Acute Intestinal Obstruction Caused by a Persimmon Phytobezoar after Dissolution Therapy with Coca-Cola

Bezoars are concretions or hard masses of foreign matter that are found in the gastrointestinal tract. Recent reports have demonstrated the efficacy of Coca-Cola administration for the dissolution of phytobezors. Here we report on a 73-year-old man with a very large gastric persimmon diospyrobezoar, and this caused small intestinal obstruction after partial dissolution with oral and injected Coca-Cola.

An Analysis Based on Hospital Stay in Ischemic Colitis / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Ischemic colitis is the most prevalent form of gastrointestinal ischemia, accounting for approximately 50 to 60% of all gastrointestinal ischemic episodes. There are many conditions that predispose an individual to ischemic colitis as well as a wide variety of clinical and endoscopic presentations. This study reviewed the risk factors associated with ischemic colitis, the site of colonic involvement and the effect of antibiotics on the hospital stay. METHODS: 34 inpatients with ischemic colitis during October 2001 and November 2004 were analyzed retrospectively. All patients had intestinal bleeding. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 56+/-14. Among the 34 cases, 15 cases had the risk factors associated with ischemic colitis. The presenting symptoms were mainly abdominal pain and diarrhea. The endoscopic findings revealed four cases with pancolitis. One case with chronic liver disease died from septic shock. The mean hospital stay was 12+/-5 days, which was reduced by early admission and colonoscopic diagnosis, bowel rest and fluid therapy. However, patient's age, clinical presentations, location of the involved colon, the presence of risk factors and the use of antibiotics did not influence the hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: If ischemic colitis with intestinal bleeding is suspected, an early colonoscopic diagnosis and medical treatment such as bowel rest and fluid therapy can reduce the hospital stay.

Comparison of Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography with Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in the Evaluation of the Biliary Tract Diseases / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and clinical applications of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) compared with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopan creatography (ERCP). METHODS: Prior to carrying out ERCP, MRCP was performed on 71 patients and the two examinations were compared using a double blank test. RESULTS: The results revealed that 15 patients had choledocholithiasis, 4 gall bladder stones, 28 cholangiocarcinomas, 12 pancreatic head cancers, 2 ampulla of Vater cancers, 1 gall bladder cancer with ductal invasion, 4 other benign diseases and 5 normal conditions. For the patients with choledocholithiasis, the values of MRCP's sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 100%, 98.2% and 98.6%, respectively, and those of ERCP's were all 100%. For the patients with malignant obstructions, the values of MRCP's sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 90.7%, 100% and 94.4%, respectively, and the values of ERCP's were 95.3%, 92.9% and 94.4%. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that MRCP has a rather high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in the diagnosis of the biliary tract system, and therefore MRCP can be substituted for ERCP in the aspect of diagnosis.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography-guided Needle Biopsy of the Liver as determined by Postsurgical Sampling / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: It is questionable whether the needle biopsy of the liver can represent the whole pathology of the liver. This study evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography-guided needle biopsy of the liver as determined by surgically resected liver. METHOD: The histopathologic findings of preoperative ultrasonography-guided needle biopsy for confirming the background liver disease and surgically resected liver were compared in the 40 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma. RESULTS: 1) Of the 40 cases, 30 (75.0%) cases showed the same histopathological diagnosis between the two methods. Their histopathological results were: 20 cases of cirhosis, 6 cases of chronic hepatitis and 4 cases of normal tissue. 2) There was a direct proportion between histologic concordance, the number of portal areas, and the size of the needle biopsy specimen. The histologic concordance rate was 79.2% in the cases with 4 portal areas in their biopsy sample and 100% in the cases with more than 5 areas. 3) Of the 10 cases in which diagnostic discrepancy was found between the two methods, 8 cases of chronic hepatitis and 1 case of normal tissue, all diagnosed by needle biopsy, proved to be cirrhosis by surgically resected liver. One case of normal tissue proved to be chronic hepatitis. The causes of diagnostic error were fragmentations of tissue and inadequate specimens. CONCLUSION: The diagnostic accuracy of the ultrasonography-guided needle biopsy of the liver was 75.0% in our study. To lessen the diagnostic error, at least 4 or more portal areas should be contained in the biopsy sample and the fragmentation of tissue should be minimized.