Epidural and subarachnoid narcotics have raised new possibilities for selective blockade of pain transmission at the spinal cord level. However, it must still be regarded as an experimental technique until detailed pharmacological and physiological data are available, since many reports have treated the development of respiratory arrest which may be related to the dynamics fo CSF flow. We experienced 2 cases of respiratory arrest after intrathecal injection of 2mg morphine. One patient developed respiratory arrest at approximately 5 1/2 hours after intrathecal morphine and the other at approximately 12 1/2 hours. Those respiratory arrests were completely reversed with naloxone hydrochloride without interfering with the analgesic effect of the drug.
Humans ; Injections, Spinal ; Morphine* ; Naloxone ; Narcotics ; Spinal Cord

Amyloidosis is known as a disease caused by the deposition of a insoluble and fibrous amyloid protein in the extracellular space of various organs and tissue. Intestinal amyloid deposition may develop motility disturbance, malabsorption, bleeding and perforation. A 70-year old woman with lower abdominal pain, watery diarrhea was admitted and had the past history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension for 8 years and rheumatoid arthritis for 10 year. On colonoscopic examination for evaluation of diarrhea, multiple edematous and shallow ulcers was found from distal sigmoid to terminal ileum. A green colored positive birifringent stained amorphous material was found in polarizing microscopy of colon biopsy specimen stained with Congo-red on microscopic examination,. We report a case of amyloidosis causing colon ulcers confirmed by colonoscopic biopsy with review literature.
Abdominal Pain ; Aged ; Amyloid* ; Amyloidosis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Biopsy ; Colitis* ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diarrhea ; Extracellular Space ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Ileum ; Microscopy ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Ulcer