A Case of Polymicrobial Fungal and Bacterial Spondylodiscitis / 대한내과학회지

A 66-year-old female who had undergone surgery for a herniated disc at the L5-S1 level at another hospital 3 months earlier was admitted with persistent back and leg pain. She was diagnosed with spondylodiscitis at the L5-S1 level by magnetic resonance imaging. A biopsy was performed, and Candida parapsilosis and Enterococcus faecium were isolated from the excised material. We report herein a case of successful treatment of polymicrobial spondylodiscitis in accordance with accurate microbiological diagnosis. Based on this case, we hope to encourage physicians to perform biopsies more aggressively or repeatedly to improve the diagnostic yield.

A Case of Giant Hemangioma of the Liver Presenting with Fever and Cough / 대한내과학회지

Hemangioma of the liver is usually asymptomatic and incidentally discovered. However, giant hemangioma of the liver may be symptomatic, which is an indication for treatment. A 31-year-old female was admitted with a fever and 1-month history of a nonproductive cough. Her blood test results revealed thrombocytopenia, anemia, and mild coagulopathy. A giant hemangioma of the liver was the cause of her symptoms and signs, and was too large for surgical treatment. Therefore, we performed two sessions of transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization (TAE). The patient has been doing well without fever for 1 year following the second TAE procedure. Surgical resection and enucleation are the traditional treatments of choice for symptomatic giant hemangioma of the liver. However, the signs and symptoms of giant hemangioma of the liver improved by TAE in the present case. We herein report a case of complicated giant hemangioma of the liver that was partially treated by TAE and conservative management.

The First Case of Abacavir Hypersensitivity Associated with the HLA-B*57:01-Positive Allele in Korea / 감염과화학요법

On the 12th day of abacavir treatment, a 39-year old HIV-infected male patient was admitted with fever, generalized rash, abdominal pain, and watery diarrhea that had persisted for five days. Results of blood tests indicated rapid progression of hepatitis and renal failure. The day after stopping anti-retroviral therapy, his fever subsided and his liver function began to normalize. He was clinically diagnosed with abacavir hypersensitivity and was found to carry the HLA-B*57:01 allele. This is the first reported case of abacavir hypersensitivity associated with the presence of the HLA-B*57:01 allele in Korea.