Bilateral Biliary Approach in Patients with Hepatolithiasis / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Percutaneous procedures for treating patients with hepatolithiasis associated with intrahepatic biliary stricture (IHBS) have been shown to have a relatively lower rate of successful stone removal than without IHBS. The reason is tight stenosis or acute angulation of intrahepatic bile ducts (IHDs). We suggest that a bilateral approach to IHDs would improve the success rate of stone removal in patients with complicated IHBS. METHODS: Conventional cholangioscopic electrohydrolithotripsy (EHL) was performed in 82 patients without IHBS. Percutaneous transhepatic stricture dilation and cholangioscopic EHL through unilateral access was performed to treat 41 patients with hepatolithiasis with IHBS. In 21 patients with complicated stricture and multiple stones, removal of hepatolithiasis was achieved by a bilateral approach. The rate of complete stone clearance and complication was reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Complete stone clearance was achieved in 92.7% (76/82) of patients using a unilateral approach without IHBS, in 61.0% (25/41) of cases using a unilateral approach with IHBS, and in 85.7% (18/21) of cases using a bilateral approach with IHBS (p<0.05). The number of sessions of PTCS was 2.7+/-0.3, 3.9+/-0.3, and 2.7+/-0.5 respectively. The overall complication rate was 14.6% (21/144), and didn't differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: A bilateral approach to IHDs may be a useful alternative treatment in unresectable patients with multiple hepatolithiasis associated with complicated IHBS.

Pathologic Diagnosis of Gastric Epithelial Neoplasia / 대한소화기학회지

Gastric epithelial neoplasia is a very common disease entity in Korea, encompassing gastric adenoma and adenocarcinoma. There are still discrepancies in pathologic diagnosis of gastric epithelial neoplasia between Western and Japanese pathologists after Vienna consensus classification. With increasing use of endoscopic therapy such as endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection, it is very important to agree on the consensus criteria in the diagnosis of gastric epithelial neoplasia among pathologists in Korea. On this background, the current concepts, and contemporary issues of definition, diagnostic and classification criteria of gastric epithelial neoplasia were reviewed.

Clinical Feature and the Effects of Endoscopic Band Ligation of Dieulafoy-like Lesion / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The Dieulafoy lesion is an important cause of gastrointestinal bleeding. The bleedings from caliber- persistent vessel or abnormally large and tortuous submucosal artery are usually located on proximal stomach. Endoscopic band ligation (EBL) is currently regarded as the treatment of choice of Dieulafoy lesions. This study reports on the clinical features, the efficacy and safety of EBL. METHODS: 10 patients with Dieulafoy-like lesion (median age: 47 yr range: 22~71, M:F 8:2 ) were treated using EBL. EBL was performed as the primary hemostatic tratment as follows in 8 cases of urgency and 2 cases of emergency. RESULTS: The location of all lesions (n=10) were in stomach, 8 in body (4 in posterior wall), 2 in fundus. The bleeding focuses were identified during the first endoscopy. Five lesions were bleeding, 5 had adherent clots or protruding vessels without active bleeding. Hemostasis were achieved with first session of EBL in 9 patients successfully, one case in the fundus was failed due to early band release. CONCLUSION: EBL is a simple, effective, and safe endoscopic method of Dieulafoy-like lesions and, it should be proposed as a primary option.

A case of gastric antral vascular ectasia treated with argon plasma coagulation / 대한내과학회지

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is a rare but important cause of chronic gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopically, it has characteristic thickened red vascular folds radiating from the pylorus to the antrum. Diagnosis is made primarily by endoscopy. Histologic examination of the endoscopic mucosal biopsies may confirm the endoscopic diagnosis. Many treatment modalities of the gastric antral vascular ectasia exist. One of them, the argon plasma coagulation (APC) is an excellent therapeutic tool. Inactive argon gas is converted to ionized form by means of electrical energy. Ionized argon plasma conducts high frequency electrical energy to tissues and leads coagulation necrosis of tissues. We experienced a case of gastric antral vascular ectasia presenting melena for about one month in a 72-year-old man treated endoscopically in four sessions with argon plasma coagulation.

Distribution of HDL Cholesterol and LDL Cholesterol in Healthy Normal Korean Adults

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to estabilish serum LDL cholesterol(LDL-C) and HDL cholestrol(HDL-C) levels in the Korean adult population and to identify the difference in sex, age, and living place and the incidence of high risk group and the affecting factors on the serum lipid levels. METHODS: The serum LDL-C and HDL-C distribution in the normal Korean abult population were studied in 5,278 cases(males 2,802 and females 2,476) in the age groups of 3rd to 8th decade. Data were collected from 33 institutes and hospitals throughout the country during the period of June 1989 to December 1990. The serum Lipid levels were examined in the state of fasting of at least 12 hours. Total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were measured by enzymatic assays and HDL-C levels were determined by precipitation methods. The level of LDL-C was determined indirectly using the formula by Friedwald [LDL-C=total cholesterol-(HDL-C+triglyceride/5)]. RESULTS: The mean level of LDL-C was 112.1mg/dl. Males had 110.0mg/dl and females had 114.5mg/dl without statistical significance between gender, but levels were significantly higher in the 4th decade in males and in the 6th, 7th and 8th decade in females. The LDL-C levels rose gradually with the increase of age. The peak level of LDL-C for the males was in the 7th decade and that for the females was in the 8th decade. The mean level of serum HDL-C was 45.1mg/dl. Males had 43.8mg/dl and females had 46.6mg/dl without statistical significance between gender, but levels were significantly higher in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th decade in females. The incidence LDL-C level of > or = 160mg/dl was 10.0%. Males had 8.2% and females had 12.1% with significantly higher incidence in females, especially in 6th decade females. The incidence of LDL-C level of > or = 160mg/dl of big cities was 10.7% and that of smaller cities & towns was 8.8% with significantly higher incidence in big cities. But, there was no significant difference in gender between big cities and smaller cities & towns. The incidence of LDL-C level of > or = 160mg/dl was significantly higher in 7th decade males in big cities and that of big cities and smaller cities and smaller cities & towns was 15.9% and 5.2%, respectively. The incidence of HDL-C level of <35mg/dl was 17.4% Males had 20.0% and females had 14.5% with significantly higher incidence in males, especially in 4th decade males. The incidence of HDL-C level of <35mg/dl of smaller cities & towns was 19.8% and that of big cities was 16.2% with significantly higher incidence in smaller cities & towms. Males in smaller cities & towns had 23.1% and males in big cities had 18.1% with statistical higher in smaller cities & towns. But, there was no significant difference in females between big cities and smaller cities & towns. The incidence of HDL-C level of <35mg/dl was significantly higher in 4th and 6th decade males in smaller cities & towns and that of smaller cities & towns and big cities was 26.8%, 25.6% and 16.2%, 17.7%, repectively. The significantly positively related factors for serum LDL-C level were age, BMI, systolic blood pressure(SBP), location and occupation. And those for serum HDL-C level were SBP and family history and negatively related factor for HDL-C level were BMI, smoking, and exercise. CONCLUSION: This study can provide the basic date base for prevention and management of coronary heart disease among Korean population.