Clinical Courses of Primary Hepatic Angiosarcoma: Retrospective Analysis of Eight Cases / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatic angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive liver malignancy, is difficult to diagnose because of a lack of specific clinical features. The clinical and radiological features of patients with histologically confirmed hepatic angiosarcoma were examined. METHODS: Among 2,336 patients diagnosed with primary hepatic carcinoma at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center (Daegu, Korea) between May 2002 and February 2012, eight (0.03%) with histologically confirmed primary hepatic angiosarcoma were included. The patterns of disease diagnosis, tumor characteristics, treatment responses, and prognoses were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Median age was 66 years-old (range, 41-80 years). Four patients were male. Five patients were compulsive drinkers. All patients had no HBsAg and anti-HCV. Initial radiologic diagnoses revealed primary hepatic angiosarcoma (n=2), hepatocellular carcinoma (n=2), hemangioma (n=2), and hepatic metastatic carcinoma (n=2). Definitive diagnoses were made by percutaneous needle biopsies in seven patients and surgical resection in one patient. At the time of the initial diagnosis, extrahepatic metastases were detected in three patients (37.5%). Metastatic sites included the spleen and lung, pericardium, and bone, in one patient each. Two patients underwent conservative treatments. The remaining patients underwent surgical resection (n=1), transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (n=1), and systemic chemotherapy (n=4). The median survival period was 214 days (range, 21-431 days). CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic angiosarcoma is a highly progressive disease with a poor prognosis. Detailed studies including histological examinations are essential to facilitate early diagnosis of the disease.

Unexpectedly Discovered Duodenal Perforation / 대한췌담도학회지

Duodenal perforation can occur due to complications caused by ulcers, other inflammation or by the instrument used during the procedure such as endoscopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP); however, its incidence is not high. Most cases of perforation of the lateral wall of the duodenum are acute and require immediate surgical or endoscopic treatment. Cases of chronic duodenal perforation are rarely reported. This report presents the case of a previous perforation that was discovered unexpectedly during ERCP in a patient with cholangitis due to common bile duct stones. The time of occurrence of the perforation was unknown. After medical treatment, the patient was able to return to daily life. We have reported this case along with a literature review.

A Case of Gastric Variceal Bleeding Controlled by Percutaneous Tranhepatic Glue Embolization / 계명의대학술지

Gastric variceal bleeding has relatively low incidence rate compared to esophageal variceal bleeding. However, gastric variceal bleeding tends to lead to a massive bleeding and rebleeding which in turn leads to high mortality rate. In cases where endoscopic approach is limited, Ballon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) could be considered as a next modality of seizing acute bleeding. Venous catheterization should be preceded to perform venous embolization, however, in cases of hypovolemic shock status, alternative approaches are required. We are reporting a case of 60-year old female with hypovolemic status due to a massive hematemesis, who went through a percutaneous transhepatic glue embolization to control gastric variceal bleeding.

A Case of Coinfection of Hepatitis A and E Virus with Hepatic Encephalopathy / 대한내과학회지

With recent hygienic improvements in Korea, the occurrence of overt acute viral hepatitis A in adults is increasing. Acute viral hepatitis E, which has seldom been reported, has also been increasing in Korea over the past few years. Reports regarding coinfection of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) and their clinical courses are very rare. Acute hepatitis A is usually improved by conservative management, but coinfection of HAV and HEV may lead to severe forms of disease. When a patient with acute hepatitis A presents with an atypical clinical course such as hepatic encephalopathy, HEV infection, which has identical transmission routes to HAV, must be considered. We report a case of coinfection of HAV and HEV with hepatic encephalopathy.

Endoscopic Ultrasonographic Findings of Esophageal Tuberculosis: Case Report / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Esophageal tuberculosis is a rare disease that is difficult to diagnose with esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), and computerized tomography. The patients with esophageal tuberculosis show diverse endoscopic findings, but ulcerative lesion in the middle esophagus is usually found. In Korea, the endoscopic ultrasonographic findings of esophageal tuberculosis have not been described. The main endoscopic ultrasonographic findings of esophageal tuberculosis include heterogeneous or homogeneous hypoechoic masses in the esophageal wall with hyperechoic spots inside, interruption of the esophageal adventitia, and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. In this report, we describe two patients with esophageal tuberculosis, and they presented with submucosal tumor. In these patients, esophageal tuberculosis was diagnosed by EGD, EUS, and performing tuberculosis phase chain reaction on the endoscopic biopsies.

A Case of Idiopathic Mesenteric Phlebosclerosis / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Idiopathic mesenteric phlebosclerosis (IMP) is a rare disease of chronic mesenteric ischemia characterized by a thickening of the colonic wall with fibrosis and calcification of the affected veins, which causes ischemic colitis. While the pathogenesis of IMP is unknown, characteristic radiographic, colonoscopic and histologic findings are evident. We report a case of IMP presenting with right lower abdominal pain and diarrhea in a 69-year-old woman. A plain abdominal radiograph revealed thread-like calcification in the colon. Colonoscopy showed dark purple-colored edematous mucosa and erosions in the colon. Histologic examination showed calcification in and around the submucosa and vascular wall. A barium enema demonstrated narrowing and thumb-printing from the ascending to the transverse colon. Abdominal CT disclosed a thickened colonic wall with intramural calcification and calcified mesenteric veins in the colon.