Primary mesenteric carcinoid tumor / 대한외과학회지

Primary mesenteric carcinoid tumor is very rare, although secondary mesenteric involvement is common, reported as 40% to 80%. And distant metastasis rate reported as 80% to 90%, when the size is larger than 2 cm. We present a case of very rare primary mesenteric carcinoid tumor showing benign character though large size. The patient visited St. Vincent's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea with increasing palpable abdominal mass. At laparotomy, a well encapsulated mass arising from the mesentery near the ligament of Treitz was found without any adjacent organ invasion or distant metastasis. The mass was measured as 8.2 x 7.3 cm and histopathologically benign character. At 11 months of follow up, the patient was recurrence free.

Increased whole grain, fruits and vegetable intake reduced oxidative stress in high school students

There is increasing evidence that dietary factors in plant-based diets are important for the prevention of chronic disease. Especially, phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables have been recognized as major contributors for the decreased level of oxidative stress. In this study, the effect of switching the dietary habit to high consumption of fruits and vegetables were evaluated on the parameters of serum antioxidant status in healthy high school students. Forty one students participated in a randomized controlled trial and were assigned to the control group (n = 18) or the intervention group (n = 23). The intervention group was provided for 8 weeks with the main food source being whole grain and vegetables. Anthropometric measurements, blood parameters and dietary intakes were measured, and compared before and after study. After 8 weeks, weight and BMI were significantly decreased in the intervention group (p = 0.000). The serum diacron reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) test resulted in a significantly decreased level only in the intervention group (p < 0.05) after 8 weeks, but serum biological antioxidant potential (BAP) was increased significantly in both groups (p < 0.001). Intake of energy, total fat, cholesterol and sodium in the intervention group were significantly decreased after 8 weeks (p < 0.05). Also, the intervention group had significantly increased vitamin and phytonutrient intakes of all-trans-beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, and total phenols (p < 0.05). Overall, the results of this study suggest that whole grain, fruits, and vegetables supplementation showed improvement of the adolescent health.

Image Quality Improvement after Implementation of a CT Accreditation Program

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate any improvement in the quality of abdominal CTs after the utilization of the nationally based accreditation program. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board, and informed consent was waived. We retrospectively analyzed 1,011 outside abdominal CTs, from 2003 to 2007. We evaluated images using a fill-up sheet form of the national accreditation program, and subjectively by grading for the overall CT image quality. CT scans were divided into two categories according to time periods; before and after the implementation of the accreditation program. We compared CT scans between two periods according to parameters pertaining to the evaluation of images. We determined whether there was a correlation between the results of a subjective assessment of the image quality and the evaluation scores of the clinical image. RESULTS: The following parameters were significantly different after the implementation of the accreditation program: identifying data, display parameters, scan length, spatial and contrast resolution, window width and level, optimal contrast enhancement, slice thickness, and total score. The remaining parameters were not significantly different between scans obtained from the two different periods: scan parameters, film quality, and artifacts. CONCLUSION: After performing the CT accreditation program, the quality of the outside abdominal CTs show marked improvement, especially for the parameters related to the scanning protocol.

Left Adrenal Sarcoidosis

We present a 50-year-old woman with left adrenal sarcoidosis. She visited our hospital for right upper quadrant discomfort; she was then evaluated for right upper quadrant discomfort. She had no abnormal findings in the laboratory examination, including hormone study, but a mass was detected at left adrenal gland, incidentally. Initially, we thought the mass as nonfunction adrenal adenoma. After she had undergone laparoscopic left adrenalectomy, she was diagnosed with left adrenal sarcoidosis from her histological findings. Adrenal sarcoidosis is a very rare disease. This case provides insight to the experience of left adrenal sarcoidosis.

Intussusception in an Adult due to Inverted Meckel's Diverticulum with Ectopic Pancreatic Tissue

Adult intussusception is rare involving of only 1% of the causes of bowel obstruction. We report a case of a 39-year-old female with intussusceptions due to inverted Meckel's diverticulum. She visited our hospital for diffuse abdominal pain during 1 week and aggravated abdominal pain for 2 days. Vital signs were stable, and there was periumbilical tenderness. She had no history of abdominal operation. CT scan showed a 3.7x2.1 cm of fatty mass with focal intussusception in the distal ileum. When the emergency operation was performed, the patient was found to be suffering from ileocolic intussusception. A manual reduction of intussusception showed inverted Meckel's deverticulum at 65 cm proximal to the ileocecal valve, and the segmental resection of small bowel including a Meckel's diverticulum was performed. Pathologic examination revealed a Meckel's diverticulum containing a 0.6x0.6 cm sized aberrant pancreas.

A Giant Gartner Duct Cyst Originating from the Uterine Cervix and Adjacent Myometrium: A Case Report

Gartner duct cysts are relatively common congenital cysts in the anterolateral wall of the vagina. Most are small (less than 2 cm) and asymptomatic, but larger cysts may cause problems. We report a rare case of a giant Gartner duct cyst (7 cm) originating from the right lateral portion of the uterine cervix and adjacent myometrium. It appeared as an exophytic multiseptated cystic mass containing different density fluids on CT.

Two Cases of Recurrent Abdominal Wall and Perihepatic Abscesses Caused by Dropped Gall Stones During a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

While performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a surgeon may occasionally drop a patient's gall stones into the intraperitoneal cavity or perforate a patient's gallbladder. However, most of the time, the dropped stones are spontaneously absorbed by the body. In some instances, the dropped gallstones may cause late complications in the patient, such as abscesses, the formation of fistulae, or adhesion in the intra-abdominal or extra-abdomial region. We report two cases of recurrent abdominal wall and perihepatic abscesses caused by dropped gall stones during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy with late diagnosis.

Diffuse Hepatic Hemangiomatosis without Extrahepatic Involvement in an Adult Patient

We report an extremely rare case of a diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis without extrahepatic involvement in an adult. The imaging findings of this tumor were similar to those of a hepatic hemangioma and included contrast enhancement with a centripetal filling pattern of the entire hepatic tumor on the delayed phase of a dynamic CT and inhomogeneous diffuse uptake of the entire tumor on blood-pool images obtained five hours later on a 99mTc-labeled red blood cell scan. Despite its rarity, diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis can be suggested in adult patients with diffusely involved hepatic tumors showing the radiological findings of a hepatic hemangioma.

The Significance of Diffusion Weighted Imaging for the Diagnosis of Pyogenic Ventriculitis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the significance of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) for the diagnosis of pyogenic ventriculitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 9 patients with pyogenic ventricultis underwent a set of imaging sequences that included DWI, T1-and T2-weighted imaging, FLAIR and enhanced T1 weighted imaging. DWI consisted of an axial single shot spin echo EPI pulse sequence with b values of 0 and 1000 sec/mm2. We evaluated the presence and signal intensity of ventricular debris, hydrocephalus, periventricular signal abnormality, and ependymal enhancement. The apparent diffusion coffiecient values of ventricular debris and cortical gray matter were calculated from the ADC map. RESULTS: In all patients, ventricular debris was hyperintense on the DWIs. A periventricular hyperintense signal was present in all cases on FLAIR and T2WI. Ependymal enhancement was detected in eight (89%) of 9 cases. A hydrocephalus was observed in 6 (67%) of 9 cases. The mean ADC value of ventricular debris was 0.735 +/- 0.117 (10(-3) mm2/sec). These ADC values were significantly lower than those for cortical gray matter (1.052 +/- 0.149 (10(-3) mm2/sec)). CONCLUSION: Ventricular debris was most conspicuous finding of ventriculitis on DWI. Areas of intraventricular hyperintensity on DWI corresponded to the decreased ADC values.

Acute Marchiafava-Bignami Disease: Diffusion-Weighted MRI in Cortical and Callosal Involvement

Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) is a fatal disorder characterized by demyelination of the corpus callosum. MRI, suggestive of corpus callosum demyelination with associated white matter involvement in both cerebral hemispheres, indicates a diagnosis of MBD. In this case, MR diffusion-weighted findings taken at an acute stage of MBD revealed lesions not only in the corpus callosum but also in the cerebral cortex. Lower apparent diffusion coefficient values of the corpus callosum and cortical lesions were associated with poor clinical outcome.

A Method for Creating Teaching Movie Clips using Screen Recording Software: Usefulness of Teaching Movies as Self-learning Tools for Medical Students

PURPOSE: I wanted to describe a method to create teaching movies with using screen recordings, and I wanted to see if self-learning movies are useful for medical students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Teaching movies were created by direct recording of the screen activity and voice narration during the interpretation of educational cases; we used a PACS system and screen recording software for the recording (CamStudio, Rendersoft, U.S.A.). The usefulness of teaching movies for self-learning of abdominal CT anatomy was evaluated by the medical students. RESULTS: Creating teaching movie clips with using screen recording software was simple and easy. Survey responses were collected from 43 medical students. The contents of teaching movie was adequately understandable (52%) and useful for learning (47%). Only 23% students agreed that these movies helped motivated them to learn. Teaching movies were more useful than still photographs of the teaching image files. The students wanted teaching movies on the cross-sectional CT anatomy of different body regions (82%) and for understanding the radiological interpretation of various diseases (42%). CONCLUSION: Creating teaching movie by direct screen recording of a radiologist's interpretation process is easy and simple. The teaching video clips reveal a radiologist's interpretation process or the explanation of teaching cases with his/her own voice narration, and it is an effective self-learning tool for medical students and residents.

Spontaneous Rupture of Adrenal Metastasis from Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Rupture of adrenal tumor from various primary origins is a rather rare event. We report here on a ruptured adrenal metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma, and this ruptured metastasis was observed at the time of the initial diagnosis.

Pseudocyst in Omentum caused by Abdominal Tuberculosis: Case Report

A 25-year-old woman presented with abdominal discomfort and weight loss. Sonography demonstrated a well-defined, anechoic, cystic mass with posterior acoustic enhancement, internal thin septations, and a peripheral hypoechoic solid portion that had no increased blood flow on Doppler ultrasound. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed a cystic omental mass with internal thin septations and an enhancing solid portion which appeared as the hypoechoic solid portion on ultrasonography. A pathologic specimen demonstrated a pseudocyst containing serous fluid with gelatinous material. The solid component at the peripheral portion of the pseudocyst indicated caseous necrosis with multinucleated giant cells. This histologic finding was consistent with tuberculosis and supported the final diagnosis of omental pseudocyst caused by tuberculous peritonitis. Therefore, intraperitoneal pseudocyst with tuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an intraperitoneal cystic mass in a young adult.

Transient Diffuse Hepatic Uptake of 99mTc-MDP after Hepatitis B Vaccination / 핵의학분자영상

A 38-year-old female with arthralgia in right elbow joint for 6 months was referred for a bone scan which showed diffuse uptakes of 99mTc-MDP in the liver and spleen without hepatosplenomegaly. She had a history of hepatitis B vaccination 3 days ago. These uptakes were disappeared on the follow-up bone scan after 4 months. We suggest this transient diffuse hepatic uptake after vaccination of hepatitis B might be due to aluminum component within the hepatitis B vaccine as adjuvant.

Endoscopic Removal of Bleeding Duodenal Lipoma Using a Detachable Snare / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Duodenal lipomas are relatively uncommon and asymptomatic unless they are large. Tumors greater than 4 cm in diameter can cause obstructive symptoms as a result of intussusception necessitating a surgical resection. However, acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding is an extremely rare complication. Duodenal lipomas are most often submucosal but they can also be subserosal. Their shape can vary, and they can be either sessile or pedunculated. The overlying mucosa is usually normal but it may be ulcerated. Those that cause symptoms require treatment. Endoscopic snare polypectomy has been used to treat clinically symptomatic lipomas. A detachable snare may reduce the risk of complications after a polypectomy, including bleeding and perforation. We report a case of duodenal lipoma accompanied by massive upper GI bleeding that was treated by an endoscopic polypectomy using a detachable snare.

Citation Trend and Suggestions for Improvement of Impact Factor of Journal of Korean Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology / 대한방사선종양학회지

PURPOSE: To analyze the recent citation trend and to find a way to improve impact factor (IF) of the Journal of Korean Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (JKSTRO) by analysis of Korean Medical Citation Index (KoMCI) citation data of JKSTRO and comparison with that of mean citation data of all journals enlisted on KoMCI (KoMCI journals) during 2000-2005. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All citation data of entire journals enlisted on KoMCI and JKSTRO from 2000 to 2005 were obtained from KoMCI. The trend of total and annual number of published articles and reference citations, total citations and self-citations per paper, IF and impact factor excluding self-citations (ZIF) were described and compared on both KoMCI journals and JKSTRO. RESULTS: Annual number of published articles was decreased for 6 years on both KoMCI journals and JKSTRO (32% and 38% reduction rate). The number of Korean journal references per article is 1.6 papers on JKSTRO comparing to 2.0 papers on KoMCI journals. The percentage of Korean references/total references increased from 5.0% in 2000 to 7.7% in 2005 on JKSTRO and from 8.5% in 2000 to 10.1% on KoMCI journals. The number of total citations received/paper on JKSTRO (average 1.333) is smaller than that of KoMCI journals (average 1.694), there was an increased rate of 67% in 2005 comparing to 2000. The percentage of self-citations/total citations (average 72%) on JKSTRO is slightly higher than that of KoMCI journals (average 61%). IF of JKSTRO was gradually improved and 0.144, 0.125, 0.088, 0.107, 0.187, and 0.203 in 2000-2005 respectively. However, ZIF of JKSTRO is steadily decreased from 0.038 in 2000 to 0.013 in 2005 except 0.044 in 2004. CONCLUSION: IF of JKSTRO was slightly improved but had some innate problem of smaller number of citations received. To make JKSTRO as a highly cited journal, the awareness of academic status of JKSTRO and active participation of every member of JKSTRO including encouraging self-citations of papers published recent 2 years and submission of English written papers, and active academic cooperation with related academic societies.

Recent Trends of Citation Status and Suggestions for Improved the Academic Authority of the Journal of the Korean Radiological Society during 2000-2005: Analysis of All Citations using KoMCI

PURPOSE: We wanted to analyze the citation trend and to find a way to improve the impact factor (IF) of the Journal of the Korean Radiological Society (JKRS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The number of articles and references, the total citations and self-citations, the IF and the IF excluding self-citations (ZIF) were described by an analysis of Korean Medical Citation Index (KoMCI) during 2000-2005. The total and self citations of the JKRS were compared to that of the Top 5 journals. RESULTS: There was a 57% decrease of papers for 6 years. The Korean references/paper ranged from 0.98-0.85. The number of total citations received steadily decreased from 394 in 2000 to 180 in 2005. The IF (ZIF) of the JKRS has been gradually lowered from 0.142 (0.049) in 2000 to 0.063 (0.059) in 2005. Although the total citations that cited all papers published/the annual number of papers was 55% of that of the top 5 journals, the total citations citing papers published within the recent two years was only 24% of that of the top 5 journals. CONCLUSION: The citation status of the JKRS hassteadily decreased for the recent 6 years, and the IF of the JKRS was very low among all the Korean medical journals. To improve the IF, active advertising for the journal members of the importance of the IF is needed to encourage citing JKRS papers that have been published within the recent two years.

A Case of Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome Treated by Laparoscopic Surgery / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome is a symptom complex resulting from compression of third portion of duodenum by the root of the small bowel mesentery at the level of the SMA. This syndrome can occur as an acute illness but more commonly it appears as chronic condition. Identification of this syndrome can be a diagnostic dilemma and it is frequently made by exclusion. In our patient, rapid weight loss, nausea and bile stained vomiting were present. Ultrasound and MR-angiography were performed for measuring the angle and the distance between the SMA and the aorta. We confirmed the diagnosis via the reduced aorto-mesenteric angle and distance and the patient was then treated by laparoscopic surgery. After lysis of the ligament of Treitz, the patient's symptom were improved. This syndrome must be considered as one of the causes of upper gastrointestinal obstruction.

Views on Authorship: Survey Among Academic Staffs of the Korean Radiologists

PURPOSE: The purpose of my survey is to assess the knowledge and views of the academic staff on authorship criteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 363 academic staff were invited to fill out the survey via e-mail and the responses were collected for two weeks. A one-page questionnaire was prepared and it included 19 questions with three major groups. The first group of questions was demographic information including the responder's age, sex and academic position. The second group of questions was focused on the individual perception and personal experience for authorship on their publications. The last group of questions included awareness and views of authorship criteria established by International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The responders were grouped according to age, sex and grade. To examine the difference of responses among each group, a Chi square test for categorical variables was performed. RESULTS: The overall response rate to the survey was 39.2% (113/288) and 20.7% (75/363) of e-mail address were undeliverable. The grade of respondents is relatively evenly distributed from fellowship (20%) to professor (22%). Most of the respondents (90.6%) had experienced difficulties with authorship. Although 72.2% of respondents had no awareness of ICMJE's criteria, they agreed with criteria fully (56.1%) and partially (42.4%). 42% of respondents expected that more than 50% of the authors per paper didn't fulfill the authorship criteria. Less than 5 authors per paper were adequate (96%). Most of respondents thought that the introduction of a contribution listing to the Journal of the Korean radiological society is necessary (93.5%) but it is not urgently needed (59.0%). CONCLUSION: I can see that there are authorship problems among the academic members of Korean radiological society. It is necessary to educate the members and to have them justify the validity of their authorship claims.

The Usefulness of Diffusion Weighted Imaging in the Differential Diagnosis of Various Intracranial Cystic Lesions

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for the differential diagnosis of various intracranial cystic lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 19 patients (13 males, 6 females) with a mean age of 42.5 years. The final histopathological diagnoses for 14 patients were pyogenic brain abscess (n=3), glioblastoma (n=3), ependymoma (n=1), anaplastic astrocytoma (n=1), pilocytic astrocytoma (n=1), hemangioblastoma (n=2), arachnoid cyst (n=1), epidermoid (n=1) and schwannoma (n=1). The other cases of metastasis (n=4) and arachnoid cyst (n=2) were diagnosed on the basis of clinical, laboratory and imaging data. DWI imaging studies were performed with a 1.5 T MR system. A single shot spin echo EPI pulse sequence was applied. B values were set at 0 and 1000 sec/mm2. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were calculated from the ADC map of 10 different cystic brain lesions. Conventional MR imaging included T2WI, T1WI, FLAIR and contrast enhanced T1WI. We analyzed the location, nature, signal intensity on DWI, and the enhancement pattern of the lesions. RESULTS: All of the 3 cases of brain abscess, 1 of 4 cases of metastasis and 1 case of epidermoid showed hyperintensity on DWI. The mean ADC value of brain abscess (2 cases) was less than 1.15 (0.13x10-3 mm2/s). The mean ADC values of the other cystic lesions (8 cases) were variable, ranging from 2.840.66 to 3.100.16 (10-3 mm2/sec). CONCLUSION: DWI and ADC values were useful in the differential diagnosis of various intracranial cystic lesions, but some metastatic tumors may mimic a brain abscess on DWI. Therefore, a clinical correlation is mandatory.