Clinicopathological Characteristics of Colon Cancer Diagnosed at Primary Health Care Institutions

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics of colon cancers detected at the SOK Sokpeynhan Internal Medical Network, a nationwide system of primary health care institutions. METHODS: We analyzed 579 colon cancer patients diagnosed using colonoscopy at the SOK network from January 2011 through December 2012. Cancers from the rectum to the splenic flexure were classified as left colon cancer. Patients over 65 were classified as senior. RESULTS: The mean age (+/-SD) of subjects was 60.9+/-10.5 years and 61.1% were men. More than one quarter (28.2%) of patients were asymptomatic. The prevalence of left colon cancer was higher (77.9%) than that for right colon cancer. The most frequent macroscopic and histologic types were depressed (58.9%) and moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (52.2%), respectively. Asymptomatic subjects displayed protruding or well differentiated adenocarcinoma, while symptomatic patients were more likely to display depressed or moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (P0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Study results indicated an increase of colon cancer amongst younger demographics in recent years. The effectiveness of colonoscopy screening was also evident, as asymptomatic patients demonstrated frequent findings of well differentiated adenocarcinomas. Study results also suggested a need for closer examination of older patients, as right colon cancer tended to increase with age.

Clinicopathologic Characteristics of Superficial Gastric Cancer Diagnosed at Primary Health Care Institutions in 2011 / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Stomach cancer is prevalent in Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of superficial gastric cancers detected at SOK Sokpeynhan Internal Medical Network, the nationwide primary health care institutions. METHODS: We prospectively analysed the clinicopathologic and endoscopic characteristics of 218 superficial gastric cancer patients diagnosed using gastric endoscopy at SOK network from January 2011 through December 2011. RESULTS: The mean age was 58.5 years old and male to female ratio was 1.7 : 1. Asymptomatic patients were most common (45.0%). The macroscopic classification revealed that simple types (63.8%) were more common than complex types (36.2%). The most common type was IIc (28.4%) and other types were as follows; IIb (16.1%), IIb+IIc (13.3%), IIa (10.6%), III (9.2%), IIa+IIc (7.3%), IIc+IIa (6.0%), IIc+IIb (5.0%). The most commonly involved sites were the body (53.1%) and greater curvature (32.6%) of the stomach. The size of lesion was less than 1 cm (69.3%) and less than 5 mm (33.5%) in diameter. The most common pathologic type was tubular adenocarcinoma (75.7%). Helicobacter pylori infection rate was 50.2%. Fifty five percent of the cases were diagnosed via endoscopy of National Health Insurance Corporation screenings. CONCLUSIONS: Superficial gastric cancers in 2011 at primary health care SOK network were different from those of previous reports. Type IIc was most common but type IIb was more prevalent and the body and greater curvature of the stomach were the most commonly involved sites. Therefore, careful observation of the proximal gastric mucosa and mucosal color change is needed.

The Integrated Surgical Strategy for Removal of Inverted Papilloma Involving the Maxillary Sinus According to the Site of Tumor Origin / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to determine the appropriate surgical approach for the resection of inverted papilloma (IP) involving the maxillary sinus (MS) according to the site of tumor origin in the MS. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Twenty-six patients who underwent surgery from January 2002 to April 2008 for IP originating from the MS were reviewed retrospectively in regard to the type of integrated surgical approach, site of tumor origin in the MS and the follow-up clinical results. RESULTS: Ten cases (38.4%) originated from medial wall of the MS; of these, four EES (endonasal endoscopic surgery), two EMM (endoscopic medial maxillectomy), two EES+CP (canine puncture), and two EES+CLA (Caldwell-Luc's approach) were performed. EES+CP procedure were performed in all three cases (11.5%) of the anterior wall origin. One case (3.8%) that originated from the posterolateral wall was removed by EES+CLA. Four cases (15.3%) originated from the medial-posterolateral wall. Two EES, and one each of EMM and EES+CLA were performed. Three cases (11.5%) originated from the superior-posterolateral wall, of which two cases were removed by EES and the other by EES+CLO (Caldwell-Luc's operation). Two cases of inferior-anterior wall and inferior-posterolateral wall were removed by EES+CLO and EES+CLA, respectively. EES+CLO were performed for three cases of the whole wall origin (11.5%). Two recurrent cases were found in each of EES and EES+CLO. CONCLUSION: IP originated from the MS were successfully managed by EES alone or EES combined with other approaches such as CP, CLA, CLO and EMM. These integrated approaches need to be applied in a gradual manner from less severe to more aggressive cases.

Analysis of Otorhinolaryngologic Disease in Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: As human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection increases in prevalence and new medical therapies prolong the survival of HIV-infected patients, otolaryngologists will see a larger number of patients with head and neck manifestations of HIV infection. The aims of study were to evaluate the various otorhinolaryngologic diseases and to analyze the useful markers for predicting immune function in HIV-infected patients. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Of 380 HIV-infected patients, 40 patients (10.5% ; 39 males and 1 female, age ranging from 23 to 55) were referred to otorhinolaryngologists. Spectrum of disease and correlation between various surrogate markers (HIV RNA, leukocyte count, neutrophil, lymphocyte, CD3, CD4, CD8 T cell percentage and count, CD4/CD8 ratio) and risk of infectious otorhinolaryngologic diseases were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients (82.5%) were infectious, 6 patients (15.0%) had non-infectious diseases and 1 patient (2.5%) malignancy. In otologic diseases, acute otitis media and chronic otitis media were frequently found in the mentioned order. In rhinologic diseases, rhinosinusitis and vestibulitis were frequently found in the mentioned order, with one primary extra nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In laryngologic diseases, pharyngolaryngitis, oral candidiasis, stomatitis were frequently found. In the surrogate markers of immune function, CD4 percentage, CD4 count and CD4/CD8 ratio were found significantly lower in the infectious diseases than in the non-infectious disease. CONCLUSION: Of HIV-infected patients, 10.5% had seen an otolaryngologist, and the majority had infectious diseases. The risk of infectious diseases was strongly correlated with the CD4 percentage, count and CD4/CD8 ratio.

A Case of Lymphoepithelial Cyst in the Lower Esophagus / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Lymphoepithelial cyst is a rare benign cystic tumor that is composed of a squamous epithelial cyst surrounded by lymphoid tissue, and this type of cyst is histologically similar to the branchial cleft cysts of the lateral neck. It is most often found in the head and neck and it is only rarely found in the pancreas, mediastinum and hypopharynx. Lymphoepithelial cysts of the esophagus have been described in Japan by Kataoka and Asami. We report here on a case of esophageal lymphoepithelial cyst that was removed endoscopically without serious complications.

A case of omental infarction successfully managed with conservative treatment / 대한내과학회지

Infarction of the greater omentum is an uncommon cause of acute abdominal pain, usually diagnosed during surgery for suspected appendicitis. However, during the last decade, preoperatively diagnosed omental infarctions successfully managed with conservative treatments have been increasingly identified with expanded utilization and technical advancements of sonography and computed tomography (CT). We report a case of omental infarction in a middle aged woman. Diagnosis was confirmed by abdominal CT, and she was successfully managed with conservative treatments including analgesics and prophylactic antibiotics. Follow-up CT performed 14 days after discharge revealed a decrease of infarct area without any intra-abdominal complications. This report emphasizes that nonoperative management of omental infarction may be safe and effective in most cases.

Microscopic colitis in a single center study: clinical feature & characteristics / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Collagenous colitis (CC) and lymphocytic colitis (LC) are characterized by chronic diarrhea and normal radiologic and endoscopic findings. These are currently not uncommon entities whose incidence in increasing as more clinicians take biopsies from macroscopically normal colons. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical features and characteristics in microscopic colitis. METHODS: From January 2003 to December 2006, medical records were reviewed from 80 patients with chronic diarrhea, who had normal colonoscopic findings but underwent biopsy. Patients with microscopic colitis were identified by reviewing the pathology databases and by reviewing biopsies. RESULTS: Microscopic colitis was diagnosed in 12 patients (15%). Six patients with CC (Male:Female=2:4, mean age 54+/-20.1 years) and 6 patients with LC (Male:Female=5:1, mean age 51.2+/-21.4 years) were identified. Autoimmune disease was diagnosed in 4 patients (33%). Drug-induced disease was suspected in 3 patients (25%). The inciting drugs were NSAIDs, ticlopidine, ranitidine, and acarbose. Complete or partial resolution of diarrhea was achieved in all patients, including spontaneous resolution in 2 patients. Antidiarrheal drugs, mesalazine, and cholestylamine were highly effective in both diseases. Recurrence of symptoms occurred in 2 patients (17%). They are taking medicine at present. CONCLUSIONS: Microscopic colitis is a relatively common cause of chronic diarrhea that appears to be increasing in incidence. We reported clinical features, characteristics, treatment, and response of microscopic colitis in our experience.

Prevalence and risk factors of gallstones in a general health screened population / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: Gallstone is the most common disease of the biliary system. Most cases of gallstone are asymptomatic and we incidentally found gallstones during a community health survey. Our study was designed to determine the prevalence and risk factors for gallstone in a population who underwent health screening. METHODS: We enrolled a total of 36,314 persons who visited the health promotion center in Kyungpook National University Hospital in Korea from 1998 to 2004. They had their gallbladder or biliary system examined with using ultrasonography. The body mass index and biochemical parameters from liver function tests, the lipid profiles and the fasting blood sugar were all measured. All the subjects were divided into several groups and the particular prevalence for gallstone disease for each group was calculated. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis assessed the risk factors for gallstone disease. RESULTS: Among 36,314 persons, (19,345 males (53.3%) and 16,969 females (46.7%)), gallstone was found in 735 persons (2.0%). On univariate analysis, the risk factors for gallstone disease were age, body mass index, fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and serum aspartate aminotransferase. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the the risk factors were high body mass index, older age and high fasting blood sugar. CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors seem to show a common pathogenesis for gallstone disease. Although the relation between gallstone disease and metabolic syndrome has not been established, it appears to be associated with metabolic syndrome, but further study on a general population is required.

A Case of an Intraluminal Duodenal Diverticulum Managed with Endoscopic Incision and Ligation using Needle-knife and Detachable Snare / 대한소화기학회지

An intraluminal duodenal diverticulum (IDD) is a rare congenital anomaly consisted of a sac-like mucosal projection within the second portion of the duodenum. Even though most of cases are asymptomatic, patients may develop recurrent abdominal pain, pancreatitis, and gastrointestinal bleeding. We report a case of symptomatic IDD which presented as acute pancreatitis and obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Diagnosis was made by typical findings of upper GI series and coronal reformatted CT images. Although surgical resection is the treatment of choice, endoscopic incision and ligation with detachable snare was performed which led to a good result.

Comparison of the clinical outcomes between intestinal Behcet's disease and simple ulcer / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to compare the clinical outcomes of intestinal Behcet's disease with a simple ulcer. METHODS: We analyzed the medical records of 52 patients that were suspected as having intestinal Behcet's disease. Of these patients, 27 patients (Group 1) met both the criteria of the International Study Group for Behcet's Disease and the Behcet's Disease Research Committee of Japan. Thirteen patients (Group 2) met only the latter criteria and the other patients (Group 3) did not meet any criteria. The efficacy of medical treatment was assessed by the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms and follow-up colonoscopic findings. RESULTS: The mean age for patients with a diagnosis of an intestinal lesion was 38.6+/-12.2 years. The sex ratio was 1.08:1 (M:F) and the mean follow-up duration was 35.2+/-39.5 months. A single, smaller than 5 mm, round and shallow ulcer with an erythematous margin that was located at the leocecal area showed most typical colonoscopic features for intestinal Behcet's disease. No significant differences were found in the clinical manifestations and colonoscopic findings among the three groups of patients. Nineteen (44%) patients achieved complere remission from a sumptomatic point of view and 10 (39%) patients were proved to be complete remission according to follow up colonoscopy after medical treatment. Eleven patients (21.2%) underwent surgery. The overall cumulative rates of a first surgery and re-surgery were 40.5% and 71.9% at 10 years. No statistical relationship was found in the response of medical treatment and the cumulative rate of surgery among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical course and outcomes of an intestinal simple ulcer are not different from that for intestinal Behcet's disease.

A Case of Cholestatic Hepatitis Induced by Epstein-Barr Virus Infection / 대한간학회지

Acute viral hepatitis in human can be caused by a large number of viruses with a wide range of clinical manifestations and laboratory findings. EBV is a rare causative agent of an acute hepatitis, during the course of infectious mononucleosis. Hepatic manifestations of EBV are usually mild and resolve without serious complications. EBV is rather uncommonly confirmed as an etiologic agent in acute viral hepatitis of adults and it rarely causes cholestatic hepatitis. We report a case of EBV hepatitis with cholestatic feature that was verified through serum viral marker and liver biopsy.

The Factors Related to the Prognosis of Solitary Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Radiofrequency Ablation / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Several risk factors, such as size and location, are related to local recurrence after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The objectives of this study were to clarify factors related to prognosis. METHODS: From October 1999 to December 2002, we performed RFA for 107 consecutive patients with solitary HCC. We evaluated spiral computed tomography and serum alpha-fetoprotein level every 3 months after RFA. Seven possible factors for prognosis were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model: tumor size, tumor location, age, sex, etiology, platelet count, and Child-Pugh classification. Overall survival and disease free survival rate were estimated using the Kaplan- Meier method, and differences between two groups were compared using the log rank test. RESULTS: The Kaplan-Meier estimates of overall survival after radiofrequency ablation were 90.5% at 12 months, 67.4% at 24 months and 46.4% at 36 months and disease free survival were 71.4%, 46.7% and 20.9%, respectively. Using the Cox proportional hazards regression model, it was shown that with regard to overall survival and disease free survival, Child-Pugh classification (P=0.001, P=0.026) and platelet count (P<0.001, P=0.002) were statistically significant factors. The other factors did not have a statistically significant relationship to overall survival and disease free survival. CONCLUSIONS: The size and location known as local recurrence factors were not statistically significant with regard to survival and disease free survival. The Child-Pugh classification and platelet count, that reflect the liver function at the time of RFA, were significant factors for prognosis.

Clinical analysis of neurologic complications after pin fixation of supracondylar humerus fractures in children / 대한정형외과학회잡지

No abstract available.