Spontaneously Resolving of Huge Simple Hepatic Cyst / 대한소화기학회지

Simple hepatic cysts are common benign liver lesions that usually have no malignant capability. They are generally asymptomatic and are often found incidentally by abdominal imaging procedures. Treatment becomes necessary, however, when huge hepatic cysts cause symptoms and develop complications, such as hemorrhage, adjacent organ damage, and infection. Several therapeutic options have been performed for symptomatic and huge cysts, including the aspiration of cystic fluid, infusion of various sclerosing agents, and surgical intervention. The optimal management of huge hepatic cysts is controversial and each option has its complications and limitations. This paper reports a case of a 66-year-old woman diagnosed with a simple hepatic cyst 2 years earlier, who was referred to hospital due to abdominal pain. The diagnosis was a huge hepatic cyst with symptoms by abdominal imaging studies. During the follow-up period, the huge cysts resolved spontaneously without treatment.

Erratum: A Case of Acute Pyogenic Sacroiliitis and Bacteremia Caused by Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / 감염과화학요법

We found an error in our published article. Author name should be corrected.

Erratum: A Case of Acute Pyogenic Sacroiliitis and Bacteremia Caused by Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / 감염과화학요법

We found an error in our published article. Figure 2 should be corrected.

A Comparison Study of Ballooning Time between Immediate and Conventional Deflation Method of Endoscopic Papillary Large Balloon Dilation for the Extraction of Difficult Bile Duct Stone / 대한췌담도학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The ballooning time in endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD) remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of the ballooning time comparing an immediate balloon deflation method with a conventional ballooning time of > 45 seconds. METHODS: Between January 2010 and December 2010, 126 patients with bile duct stones treated with EPLBD and endoscopic sphincterotomy were divided according to the ballooning time: the immediate deflation group (n=56) and the conventional inflation group (ballooning time 45s to < 60s) (n=70). RESULTS: The overall success rate and the success rate of the first attempt of ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography) were 96.4% (54/56) and 80.4% (45/56) in the immediate group and 97.1% (68/70) and 77.1% (54/70) in the conventional inflation group. There were no statistically significant differences in the overall success and the first attempt of ERCP success rate (p=0.99, p=0.66). The frequency of mechanical lithotripsy was 0% in the immediate deflation group and 7.1% in the conventional inflation group (p=0.065). Complications occurred in 3.6% (2/56) patients in the immediate deflation group and 8.6% (4/70) patients in the conventional inflation group (p=0.298). CONCLUSIONS: The ballooning time in EPLBD does not affect the outcomes of the treatment for bile duct stones. And the feasibility of the immediate deflation method in EPLBD is acceptable.

A Case of Acute Pyogenic Sacroiliitis and Bacteremia Caused by Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / 감염과화학요법

Pyogenic sacroiliitis is a rare osteoarticular infection, occurring most frequently in children and young adults. Diagnosis of the disease is challenging because of a general lack of awareness of the disease and its nonspecific signs and symptoms. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common causative bacteria in pyogenic sacroiliitis. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has typically been considered a hospital-associated pathogen; however, community-acquired (CA)-MRSA infections are becoming increasingly common in Korea. We report the first domestic case of acute pyogenic sacroiliitis with abscess and bacteremia caused by CA-MRSA. The pathogen carried the type IV-A staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) without the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene, and was identified as sequence type (ST) 72 by multilocus sequence typing.

Reactivation of Hepatitis B Virus Following Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Therapy

Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha therapy is being increasingly used to treat several rheumatic diseases and inflammatory bowel diseases. However, treatment with anti-TNF-alpha therapy of patients with a concurrent hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can promote viral reactivation and potentially fatal liver failure. The medical records of 176 patients who had been treated with an anti-TNF-alpha therapy at single center from January 2010 to December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. Of the 176 patients, the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) status of 114 (64.8%) were tested at the baseline. Five (4.4%) of them were HBsAg-positive, and 109 (95.6%) were negative. Only 10 of the HBsAg-negative patients (9.2%) were checked for hepatitis B core antigen. Ninety-one patients were checked for anti-HCV, and two (2.2%) were positive. After their anti-TNF-alpha therapy, HBV reactivation was confirmed in two patients. The reactivation of HBV after the anti-TNF-alpha therapy was observed in the HBsAg-positive patients.

Reactivation of Hepatitis B Virus Following Systemic Chemotherapy for Malignant Lymphoma / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been reported in HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive patients undergoing chemotherapy, as well as HBsAg-negative patients with antibodies against HBV core antigen (HBcAg) and/or HBsAg (HBsAb). Chemotherapy-including rituximab-has recently been identified as a predictive factor for HBV reactivation in HBsAg-negative patients with malignant lymphoma. The aim of our study was to identify the factors predictive of HBV reactivation after chemotherapy in patients with malignant lymphoma. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of medical records from patients diagnosed with malignant lymphoma at Gachon University Gil Medical Center in City, County from January 2005 to December 2010. We subsequently determined HBsAg, HBsAb and anti-HBc status in the 196 patients treated with chemotherapy. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 57.3 +/- 14.5 years; 56.3% were male. A total of 172 of 196 (88%) patients in the study population were HBsAg (+) prior to chemotherapy. Three patients (3/11, 27.3%) in the HBsAg (+) group had confirmed HBV reactivation after chemotherapy. In addition, 26 of 196 (13%) patients in the study population tested HBcAg (+) positive prior to chemotherapy. One patient (1/15, 6.7%) in the HBsAg (-)/HBcAb (+) group had confirmed HBV reactivation. In the four patients with HBV reactivation, infection was resolved after treatment with 0.5 mg entecavir or 100 mg lamivudine. CONCLUSIONS: Reactivation of HBV after systemic chemotherapy can occur in HBsAg (-) patients. We recommend that malignant lymphoma patients undergoing chemotherapy be screened for HBV infection status, including HBcAg, and followed closely to prevent HBV reactivation.