Acute Colonic Pseudo-Obstruction (Ogilvie's syndrome) as a Complication of Herpes Zoster / 대한내과학회지

Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (Ogilvie's syndrome) is a very rare complication of herpes zoster. A 62-year-old female visited our hospital due to abdominal pain. Skin lesions of herpes zoster had developed after the patient experienced symptoms of colonic obstruction. The symptoms of colonic obstruction resulted in more suffering for the patient than did those of herpes zoster. In cases reported previously in Korea, these symptoms were improved by endoscopic colonic decompression. However, the symptoms of this patient were improved by conservative treatment only, which included fasting and intravenous fluid replacement. Furthermore, this case differs from previous cases in terms of the difficulty of diagnosis due to the delayed appearance of the skin lesions. We present herein the first case in Korea of Ogilvie's syndrome as a complication of herpes zoster, which was improved by conservative treatment. Clinicians should be aware of the various unusual complications of herpes zoster.

A Case of Afferent Loop Syndrome with Acute Cholangitis Developed after Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangioscopic Lithotripsy for Treatment of Choledocholithiasis in a Patient Who Underwent Billroth II Gastrectomy / 대한소화기학회지

Afferent loop syndrome is a rare complication which can occur in patients with Billroth II gastrectomy. Bile and pancreatic juice is congested at afferent loop in the syndrome. This syndrome can progress rapidly to necrosis, perforation, or severe sepsis, and therefore early diagnosis and swift surgical intervention is important. But, cases of endoscopic or percutaneous transhepatic drainage have been reported when surgical management was inappropriate to proceed. We report a case of afferent loop syndrome accompanying acute cholangitis developed after percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopic lithotripsy for the retrieval of common bile duct stone in a patient who underwent Billroth II gastrectomy due to early gastric cancer. There was no other organic cause. We treated afferent loop syndrome successfully by performing balloon dilation of afferent loop outlet.

Carcinoembryonic antigen level of draining venous blood as a predictor of recurrence in colorectal cancer patient / 대한외과학회지

PURPOSE: We designed this study to evaluate the efficacy of carcinoembryonic antigen in draining venous blood (vCEA) as a predictor of recurrence. METHODS: Draining venous and supplying arterial bloods were collected separately during the operation of 82 colorectal cancer patients without distant metastasis from September 2004 to December 2006. Carcinoembryonic antigen was measured and assessed for the efficacy as a prognostic factor of recurrence using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS: vCEA is a statistically significant factor that predicts recurrence (P = 0.032) and the optimal cut-off value for vCEA from ROC curve is 8.0 ng/mL. The recurrence-free survival between patients with vCEA levels >8 ng/mL and 4 ng/mL and < or =4 ng/mL significantly differed (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed vCEA is an independent prognostic factor in patients without lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSION: vCEA is an independent prognostic factor of recurrence in colorectal cancer patients especially in patients without lymph node metastases.

Case Report of a Double Common Bile Duct with Gallstone Cholecystitis / 대한내과학회지

Anatomical variation in the bile duct system is relatively common. Nevertheless, a double common bile duct is an extremely rare asymptomatic variant. Recognition of this anomaly is important clinically, because it can lead to complications, including choledocholithiasis, cholangitis, pancreatitis, and upper gastrointestinal malignancies. A correct diagnosis of this rare anomaly is also important because complications can occur in surgery if the anomaly is not recognized preoperatively. Recently, we encountered a very rare case of a double common bile duct associated with gallstone cholecystitis. A 33-year-old female was admitted to our hospital complaining of epigastric pain after meals. She had single biliary drainage from double common bile ducts with communicating channels. We report the case and review the literature on double common bile ducts.

A case of asymptomatic cardiac lipoma of the left ventricular posterior papillary muscle / 대한내과학회지

Primary cardiac lipoma is a rare, benign, well-encapsulated tumor that is typically composed of mature fat cells. It can occur in any part of the heart, but is mostly found incidentally. Although cardiac lipoma does not require specific treatment in most cases, physicians should pay attention to this entity, which may cause arrhythmias, embolization, compression of the coronary arteries, or obstruct blood flow within the heart. In this report, we present the case of a 70-year-old woman who was admitted with a complaint of infectious colitis and incidentally found to have a cardiac lipoma in the posterior papillary muscle of the left ventricle on the basis of two-dimensional echocardiography and cardiac MRI. Given the patient's lack of symptoms and normal cardiac function, we recommended observation without surgical exploration. After six months, the patient was in good health and showed no clinical signs or symptoms of cardiac lipoma.

NK-T cell lymphoma manifesting as acute respiratory distress syndrome / 대한내과학회지

Primary pulmonary lymphoma is a rare disease, and non-B cell lymphomas (T-cell and natural killer cell lymphomas) involving the lung parenchyma are uncommonly reported. The most common radiological feature of pulmonary parenchymal lymphoma is a single mass or nodule. A 49-year-old woman with dyspnea was referred with suspicion of severe pneumonia. A chest radiograph showed diffuse nodular infiltration in both lungs. Acute respiratory failure was severe and rapidly progressive, so she was managed with a mechanical ventilator under the impression of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A bronchoalveolar lavage and lung biopsy by video-assisted thoracic surgery revealed NK-T cell lymphoma. We report a case of extranodal NK-T cell lymphoma presenting as ARDS.

A case report of alverine-citrate-induced acute hepatitis / 대한간학회지

Alverine citrate is one of the most commonly used antispasmodic drugs for patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Alverine-citrate-induced hepatotoxicity is extremely rare, with only a few cases having been reported worldwide. We present a case of a 75-year-old female patient who experienced complicated jaundice and abdominal discomfort after taking alverine citrate. Other causes of hepatitis were ruled out and the results of the liver function test returned to normal after ceasing the drug. This is the first case report in Korea of alverine-citrate-induced hepatotoxicity.

Clinical Study of Treatment of Group B Streptococcal Meningitis in Neonates / 대한소아신경학회지

PURPOSE: Penicillin or ampicillin with aminoglycoside is the drug of choice for Group B streptococcal(GBS) meningitis in neonates. Some GBS meningitis, however, does not respond well to the treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of early penicillin treatment for the GBS meningitis in neonates. METHODS: Nineteen cases of GBS meningitis which was proven by CSF culture(13 cases) or latex agglutination test(17 cases) from 1999 to 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. In all cases 3rd-generation cephalosporin was initially given with ampicillin or aminoglycoside. Penicillin was added on the initial regimen according to the CSF results. Seven cases with penicillin given within 3 days of admission(early group) were clinically compared to the other cases(late or non-penicillin group). RESULTS: Fever continued for 3 to 23 days in the early penicillin group, for 2 to 23 days in the late penicillin group, and persisted in the non-penicillin group. Time needed for negative conversion of CSF bactigen or culture, however, revealed no statistical differences in those 3 groups. Vancomycin was effective in cases with poor responses to other antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Early penicillin treatment in combination with other antibiotics seemed to shorten the fever duration in the neonatal GBS meningitis.

Wilms' tumor, aniridia, genitourinary anomalies, and mental retardation (WAGR) syndrome: Successful treatment of the first case with bilateral Wilms' tumors in Korea / 소아과

Wilms' tumor, aniridia, genitourinary anomalies, and mental retardation (WAGR) syndrome is caused by deletion of chromosome 11p13, including the Wilms' tumor (WT1) and aniridia gene (PAX6) loci. Here, we report the first case of WAGR syndrome in Korea; the patient was a 2-year-old girl with bilateral aniridia from birth who presented with abdominal distention and mental retardation. Cytogenetically, she had deletion of chromosome 11p11.2-13. Bilateral Wilms' tumors were successfully treated by chemotherapy and surgery. She has been tumor-free for 19 months off chemotherapy with preserved renal function.

Congenital hernia of the lung through the azygoesophageal recess / 소아과

A lung hernia, defined as the protrusion of pulmonary tissue and pleural membranes through a defect in the thoracic wall, is a rare event. It can be congenital or acquired, and cervical, thoracic, or diaphragmatic in location. We report the rare occurrence of a congenital atraumatic lung herniation through the azygoesophageal recess. An 8 -month-old male infant, who was born at 3 5 weeks gestation, had a chronic cough. Chest radiography showed haziness at the right lower lobe of the lung (RLL). Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed herniation of the RLL through the azygoesophageal recess. If persistent unilateral haziness is observed on chest radiography, the possibility of lung herniation should be considered.

A case of vancomycin-induced drug hypersensitivity syndrome / 소아과

Drug hypersensitivity syndrome (DHS) has rarely been reported in association with vancomycin treatment. Here, we describe an 11-year-old girl who developed fever and a maculopapular rash on day 18 of intravenous vancomycin for treatment of infective endocarditis. The patient presented with fever, a maculopapular skin rash, hepatitis, and acute renal failure caused by vancomycin-induced DHS. The symptoms resolved in less than 24 h after withdrawal of vancomycin and treatment with corticosteroids. We present this case of DHS associated with vancomycin.