the final report, she was diagnosed with HTT. Five lymph nodes were dissected and were found to be benign. Thyroid transcription factor-1 and neuron specific enolase were positive, and in addition calcitonin was negative. Ki-67 was recorded to be less than 5%. She was discharged without any complication. HTT is benign in most cases, but the possibility of malignancy should be considered. Because it is hard to differentiate between it and PTC or MTC, an accurate diagnosis through histologic examination of specimens and surgical resection is necessary.

Aldosterone-Producing Adrenocortical Carcinoma without Hypertension

Although adrenocortical tumors are common, adrenocortical carcinomas are rare. Moreover, aldosterone-producing adrenocortical carcinomas without hypertension are exceedingly rare, with only two previously reported cases.

Retrospective Analysis of Factors Related with Renal Outcomes in Elderly Type 2 Diabetic Patients Including Advanced Diabetic Nephropathy / 대한신장학회잡지

BACKGROUND: Recently, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in elderly people is increasing in Korea because of an increase in longevity. With advancing age, also a greater proportion of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with complex medical co-morbidity contributes to the higher mortality seen in patients receiving dialysis. Diabetic nephropathy has become the most important cause of ESRD worldwide. More intensive therapeutic manipulation is needed to prevent the progression of diabetic nephropathy, but there are few studies about this subject in type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study is to predict renal outcomes of elderly people with type 2 diabetes and investigate risk factors related with the deterioration of renal function and the development of ESRD. METHODS: Study subjects were 67 elderly patients (over 65 years old) with type 2 diabetes. We retrospectively analyzed risk factors for the end points of doubling of serum creatinine or the development of ESRD (dialysis or transplantation). RESULTS: 17 patients (26.4%) reached the end points during the follow-up period. 16 patients of 43 patients with decreased renal function reached the end points and only one of 24 patients with preserved renal function reached the end points. A univariate analysis revealed significant correlations between renal outcomes and duration of diabetes, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, BUN, baseline serum creatinine, GFR, serum calcium, phosphorus, uric acid levels and the degree of proteinuria. In our multivariate analysis, proteinuria and baseline serum creatinine level were significantly independent risk factors. The risk of doubling of serum creatinine or development of ESRD among patients with baseline urinary protein excretion rate >or=1g/24h was six times higher compared with the risk among those with urinary protein excretion rate <1g/24h. CONCLUSION: Proteinuria and the degree of baseline kidney dysfunction are significant risk factors that contribute to the deterioration of renal function and the development of ESRD in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. Proteinuria is the most powerful independent predictor of renal outcomes.

A Case of Acute Ethanol Intoxication Complicated with Sciatic Neuropathy Treated with Hemodialysis / 대한신장학회잡지

A 20-year-old man presented with semicoma due to severe ethanol intoxication. Initially, his blood ethanol level was markedly elevated to 73 mmol/L. The patient's level of consciousness did not change for 6 hours with conservative treatment. In an attempt to expedite his recovery, hemodialysis was started using a femoral vein catheter. After an initial session of hemodialysis, his blood ethanol level was decreased to 19 mmol/L, and his mental status showed improvement. Subsequent hemodialysis further reduced his blood ethanol concentration to 3 mmol/L and improved his consciousness level. The patient was treated conservatively for additional complications caused by ethanol toxicity including liver failure, rhabdomyolysis and peripheral polyneuropathy. Most commonly, peripheral polyneuropathy is related with chronic ethanol intoxication and it is extremely rare in acute ethanol intoxication. We report a case of peripheral polyneuropathy related with acute ethanol intoxication and suggest that hemodialysis should be considered in patients with severe ethanol intoxication for life preservation and prevention of complications.

Long-term Chelation Therapy in Patients with Chronic Lead Nephropathy by Excessive Body Lead Burden / 대한신장학회잡지

BACKGROUND: Although chelation therapy with calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (CaNa2EDTA) reduces body burden of lead and improves clinical side effects from lead, it is unclear whether long-term repeated chelation is safe for chronic lead poisoning with nephropathy. We described the consequential changes of renal function and clinicopathological findings during one to two years of monthly administration of CaNa2EDTA in patients with chronic lead nephropathy and excessive body lead burden. METHODS: Three patients diagnosed as chronic lead nephropathy received 1 g/day of intravenous CaNa2EDTA for a 3-5 day/cycle. A total of 48-86 g CaNa2EDTA was administered. Midtibial bone lead, chelatable lead, and blood lead levels were assessed. Renal function was determined in each chelation, and renal biopsies before and after chelation were conducted and compared for microscopic and immunofluorescence changes. RESULTS: Cortical bone lead levels showed a high burden of lead (>200 microgram Pb/g bone mineral). During CaNa2EDTA treatment, blood lead level and renal function were in steady state. No evidence of progression of renal pathology was observed in both renal biopsies, showing similar interstitial fibrosis and glomerular sclerosis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that long-term repeated chelation therapy with CaNa2EDTA is safe and effective for patients who have suffered from severe chronic lead poisoning, even though renal pathologic change has started.

Rhabdomyolysis in a Cyclosporine-treated Renal Transplant Recipient Who Received Atorvastatin as Replacement for Fluvastatin / 대한신장학회잡지

Statin-induced rhabdomyolysis is a frequent complication in renal transplant recipients receiving cyclosporine, but incidences are different between different types of statins. Statins have different pharmacokinetic properties. Atorvsatatin, simvastatin, lovastatin, and cerivastatin are all metabolized by the cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 3A4 and co-administration of cyclosporine which may inhibit cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 3A4, increases statin levels and therefore increases the risk of rhabdomyolysis. Fluvastatin is metabolized by cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 2C9 and no clinically significant interactions with cyclosporine have been reported. Atorvastatin with co-administration of cyclosporine in renal transplant patients may induce drug interactions, therefore we recommend the routine monitoring of muscle enzymes, in these cases. Here, we reported a case of rhabdomyolysis in a patient who received atorvastatin and cyclosporine with the review of the literature.

A Case of Distal Renal Tubular Acidosis by Damage of H+-ATPase Pump after Paraquat Intoxication / 대한신장학회잡지

Distal Renal tubular acidosis is characterized by tubular dysfunction with a decrease in net H+-secretion in the collecting tubules regardless of normal glomerular filtration rate. It classified into primary and secondary form. The causes of secondary form could be many drugs such as amphotericin B, toluene, lithium carbonate, ifosfamide, but paraquat has not been reported. The mechanism of renal damage by paraquat has not be fully comprehensive but it is thought that paraquat causes damage to renal proximal tubules and clinically induces acute tubular necrosis. Our case demonstrated that immunohistochemical staining of renal biopsy specimen with anti H+-ATPase antibody showed absence of proton pump in collecting duct. Thus a case of distal renal tubular acidosis in association with paraquat intoxication is reported with a review of literatures.

A case of primary synovial sarcoma of the pleura / 대한내과학회지

Synovial sarcoma is a malignant soft tissue tumor originated from primitive mesenchymal cell and displays epithelial differentiation. Synovial sarcoma most commonly occurs in the peri-articular regions of the extremities in adolescents and young adults. But primary synovial sarcoma of the pleura is extremely rare. The present report describes a case of primary synovial sarcoma of the pleura in a 35-year-old male who showed unilateral spontaneous hemothorax as initial manifestation. The tumor mass was removed by open thoracotomy. The tumor was composed of oval to spindle cells with abundant vascular structures. Some of the spindle-shaped tumor cells express cytokeratin. A diagnosis of monophasic fibrous synovial sarcoma was made by histologic and immunologic features. The patient received chemotherapy postoperatively and showed no evidence of recurrence or tumor at other sites 1 year after surgery.