An adult asymptomatic pulmonary artery sling / 영남의대학술지

A pulmonary artery sling is a very rare congenital abnormality in which the left pulmonary artery rises from the posterior surface of the right pulmonary artery and then passes between the trachea and the esophagus, causing tracheal compression. It is associated with tracheo-bronchial abnormalities (50%) and cardiovascular abnormalities (30%). It may produce respiratory symptoms through the airway compression of the abnormal left pulmonary artery and congenital abnormalities associated with it. Because most (90%) pulmonary artery sling patients present symptoms during infancy, their condition is often diagnosed in the first year of life. However, a pulmonary artery sling is occasionally found in adults. It is usually asymptomatic and found incidentally. This is a very rare case of an asymptomatic pulmonary artery sling in an adult. A 38-year-old man presented symptoms of mild exertional dyspnea. His spiral computed tomography showed a pulmonary artery sling. He was discharged without specific treatment because his symptoms improved without specific treatment and might not have been associated with a pulmonary artery sling. We report an adult case of an asymptomatic pulmonary artery sling diagnosed via spiral computed tomography, accompanied by a literature review.

A Case of Unruptured Aneurysm of the Right Sinus of Valsalva with Right Ventricular Outflow Obstruction

A 66-year-old man presented with exertional dyspnea. He was found to have an unruptured aneurysm of the right sinus of Valsalva causing significant right ventricular outflow obstruction. This aneurysm was diagnosed by transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography, transthoracic three-dimensional echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, contrast echocardiography and 64-slice multidetector cardiac computed tomography. Because unruptured aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva are rarely symptomatic, they can be difficult to detect. However, the unruptured aneurysm of the right sinus of Valsalva in this case caused significant right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, resulting in exertional dyspnea.

A Case of Primary Mediastinal Choriocarcinoma Mimicking Large Cell Carcinoma of the Lung in a Male Patient in His 50s / 대한내과학회지

Primary mediastinal choriocarcinoma is an extremely rare extragonadal germ cell malignancy. A 58-year-old male presented with a lung mass, which was incidentally discovered during a periodic medical checkup. Percutaneous needle biopsy showed poorly differentiated carcinoma with large pleomorphic morphology. After the patient underwent right upper lobectomy and lymphadenectomy, the final diagnosis was choriocarcinoma. The patient received four sequential cycles of BEP chemotherapy (bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatin). After completion of BEP chemotherapy, follow-up positron emission tomography (PET) showed a complete metabolic response. Although the mediastinum is one of the most common primary sites of extragonadal germ cell tumors, primary mediastinal choriocarcinoma is liable to be misdiagnosed as lung cancer or Hodgkin lymphoma. Notably, large cell carcinoma of the lung can be confused with choriocarcinoma even after percutaneous needle biopsy. We report a case of primary mediastinal choriocarcinoma mimicking large cell carcinoma of the lung in a male patient in his 50s.

A Case of Primary Lung Cancer Producing Alpha-fetoprotein / 결핵및호흡기질환

We observed a very rare case of primary lung cancer producing alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). A 70-year-old male with a history of smoking 50 packs per year was diagnosed with large cell carcinoma of the lung. The clinical stage was T2bN3M0 (IIIB), and serum AFP was 23,247 ng/mL. There was no evidence of metastasis to the liver, scrotum or other organs. While undergoing chemotherapy for 1 year, as the cancer progressed the AFP value steadily increased. The patient died of respiratory failure due to pneumonia 12 months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

No-Reflow Phenomenon During Treatment of Coronary In-Stent Restenosis With a Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon Catheter

Drug-eluting balloon (DEB) with angioplasty a paclitaxel-coated balloon catheter is an effective treatment option in patients with in-stent restenosis (ISR) after a drug-eluting stent (DES). We describe a case in which 'no-reflow' phenomenon developed after DEB angioplasty of a DES ISR lesion. Coronary flow was restored after intracoronary administration of nicorandil.