A Case of Sigmoid Intussusception Diagnosed by Sigmoidoscopy / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Intussusception most commonly occurs in children, and in more than 90% of cases, no cause is found. In contrast, intussusception in adults is relatively rare but over 90% of patients have an organic lesion as the cause. Only 5% of cases of intussusception occur in adults and most involve the small intestine and are benign, whereas colonic intussusceptions are usually malignant. We report here a case of a 70-year-old man with intussusception who was referred with a one-day history of hematochezia and abdominal pain. The intussusception was caused by a sigmoid colonic tumor. The CT findings suggested that we could reasonably proceed to a sigmoidoscopy to confirm the site of obstruction. We speculated that the sigmoid colon tumor induced the anterograde intussusception. As with our patient, it is important to recognize the need to diagnose the primary lesion exactly and promptly.

Lemierre Syndrome: A Case of Postanginal Sepsis

Lemierre syndrome is a rare disease that's characterized by internal jugular vein thrombosis and septic emboli. These symptoms typically develop after acute oropharyngeal infection by Fusobacterium necrophorum1). Although this syndrome is less frequently seen in modern times due to the availability of antibiotics, physicians must be aware of the syndrome in order to initiate prompt antibiotics therapy, including coverage of the anerobic organisms. We discuss here the case of an 18-year-old female with Lemierre syndrome and we review the relevant literature on this syndrome.

A Case of Huge Gastric Phytobezoar Removed by Endoscope using Argon Plasma / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Bezoars are persistent concretions of indigestible material that are usually found in the stomach. With the significant development of endoscopic techniques, many authors have reported the removal of bezoars using methods such as endoscopic forceps, snares, electrohydraulic lithotripsy, laser. However, there are no reports of using argon plasma to remove a bezoar in Korea. Argon plasma coagulation is a non-contact electrosurgical technique, which is an inexpensive, easily learned, and effective method in gastrointestinal endoscopy. In addition, this method is associated with a decreased risk of perforation and tissue damage by maintaining a controllable depth of coagulation. We report a 71-year-old man with a 11x11x8 cm sized huge gastric phytobezoar found by endoscopy. The bezoar was broken into pieces using the argon plasma coagulator. Endoscopic forceps and a basket were then used to crush and extract its fragments. The bezoar was removed safely without any complications. We report this case with a review of the relevant literature.