A Case of Pancreatic Pseudocyst Presenting as Duodenal Bleeding / 대한내과학회지

Pancreatic pseudocysts occur following acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis or secondary to pancreatic trauma. Most pancreatic pseudocysts are located in or around the pancreas, but they can be found in all the potential spaces around viscera in and outside of the abdominal cavity. The complications of pancreatic pseudocyst are infection, rupture, obstruction, fistula, or hemorrhage. Hemorrhage is a rare but frequently fatal complication of pancreatic pseudocysts. We report a case of pancreatic pseudocyst presented as bleeding of duodenum, which was misidentified for duodenal submucosal tumor bleeding.

A Case of Huge Pedunculated Hepatocellular Carcinoma Mimicking a Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor / 대한내과학회지

Pedunculated hepatocellular carcinoma (P-HCC) can be defined as a carcinoma protruding from the liver with or without a pedicle. Cases of P-HCC showing extrahepatic growth are very rare. P-HCC constitutes 0.2-4.2% of all HCC cases in Japan and Taiwan, but few cases in Korea have been reported. A 67-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital with a 6-month history of epigastric discomfort. Examination identified an abdominal mass in the left upper quadrant, and abdominal computed tomography revealed a huge mass adjacent to the fundus of the stomach. We diagnosed this mass as a gastrointestinal stromal tumor because of its size and site. However, postoperative histopathological findings showed that the mass was HCC. Here, we report this case and review the relevant medical literature.

A Case of Huge Pedunculated Hepatocellular Carcinoma Mimicking a Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor / 대한내과학회지

Pedunculated hepatocellular carcinoma (P-HCC) can be defined as a carcinoma protruding from the liver with or without a pedicle. Cases of P-HCC showing extrahepatic growth are very rare. P-HCC constitutes 0.2-4.2% of all HCC cases in Japan and Taiwan, but few cases in Korea have been reported. A 67-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital with a 6-month history of epigastric discomfort. Examination identified an abdominal mass in the left upper quadrant, and abdominal computed tomography revealed a huge mass adjacent to the fundus of the stomach. We diagnosed this mass as a gastrointestinal stromal tumor because of its size and site. However, postoperative histopathological findings showed that the mass was HCC. Here, we report this case and review the relevant medical literature.

A Case of Cutaneous Sarcoidosis Associated with Pegylated Interferon Alpha-2a and Ribavirin Therapy / 대한내과학회지

Pegylated interferon plus ribavirin is the standard treatment regimen in chronic hepatitis C. The main adverse events of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin combination therapy are bone marrow depression, alopecia, insomnia, and influenza-like symptoms. However, there are few reports of cutaneous sarcoidosis occurring during pegylated interferon alpha-2a and ribavirin therapy. Here, we report a case of cutaneous sarcoidosis induced by pegylated interferon alpha-2a and ribavirin during the treatment for chronic hepatitis C. The patient's sarcoidosis improved spontaneously after the treatment.

A Case of a Colon Perforation Due to a Soft Rectal Foreign Body / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Numerous foreign bodies in the rectum have been reported in the literature. Their removal can be challenging depending on the size and shape of the objects and their anatomical location in the rectum. A 64-year-old man presented to the emergency department after inserting a sausage into his rectum. He had some rectal discomfort and lower abdominal pain. There were no signs of bowel perforation. We attempted to extract the sausage impacted in the recto-sigmoid junction by colonoscopy using a snare and grasping forceps but failed to extract the foreign body. Unfortunately, a colon perforation had occurred, and the sausage was eventually extracted by performing a colostomy at the recto-sigmoid junction with primary repair. We report this case of a soft rectal foreign body impacted in the recto-sigmoid colon complicated by a colon perforation with a literature review.

Veratrum patulum intoxication developed in a group of twenty-three patients / 대한내과학회지

Veratrum patulum is a perennial plant with toxicity, which grows wild in the high mountain areas of Korea. Various types of steroidal alkaloids contained in Veratrum patulum are known to cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, bradycardia and hypotension. Twenty-three patients were admitted to our center with chief complaints of nausea and vomiting after ingesting leaves of Veratrum patulum. The mean age of the group was 44 years old and was comprised of 19 males and 4 females. Some patients showed hypotension and bradycardia with symptoms such as dizziness. Ten patients with severe bradycardia coupled with other symptoms received atropine administration. Nausea and vomiting were improved after the administration of anti-emetics. Blood pressure and the pulse rate were all normalized on the day after admission, and all of the patients were discharged without any symptoms.

A Case of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infection That Was Misdiagnosed as an Invasion of Wegener's Granulomatosis / 대한류마티스학회지

Wegener's granulomatosis is a rare disease that pathologically causes necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis in the arterioles and venules and it can invade the whole body. In addition, it is difficult to distinguish between a nontuberculous mycobacteria infection that shows manifestations of granuloma and Wegener's granulomatosis. There has been no reported on a patient who had the 2 abovementioned two diseases at the same time. A 69 year old male patient had Wegener's granulomatosis that had invaded the prostate. He also had a scrotal swelling and back pain. He had manifestations of granulomatous infection on the scrotum and spine biopsies. However, there was no clinical evidence of Wegener's granulomatosis. As a result, we examined him for other diseases that can cause a granuloma. Consequently, he was also diagnosed as suffering with a nontuberculous mycobacteria infection. We report here on this case and we review the relevant medical literature.

The Influence of Adverse Drug Reactions on First-line Anti-tuberculosis Chemotherapy in the Elderly Patients / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is still common disease among the elderly patients in Korea where the overall incidence of TB is decreasing. Adverse drug reactions (ADR) associated with anti-TB drugs occurs frequently. Especially the aged tends to have more frequent ADRs than younger ones. These ADRs can cause significant morbidity, compromise therapeutic effects of drugs and even induce drug resistance. Therefore we evaluated the effect of ADRs on the first-line anti-TB drugs in elderly patients with active pulmonary TB. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts and radiological findings of the patients with 65 and older who were bacteriologically confirmed as active TB and treated with standard anti-TB drugs for at least 6 months. Major ADR was defined with temporary or continuous stop of any first-line drugs intake. RESULTS: An ADR was noted in 54% of all patients. The incidence of major ADR was 32% in all elderly patients. Dermatologic ADR (9%) was the most common among the major ADRs. GI trouble (8%), arthralgia (6%), visual change (6%), hepatotoxicity (4%), and fever (1%) were also noted. The drugs responsible for major ADR were ethambutol (62%), pyrazinamide (35%), rifampin (18%) and isoniazid (9%). Major ADRs were associated with higher ESR level at the initiation of anti-TB drugs. CONCLUSION: First-line anti-TB drugs in elderly patients frequently caused the major ADRs. Therefore the elderly patients receiving anti-TB drugs should be closely monitored and better tolerable therapy should be considered as part of a TB research agenda.

Long-Term Prognosis and Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Variant Angina

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The overall prognosis of patients with vasospastic angina (VA) is relatively good. However, the long-term prognosis and its influencing factors are not well understood in Korean patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Between August 1996 and January 2007, 256 consecutive patients with VA were reviewed (215 men, 53+/-9 years). Coronary spasm was confirmed via intravenous ergonovine provocation in all study patients during coronary angiography. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were defined as myocardial infarction (MI), resuscitation from cardiac arrest, or repeat hospitalization due to recurrent angina. RESULTS: The 256 patients were followed for an average of 59 months (range, 5 months to 11 years). Thirty-one patients (12.1%) were lost to follow-up. Cardiac deaths occurred in 6 patients (2.3%), non-fatal MIs occurred in 3 patients (1.2%), and MACEs occurred in 52 patients (20.3%). The rates of survival at 1, 3, and 5 years were 99%, 97%, and 97%, respectively, and the rates of MI-free survival at 1, 3, and 5 years were 99%, 96%, and 95%, respectively. Rates of MACE-free survival at 1, 3, and 5 years were 91%, 81%, and 62%, respectively. MI at initial presentation and current smoking were factors significantly associated with MACEs; these factors were also independent predictors of MACE-free survival. CONCLUSION: Despite treatment with calcium channel blockers, recurrent episodes of angina were frequently observed, whereas sudden cardiac death and non-fatal MI were rare. Smoking and myocardial infarction at admission were independent risk factors for cardiac death, non-fatal MI, and repeat hospitalization due to recurrent angina in patients with variant angina.