Angiomyolipoma of the Liver without a Fat Component, Mimicking a Hepatocellular Carcinoma / 대한소화기학회지

Angiomyolipoma (AML) is a rare benign mesenchymal tumor in the liver, which is composed of blood vessels, smooth muscle, and adipose cells. The proportion of each component varies, making a diagnosis difficult. This paper reports a case of AML in the liver without adipose tissue, mimicking a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which was diagnosed by a surgical tissue biopsy. A 65-year-old woman was admitted for an evaluation of a hepatic mass that had been detected by ultrasonography. The serologic markers of viral hepatitis B and C were negative. The liver function tests and alpha fetoprotein level were within the normal limits. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 1.9 cm sized mass in segment 6 of the liver with early arterial enhancement and washout on the delayed phase accompanied by a rim-like enhancement, which is similar to the imaging findings of HCC. A frozen section examination during surgery indicated a hepatocellular neoplasm and suggested the possibility of HCC. On the other hand, the final pathologic diagnosis was epithelioid myoid type of AML with no adipose tissue component. The tumor cells were positive for human melanocyte B-45 and negative for cytokeratin and hepatocyte paraffin 1. This paper reports a very rare case of AML without adipose tissue in the liver mimicking HCC that was diagnosed by a surgical tissue biopsy.

Exchange Transfusion Using Percutaneous Femoral Vein Catheterization in Neonates: Comparison with Umbilical Vein Catheterization

Traditionally umbilical vein has been used for exchange transfusion in neonates. This method is relatively safe and effective but with a few complications. So via percutaneous femoral vein catheters we tried exchange transfusions in 30 patients with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia admitted to GNUH from September 1990 to August 1992. Femoral vein catheterization succeeded in 2~3 trials, In all cases high bilirubin level was lowered by half at the end of exchange transfusion. Transient microscopic hematuria by bladder puncture occurred in one neonate. Exchange transfusion via femoral vein catheter is a sage, easy and effective method.