An unusual ultrasonographic manifestation of a fetal Ebstein anomaly

An Ebstein anomaly is a rare congenital heart defect defined by an inferior displacement of the septal and posterior leaflets of the tricuspid valve from the tricuspid annulus. This anomaly shows various ultrasonographic manifestations, thus making the prenatal diagnosis sometimes difficult. We here report a rare case of an Ebstein anomaly which was prenatally suspected as the absence of the tricuspid valve with functional pulmonary atresia because of non-visible tricuspid leaflets on an echocardiograph at 24 weeks of gestation. An emergency cesarean section was performed at 35 weeks of gestation as fetal hydrops were seen on a follow-up scan. Postnatal surgery confirmed Ebstein anomaly type-D which demonstrates an almost complete atrialization of the right ventricle with the exception of a small and infundibular component. Because of its rarity, prenatal findings of a type-D Ebstein anomaly have not been reported previously. We suggest from this first such case report that this anomaly should be considered as a possible diagnosis when the tricuspid leaflets are not well visualized.

Portal Vein Occlusion after Biliary Metal Stent Placement in Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma

Acute symptomatic portal vein obstruction related to biliary stenting is an extremely rare but life-threatening complication. This usually occurs in patients with either tumor invasion into the portal vein or pre-existing portal vein thrombus. Therefore, the portal vein should be carefully evaluated before placing a biliary metallic stent in such patients. We describe a case of acute portal vein obstruction after placing metallic biliary stents in a patient with a periductal-infiltrating type of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Duodenal Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma: A Case Report

Primary duodenal mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is very rare, and little is known about its clinical course or effective treatment. We describe a case of primary duodenal MALT lymphoma that was resistant to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication and regressed after chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisolone (CVP). A 71-year-old woman was referred to our department because of epigastric pain and dyspepsia. Gastroduodenoscopy revealed an irregular mucosal nodular lesion with ulceration extending from the bulb to the second portion of the duodenum. Histopathological examination of a biopsy specimen disclosed low-grade MALT lymphoma composed of atypical lymphoid cells with lymphoepithelial lesion. Abdominal CT scans revealed 0.5 to 1.5 cm lymph nodes in the peritoneal cavity, suggestive of lymph node metastasis. We successfully eradicated H. pylori but did not see signs of remission. We administered systemic CVP chemotherapy every 3 weeks. After 6 courses of CVP, the patient achieved complete remission and was followed up without recurrence for about a year.

A Case of Hyponatremia in Hypothyroidism / 대한신장학회지

Hypothyroidism is widely accepted as a cause of hyponatremia, but severe hyponatremia in hypothyroidism is clinically rare. We report a case of 74-year-old female patient presented with severe hyponatremia and hypothyroidism. Hyponatremia gradually improved with water restriction and hypertonic sodium infusion prior to the initiation of thyroid hormone replacement. After a diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis had been made, the patient was treated with levothyroxine. She remained well on maintenance dose of levothyroxine with euthyroid and normal serum sodium level.