A left-sided gallbladder accompanying atrophy of the lateral inferior segment of the liver / 대한내과학회지

A left-sided gallbladder occurring in the absence of situs inversus is a rare anomaly. This anomaly was found in a 50-year-old man without any evidence of pancreatobiliary disease. Epigastric transverse ultrasonography showed a normal gallbladder with its fundus extending past the left lateral end of the liver. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed that the gallbladder was located beneath the quadrate lobe (S4) of the liver to the left of the left branch of the portal vein, and S4 was hypertrophied to compensate for atrophy of the lateral inferior segment (S3) of the liver. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) showed that the gallbladder and pancreatobiliary tree were normal, and that the cystic duct joined the common bile duct from the right side making a characteristic U-shaped hairpin bend.

Effect of Combination Pretreatment of Polyethylene Glycol Solution and Magnesium Hydroxide for Colonoscopy / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was designed to compare the efficacy and patient tolerance between standard bowel preparation using 4 liters of polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution and 4 liters of PEG preceded by the osmotic laxative, magnesium hydroxide in constipation and non-constipation group. METHODS: 173 outpatient colonoscopy, except for three patients who were not taking magnesium, were divided into constipation and non-constipation group. Then, the patients were randomly assigned to receive 4-liter of PEG solution or 4-liter of PEG plus magnesium hydroxide. The quality of bowel preparation was assessed using Ottawa scale, and satisfaction score was assessed using questionnaires. Solid stool, cecal intubation time, compliance, and side effects were assessed. RESULTS: Non-constipation group showed no significant differences between two groups. In constipation group, 4-liter PEG solution plus magnesium hydroxide induced the more effective colonic preparation (Ottawa scale 2.47+/-0.99 vs. 5.92+/-2.39, p<0.05), and less solid stool (0.67+/-0.72 vs. 1.38+/-0.65, p<0.05) compared with 4-liter PEG solution. CONCLUSIONS: Bowel preparation with magnesium hydroxide and 4 liters of PEG solution might reduce solid stool in constipation group, but could not improve preparation quality.

A case of sparganosis mimicking a skin metastasis in a patient with stomach cancer / 대한내과학회지

Sparganosis is a rare parasitic disease caused by the migrating plerocercoid larva of tapeworms in the genus Spirometra. The most frequent clinical manifestation of human sparganosis is a subcutaneous nodule resembling neoplastic disease. Since the disease is relatively uncommon, even in endemic areas, sparganosis is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of skin lesions. We experienced a case of sparganosis mimicking a skin metastasis in a patient with metastatic stomach cancer and made the diagnosis after an excisional tissue biopsy.

A case of sparganosis mimicking a skin metastasis in a patient with stomach cancer / 대한내과학회지

Sparganosis is a rare parasitic disease caused by the migrating plerocercoid larva of tapeworms in the genus Spirometra. The most frequent clinical manifestation of human sparganosis is a subcutaneous nodule resembling neoplastic disease. Since the disease is relatively uncommon, even in endemic areas, sparganosis is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of skin lesions. We experienced a case of sparganosis mimicking a skin metastasis in a patient with metastatic stomach cancer and made the diagnosis after an excisional tissue biopsy.

A Case of a Small Rectal Carcinoid Tumor with Multiple Liver Metastasis / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Carcinoid tumors originate from the enterochromaffin cells. Rectal carcinoid tumors comprise 12.6% of all carcinoid tumors and they represent the third largest group of the gut carcinoids. However, a recent report showed that the number of reported cases has increases rapidly, which is probably due to the increased number of colonoscopic examinations. The aggressiveness of rectal carcinoid tumors is determined by the depth of invasion and the presence of metastasis. The clinical course of rectal carcinoid is benign, but these tumors may have a malignant character when the lesion is larger than 2 cm in diameter. We have experienced a case of rectal carcinoid tumor smaller than 2 cm in diameter and the patient had multiple liver metastasis.

A Case of Synchronous Triple Early Gastric Cancer / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Multiple gastric cancers have several clinicopathologic characteristics that are different from those of solitary cancer and the incidence of multiple gastric cancers has recently been on the increase due to the development of diagnostic endoscopy, chromoscopy, and radiological examination. It is important to determine the proper surgical area after evaluating the synchronous multiple gastric cancer by performing closed endoscopy and radiological evaluation prior to surgery. Generally, elderly men have a relatively high incidence of multiple gastric cancers and the well differentiated type is most common. There have been reports on the diagnoses of multiple gastric cancers of elderly men and the well differentiated type, but there are no prior reports concerned with multiple gastric cancers of younger patients and the different pathologic differentiation. We experienced a case of synchronous multiple early gastric cancer of a younger man and this showed different pathologic differentiation.

A case of a minute gastric carcinoid tumor with regional lymph node metastasis that was misdiagnosed as an intraabdominal mass / 대한내과학회지

Gastric carcinoid tumors have been regarded as rare neoplasms, accounting for just 0.3% of all gastric tumors and fewer than 2% of all carcinoid tumors. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of reported studies of gastric carcinoid tumors with the widespread use of gastroscopy and improvements in immunohistochemical methods. Gastric carcinoid tumors are classified into three types. For type III gastric carcinoids not associated with hypergastrinemia, which tend to be larger and demonstrate a biologically more aggressive behavior with metastasis, and also for sporadic lesions, excision with regional lymph node clearance has been recommended. Tumors that are less than 1cm in size are called minute carcinoids, which seldom give rise to regional lymph node metastasis, except in rare cases. We report here a rare case of a minute gastric carcinoid tumor with regional lymph node metastasis that was misdiagnosed as an intraabdominal mass in a 42-year-old woman. Furthermore, we review the available literature on this entity.

A Case of Incidentally Found Esophageal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor / 대한소화기내시경학회지

There are few reports of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) in the esophagus. The authors report a patient with an esophageal GIST that was found incidentally during an endoscopy. The endoscopy revealed a 1 cm sized mass with a granular surface at the 32 cm site from the upper incisor. Endoscopic ultrasonography revealed the tumor to be located in the muscularis mucosa of the esophageal wall. Histologically, the tumor consisted of spindle cells, with no mitotic index, that were immunoreactive for KIT and S-100. The tumor was diagnosed as a gastrointestinal stromal tumor with neural differentiation (GINT). An endoscopic mucosal resection was performed and the patient has been on routine follow up at the out patient department for three months.