[Successful endoscopic transpapillary pancreaticobiliary drainage for omental panniculitis by hepatocellular carcinoma complicated by biliary fistula and pancreatic fistula].

A 78-year-old man with hepatocellular carcinoma treated by chemoembolization and percutaneous ethanol injection was admitted to our hospital because of acute abdomen. The CT scan showed biliary fistula caused by hepatocellular carcinoma protruding from S3. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed disruption of an intrahepatic duct and the main pancreatic duct, and contrast agent leaked into the peritoneal cavity from each duct. Omental panniculitis with biliary fistula and pancreatic fistula was diagnosed. The symptoms improved by endoscopic nasobiliary drainage and endoscopic pancreatic stenting. On the 13th day after admission, we added endoscopic nasopancreatic drainage because his abdominal pain had been exacerbated by pancreatic juice leakage. Omental panniculitis by hepatocellular carcinoma complicated by biliary fistula and pancreatic fistula is extremely rare. Endoscopic transpapillary pancreaticobiliary drainage was effective for omental panniculitis in this case.

Gastric variceal bleeding caused by an intrahepatic arterioportal fistula that formed after liver biopsy: a case report and review of the literature.

An intrahepatic arterioportal fistula is a rare cause of portal hypertension and variceal bleeding. We report on a patient with an intrahepatic arterioportal fistula following liver biopsy who was successfully treated by hepatectomy after unsuccessful arterial embolization. We also review the literature on symptomatic intrahepatic arterioportal fistulas after liver biopsy. A 48-year-old male with bleeding gastric varices and hepatitis B virus-associated liver cirrhosis was transferred to our hospital; this patient previously underwent percutaneous liver biopsies 3 and 6 years ago. Abdominal examination revealed a bruit over the liver, tenderness in the right upper quadrant, and splenomegaly. Ultrasonographic examination, computed tomography, and angiography confirmed an arterioportal fistula between the right hepatic artery and the right portal vein with portal hypertension. After admission, the patient suffered a large hematemesis and developed shock. He was treated with emergency transarterial embolization using microcoils. Since some collateral vessels bypassed the obstructive coils and still fed the fistulous area, embolization was performed again. Despite the second embolization, the collateral vessels could not be completely controlled. Radical treatment involving resection of his right hepatic lobe was performed. For nearly 6 years postoperatively, this patient has had no further episodes of variceal bleeding.

Secondary aortoduodenal fistula without gastrointestinal bleeding directly detected by CT and endoscopy.

We describe a 50-year-old man with a secondary aortoduodenal fistula who presented with high fever and right leg pain one year after undergoing an aortoiliac bypass with a polyester graft. Gangrene had developed in the right ankle, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed that the graft had penetrated the third duodenal segment and obstructed the right graft limb. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy confirmed that the graft had perforated the duodenum. A preoperative diagnosis of aortoenteric fistula can be very difficult. In spite of the lack of gastrointestinal bleeding in this case, we directly diagnosed secondary aortoduodenal fistula preoperatively using computed tomography and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Secondary aortoenteric fistulae should be suspected when a patient with an aortic prosthesis shows symptoms in the lower limb.

[A case of primary splenic angiosarcoma with intraperitoneal hemorrhage treated by transcatheter arterial embolization].

Splenic tumors are very rare. In Japan only 42 cases of splenic angiosarcoma have been reported. We encountered a case of spontaneous rupture of a splenic angiosarcoma and liver metastasis. A 60-year-old woman who suddenly went into hemorrhagic shock presented at our hospital. Then acute spontaneously ruptured spleen and hepatic tumors were diagnosed by abdominal CT. After emergency TAE, the patient was hemodynamically stable, but died of liver failure 13 days after admission. The pathological diagnosis was primary splenic angiosarcoma with multiple organ metastasis on autopsy. Splenic angiosarcoma should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of splenomegaly or splenic tumor. TAE can be effective in primary hemostasis for angiosarcoma with intraperitoneal hemorrhage from multiple tumors.

[Endoscopic ultrasound-guided transmural cyst drainage (EUS-CD) was effective in a case of pancreatic pseudocyst with obstructive jaundice and duodenal stenosis].

A 40-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of epigastralgia and vomiting. His condition was diagnosed as acute pancreatitis with a pancreatic pseudocyst, obstructive jaundice, and duodenal stenosis. Because he had fever, abdominal pain, and elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), endoscopic ultrasound-guided transmural cyst drainage (EUS-CD) was performed with a nasocystic tube on the 6th day. After the cyst was reduced and the patient recovered from the obstructive jaundice and duodenal stenosis, the nasal drainage tube was replaced with a plastic stent. Because a short extent of stenosis in the main pancreatic duct in the pancreatic head was found by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a 5Fr pancreatic stent was placed to prevent pancreatitis. No recurrence of pancreatitis and the cyst occurred after removal of both stents 5 days later.

Severe myelosuppression following alopecia shortly after the initiation of 6-mercaptopurine in a patient with Crohn's disease.

A 15-year-old, woman, Crohn's disease patient, who carried the TPMT *3C heterozygous mutant, complained of alopecia 3 days after starting 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) and then developed severe myelosuppression 6 weeks after starting 6-MP. The alopecia involved scalp hair only (body hair preserved) and was dominant in the temporal region. Following these side effects, transient remission of Crohn's disease occurred. Myelosuppression due to 6-MP is a rare but life-threatening side effect that is difficult to predict despite continuous monitoring of complete blood cell counts. In the present case, 6-MP-induced alopecia preceded myelosuppression and progressed rapidly as the myelosuppression worsened.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced small bowel injuries identified by double-balloon endoscopy.

AIM: To clarify clinical features of the NSAID-induced small bowel lesions using a new method of endoscopy. METHODS: This is a retrospective study and we analyzed seven patients with small bowel lesions while taking NSAIDs among 61 patients who had undergone double-balloon endoscopy because of gastro-intestinal bleeding or anemia between September 2000 and March 2004, at Jichi Medical School Hospital in Japan. Neither conventional EGD nor colonoscopy revealed any lesions of potential bleeding sources including ulcerations. Double-balloon endoscopy was carried out from oral approach in three patients, from anal approach in three patients, and from both approaches in one patient. RESULTS: Ulcers or erosions were observed in the ileum in six patients and in the jejunum in one patient, respectively. The ulcers were multiple in all the patients with different features from tiny punched out ulcers to deep ulcerations with oozing hemorrhage or scar. All the patients recovered uneventfully and had full resolution of symptoms after suspension of the drug. CONCLUSION: NSAIDs can induce injuries in the small bowel even in patients without any lesions in both the stomach and colon.

Infection of a Japanese patient by genotype 4 hepatitis e virus while traveling in Vietnam.

Cases of imported hepatitis E in industrialized countries infected with a genotype 1 hepatitis E virus (HEV) have been identified. We report a 56-year-old Japanese man who acquired infection with a genotype 4 HEV with 98.8% identity to a Vietnamese isolate after ingestion of uncooked shellfish while traveling in Vietnam.