Utility of F-18 FDG-PET in Detecting Primary Aldosteronism in Patients with Bilateral Adrenal Incidentalomas

In patients with primary aldosteronism who have bilateral adrenal incidentalomas, it is important to identify which adrenal gland is secreting excess aldosterone. Traditionally, adrenal vein sampling (AVS) has been performed for lateralization despite its invasiveness. Here we report a case of bilateral adrenal incidentaloma in which 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) was used to identify the functional adrenal mass. A 53-yr-old man was referred to our clinic due to bilateral adrenal incidentalomas (right: 1 cm, left: 2.5 cm) on computed tomography (CT). Given his history of colon cancer, FDG-PET/CT scanning was used to rule out metastasis. Although there was focal hot uptake lesion in the right adrenal gland, the patient was suspected primary aldosteronism clinically more than metastasis because of the patient's underlying hypertension with hypokalemia. It was consistent with the results of AVS. Based on these findings, we propose that FDG-PET/CT can be used instead of AVS to identify the source of primary aldosteronism between two bilateral adrenal incidentalomas.

Clinical Characteristics of Occult HBV Infection and Impact on Treatment Response in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The prevalence of occult HBV infection (OBI) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Korea has not been reported. Additionally, it is unclear whether OBI influences treatment outcome in CHC patients. We investigated the prevalence of OBI and its impact on treatment outcome in patients with CHC. METHODS: Seventy-six patients with CHC were enrolled and treated with pegylated or conventional interferon and ribavirin. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA was detected by nested polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Among the 68 patients who completed treatment and follow-up, HBV DNA was detected in serum from nine (13.2%) patients, liver tissue from 10 (14.7%), and serum or liver tissue from 15 (22.1%). OBI was diagnosed in nine (12.7%) control subjects. No difference in the prevalence of OBI between patients with CHC and controls was observed (13.2 vs. 12.0%; p = 0.92). No significant differences in age, sex, genotype 1 frequency, amount of hepatitis C virus RNA, anti-hepatitis B surface antigen/anti-hepatitis B core-IgG seropositivity, staging, or histology grading were observed in patients with or without HBV DNA. Sustained virological response was achieved in 73.3% of patients with OBI and 83.0% without OBI (p = 0.46). CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that a significant proportion of patients with CHC have occult HBV infection and that OBI does not affect treatment outcome in patients with CHC.

Comparative Analysis of the Reference Lines on McNamara's and Delaires Analyses for the Anterior and Posterior Facial Relationship of Maxillofacial Deformity

A case report of Kimura's disease in the parotid region

Kimura's disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder presenting regional lymphadenopathy with painless soft tissue mass. Clinically, peripheral eosinophilia and elevated serum IgE levels are observed, and proteinuria associated with renal disease can also be present. Although its etiology is not clearly understood, it occurs predominantly in young Asian males and presents as a deep, subcutaneous mass involving salivary glands of the preauricular and submandibular regions. Spontaneous remission is very rare, and although treatments such as steroid, cytotoxic therapy and irradiation are available, chronic recurrence is very common. As such, surgical excision is regarded as the mainstay of therapy for localized lesions. Histopathologically, Kimura's disease features eosinophilic abscsesses and dense lymphoid aggregates with germinal center. Clinical differential diagnosis of Kimura's disease from other parotid diseases with accompanying lymphadenopathy is often very challenging prior to biopsy. The authors report a case of a 19-year-old male diagnosed with Kimura's disease in the parotid region who underwent surgical excision and was followed up for 6 years, along with a review of related literature.

Reconstruction of the corners of the mouth in burn-induced microstomia: A case report

A Case of Successful Percutaneous Transarterial Embolization to Injured Pelvic Artery after Vaginal Delivery / 대한산부인과학회잡지

Even though arterial embolization was introduced as a treatment tool for postpartum hemorrhage, it is not performed frequently. As authors applied arterial embolization successfully to the patient who contracted retroperitoneal hematoma after delivery, we reported this case with a brief review of literature.