Eggerthella Lenta Bacteremia after Appendectomy in a Healthy Patient / 대한내과학회지

Eggerthella lenta (E. lenta) has been reported to cause bacteremia in patients with gastrointestinal tract disorders or malignancies and in immunocompromised patients. Cases of E. lenta have been increasing with the recent development of testing equipment. The mortality rate due to E. lenta bacteremia is high. The authors report a case of E. lenta bacteremia in an immunocompetent patient.

Eggerthella Lenta Bacteremia after Appendectomy in a Healthy Patient / 대한내과학회지

Eggerthella lenta (E. lenta) has been reported to cause bacteremia in patients with gastrointestinal tract disorders or malignancies and in immunocompromised patients. Cases of E. lenta have been increasing with the recent development of testing equipment. The mortality rate due to E. lenta bacteremia is high. The authors report a case of E. lenta bacteremia in an immunocompetent patient.

The Efficacy of Bismuth-containing Quadruple Therapy after Moxifloxacin-based Sequential Therapy Failure in Helicobacter pylori Eradication / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Moxifloxacin-based sequential therapy showed an excellent eradication rate as the first line treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. However, to the best of our knowledge, there were only a few studies on the treatment of those with failed moxifloxacin-based sequential therapy. Hence, this study was to investigate the efficacy of bismuth-containing quadruple therapy in those with failed moxifloxacin-based sequential or reverse sequential therapy for H. pylori eradication. METHODS: Between January 2013 and March 2016, we retrospectively analyzed patients who failed to eradicate H. pylori using moxifloxacin-based sequential (rabeprazole 20 mg bid and amoxicillin 1 g bid for 5–7 days, followed by rabeprazole 20 mg bid, metronidazole 500 mg bid, and moxifloxacin 400 mg qd for 5–7 days) and 10 days moxifloxacin-based reverse sequential therapy as the first line treatment. Then we investigated the eradication rates of bismuth-containing quadruple therapy as the second line treatment. All subjects had no history of H. pylori eradication before. Eradication rates were described as intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses. H. pylori status was evaluated by 13C-urea breath test 6 weeks after the end of the treatment. Moreover, we examined any side effects that caused discontinuation of therapy. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients received bismuth-containing quadruple therapy as the second line treatment. The overall eradication rates by ITT and PP analyses were 60.87% (n=14/23) and 73.68% (n=14/19). All the patients showed good compliance, and there were no serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Bismuth-containing quadruple therapy is insufficient as the second line eradication treatment after a failed attempt of moxifloxacin-based sequential or reverse sequential therapy. Large-scale clinical trials should be performed to establish better clinical evidence.

The Prevalence of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Lung Disease with orwithout Reflux Esophagitis / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) is defined as ‘a condition that develops when the reflux of stomach contents causes troublesome symptoms and/or complications’. It is associated with various lung diseases, including bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, and bronchiectasis. GERD may also affect nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease. We presumed that the normal mucosal barrier of the bronchial epithelium is broken due to the aspiration of gastric juice and consequent chronic bronchial inflammation. This study investigated the prevalence of GERD in accordance with the presence or absence of NTM lung disease and analyzed the difference. METHODS: We screened patients with NTM lung disease in this hospital between January 2011 and December 2015. Among these patients, gastroscopic examinations as a health check-up were performed on 93 patients. We obtained the prevalence of Reflux esophagitis (RE) in patients with NTM and compared it with the prevalence of RE in the normal control subjects. RESULTS: Among 93 patients with NTM, patients without RE was 66.7% (62/93). RE-minimal change was diagnosed in 29.0% (27/93), and RE LA-A was diagnosed in 4.3% (4/93). Comparing the prevalence of RE minimal change, 29.0% (27/93) had NTM and 11.9% (3043/25536) did not have NTM. This was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: We showed a greater prevalence of RE minimal change in patients with NTM than those without NTM with statistical significance.

Rifabutin-based Fourth and Fifth-line Rescue Therapy in Patients with for Helicobacter pylori Eradication Failure / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Optimized regimen has not yet been established for failures of multiple Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of rifabutin-based rescue therapy, at least after three eradication failures. METHODS: Twelve patients, who failed in the treatment for H. pylori eradication at least three times, were consecutively enrolled between 2007 and 2015 at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. The rifabutin-based rescue regimen was consisted of proton pump inhibitor (PPI), rifabutin (150 mg b.i.d.), and amoxicillin (1 g b.i.d.), given for 7 or 14 days. MIC concentration test by the agar dilution method was performed on six patients prior to rifabutin-based rescue therapy. RESULTS: One patient did not take this regimen, and per-protocol (PP) analysis was performed in 11 patients. The overall eradication rate by intention-to-treat and PP analysis with rifabutin-based rescue therapy was 50.0% (6/12 patients) and 54.5% (6/11 patients), respectively. There was no difference of the eradication rate depending on the underlying disease, smoking, alcohol, number of previous eradication failures, and CYP2C19 genotype. All of the six patients were susceptible to rifabutin, but only three of them succeeded in eradicating with H. pylori. Side effects occurred in two patients (18.2%), and compliance was 90.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Even the eradication rate of rifabutin-based rescue therapy was not very good. Rifabutin-based rescue therapy could be considered as a rescue therapy, perhaps as the fourth or the fifth-line treatment option. No correlation of rifabutin sensitivity with eradication success rate of H. pylori suggests that frequent administration of high dose PPI and amoxicillin might be important.

The Efficacy of Moxifloxacin-containing Triple Therapy after Hybrid Therapy Failure in Helicobacter pylori Eradication / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hybrid therapy was successful in eradicating Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) according to previous reports. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have only been a few studies evaluating the optimal choice after hybrid failure. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of moxifloxacin-containing triple therapy after hybrid therapy failure in H. pylori eradication. METHODS: Between January 2013 and March 2016, we retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent failed hybrid therapy, as first line treatment, in eradicating H. pylori (rabeprazole and amoxicillin b.i.d for 14 days, in addition to clarithromycin and metronidazole b.i.d for final 7 days). Then, we investigated the eradication rates of moxifloxacin-containing triple therapy (rabeprazole, amoxicillin b.i.d and moxifloxacin qd) as the second line of treatment. Intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses were used to determine the eradication rate. We evaluated the status of H. pylori by using ¹³C-urea breath test 6 weeks after the final treatment. Moreover, compliance and adverse effects of each patient were analyzed. RESULTS: Among those who failed the initial hybrid therapy, 11 patients received moxifloxacin-containing triple therapy. The overall eradication rates, as determined by ITT and PP, were 72.7% (n=8/11) and 80% (n=8/10), respectively. The compliance rate was 100%, and there were no serious adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Moxifloxacin-containing triple therapy can be used as a second line therapy in case of hybrid therapy failure. A large scale study is necessary to confirm the findings of this study and establish clinical evidence.

A Case of Actinomycosis of an Orbital Subperiosteal Abscess in a Patient with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus / 임상당뇨병

Orbital and paranasal actinomycosis have not been commonly reported. We report a case of this uncommon infection, which was improved after endonasal endoscopic drainage and antibiotics. A 53-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus complained of inability to lift her right upper eyelid and painful swelling over the preceding two days. Broad-spectrum antibiotics did not resolve her lesion. In ophthalmic examination, decreased visual acuity, upper and medial gaze limitation, and a relative afferent pupillary defect of her right eye were observed. Computed tomography of the orbit showed aggravated orbital cellulitis, preseptal cellulitis, subperiosteal abscess, and maxillary and ethmoid sinusitis. After endonasal endoscopic drainage and systemic antibiotics, her clinical symptoms dramatically improved. Microbiological analysis of the maxillary excisional biopsy showed Actinomycosis. This case is of interest due to the rare orbital presentation of actinomycosis infection and the importance of appropriate surgical drainage and long-term antibiotics treatment in such cases. Because delayed diagnosis and treatment of rhino-orbital actinomycosis can cause permanent vision loss or intracranial abscess, it requires careful clinical attention.

Cerebral venous thrombosis in a patient with Crohn's disease

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an elevated risk of venous thromboembolism compared with the general population. The most common sites of venous thromboembolism in IBD patients are the deep veins of the legs, the pulmonary system, and portal and mesenteric veins. However, cerebral venous thrombosis is rarely associated with IBD. This report describes a case of cerebral venous thrombosis in a patient with Crohn's disease. A 17-year-old girl, diagnosed 4 years earlier with Crohn's disease, presented with headache and vomiting. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain with venography showed venous thrombosis in the cortical veins, superior sagittal sinus, right transverse sinus, and right internal jugular vein. The patient immediately started anticoagulation therapy with intravenous heparin infusion followed by daily oral rivaroxaban 10 mg. Follow-up imaging after 2 weeks showed resolution of the thrombosis, with recanalization of the cortical veins, superior sagittal sinus, right transverse sinus, and right internal jugular vein. She continued rivaroxaban therapy for 6 months, and remained well, without neurologic sequelae. A high level of concern for cerebral venous thrombosis may be important when treating active IBD patients, because anticoagulation treatment can prevent fatal complications.

Fatal Small Bowel Bleeding with very Low Risk Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor in Jejunum / 이화의대지

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common mesenchymal neoplasm of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These tumors are frequently small, asymptomatic and found incidentally. GI bleeding is a common complication of these tumors, but small sized, very low risk GIST rarely complicated with fatal bleeding. In this report, we describe a 42-year-old woman with a jejunal GIST accompanied by severe GI bleeding. She presented with melena and an angiographic embolization was performed for a jejunal mass with bleeding. However, rebleeding was suspected after an angiographic embolization and an emergent segmental resection for the bleeding mass was performed. She was finally diagnosed as a 1.8 cm sized very low risk GIST in jejunum. In conclusion, physician should consider that even very low risk GIST can be the cause of GI bleeding when there is severe bleeding.