Objective Multidector computed tomography (MDCT) is now commonly used for the evaluation of coronary artery disease. Because MDCT images include many non-cardiac organs and the patient population evaluated is highly susceptible to extracardiac diseases, this study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of extracardiac findings in the MDCT evaluation of ischemic heart disease. Methods From March 2007 to March 2008, a total of six-hundred twenty patients, who underwent 64-slice MDCT evaluations for chest pain, or dyspnea, were enrolled in this study. Cardiac and non-cardiac findings were comprehensively evaluated by a radiologist. Results Enrolled patients included 306 men (49.4%), with a mean age of 66 years. Significant coronary artery stenosis was found in 41.6%of the patients. A total of 158 extracardiac findings were observed in 110 (17.7%) patients. Commonly involved extracardiac organs were lung (36.7%), hepatobiliary system (21.5%), thyroid (19.6%), kidney (10.8%), spine (9.7%) and breast (0.6%). Of those 110 patients, 50 (45.5%) patients underwent further diagnostic investigations. Malignant disease was detected in three (2.7%) patients (lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and thyroid cancer). Conclusions Extracardiac findings are frequently present and should be a concern in the MDCT evaluation of chest pain syndrome.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has evolved from a challenging intervention to a standardized, simple, and streamlined procedure with over 350,000 procedures performed in over 70 countries. It is now a novel alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with intermediate surgical risk and its indications have been expanded to cohorts with bicuspid aortic valves, low surgical risk, and younger age and fewer comorbidities. Attention should be paid to further reducing remaining complications, such as paravalvular aortic regurgitation, conduction abnormalities, cardiac tamponade, and stroke. The aim of this review is to provide an overview on the rapidly changing field of TAVI treatment and to explore past achievements, current issues, and future perspectives of this treatment modality.
Aortic Valve ; Aortic Valve Insufficiency ; Aortic Valve Stenosis ; Bicuspid ; Cardiac Tamponade ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Humans ; Stroke ; Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has evolved from a challenging intervention to a standardized, simple, and streamlined procedure with over 350,000 procedures performed in over 70 countries. It is now a novel alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with intermediate surgical risk and its indications have been expanded to cohorts with bicuspid aortic valves, low surgical risk, and younger age and fewer comorbidities. Attention should be paid to further reducing remaining complications, such as paravalvular aortic regurgitation, conduction abnormalities, cardiac tamponade, and stroke. The aim of this review is to provide an overview on the rapidly changing field of TAVI treatment and to explore past achievements, current issues, and future perspectives of this treatment modality.

Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is defined as a rare, life-threatening autoimmune disorder leading to multiorgan failure. Probable APS, with clinical manifestations similar to APS without antiphospholipid antibodies, was suggested to be seronegative catastrophic APS. The triggering factors of catastrophic APS are various, including infection, trauma, malignancy, and surgery. In approximately 40% of patients, catastrophic APS develops from an unknown cause. We report a case of seronegative catastrophic APS due to an unknown origin. A 20-year-old man presented with cough, abdominal pain, skin lesions, tunnel vision, and watery diarrhea without fever. His symptoms and laboratory test suggested disseminated intravascular coagulation. Considering seronegative catastrophic APS, we treated with intravenous steroid and intravenous immunoglobulin, but the effects were limited. After weekly treatment with rituximab, an immune-modulating agent, his laboratory findings including thrombocytopenia and coagulation tests, returned to normal. We conclude that rituximab can be an effective treatment for seronegative catastrophic APS.
Abdominal Pain ; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid* ; Antiphospholipid Syndrome ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Cough ; Diarrhea ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation* ; Fever ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Skin ; Thrombocytopenia ; Young Adult ; Rituximab

Samter's triad is a well known syndrome and is characterized by a triad of asthma, aspirin or NSAID sensitivity and chronic sinusitis with nasal polyp. Chronic sinusitis with Samter's triad is difficult to treat completely and has poor prognosis. Tramadol is a non-opioid analgesic that rarely shows respiratory suppression and is known to be relatively safe because it does not inhibit prostaglandin synthesis. For that reason, patients with asthma may avoid drug-induced exacerbations of the disease by substituting Tramadol for NSAIDs. We experienced a case of asthma attack in a patient with Samter's triad after Tramadol injection.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; Aspirin ; Asthma ; Humans ; Nasal Polyps ; Prognosis ; Sinusitis ; Tramadol

Here we report a case of a 72-year-old male patient recurred in bone marrow alone with pulmonary tumor embolism after an excision of extramammary Paget's disease of scrotum 3 years ago. The patient received paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy with respiratory support in intensive care unit. Four days after chemotherapy, the oxygen demand decreased and the patient was transferred to general ward. The platelet count recovered after 2 weeks. Finally, he died of hepatic failure from Paget's disease hepatic involvement confirmed by liver biopsy at 10 months after recurrence. This is a rare case of recurred extramammary Paget's disease in bone marrow alone with pulmonary tumor embolism, which was properly diagnosed with high suspicion and was successfully treated with immediate chemotherapy.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow* ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Intensive Care Units ; Liver ; Liver Failure ; Male ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating* ; Oxygen ; Paget Disease, Extramammary* ; Patients' Rooms ; Platelet Count ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Recurrence* ; Scrotum*

BACKGROUND: Acute renal failure (ARF) with severe loin pain and patchy renal vasoconstriction (PRV) is a syndrome presenting with sudden loin pain after anaerobic exercise. We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and the efficacy of diagnostic imaging studies of patients with this syndrome. METHODS: We retrospectively selected 17 patients with ARF accompanied by loin or abdominal pain who showed multiple patchy wedge-shaped delayed contrast enhancements on a computerized tomography scan. Information about the clinical characteristics, including the nature of pain and combined symptoms, suspected causes, such as exercise, drug or alcohol intake, and renal hypouricemia, and the results of laboratory and imaging tests were gathered. RESULTS: The mean age of patients with episodes of ARF accompanied by loin pain was 23.0+/-6.5 (range 16-35) years old. Pain was mainly located in the loin (70.6%) or abdominal area (76.5%) and continued for approximately 3.5+/-4.0 days. Exercise was suspected as a primary cause of disease in 12 (70.6%) patients. Maximal serum creatinine was 5.42+/-3.16 (1.4-12.1) mg/dL 3.1+/-1.8 (1-7) days after the onset of pain. The peak level of serum uric acid was 9.41+/-2.91 (6.0-15.8) mg/dL. All of the patients recovered to near-normal renal function, and one patient showed hypouricemia after recovery. CONCLUSION: ARF with severe loin pain and PRV can present with loin or abdominal pain, even without a history of anaerobic exercise. Careful history taking and appropriate imaging studies are critical in the diagnosis and management of this syndrome.
Abdominal Pain ; Acute Kidney Injury ; Creatinine ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Humans ; Renal Tubular Transport, Inborn Errors ; Retrospective Studies ; Uric Acid ; Urinary Calculi ; Vasoconstriction

Hemodialysis (HD) patients are more vulnerable to viral epidemics, experiencing higher mortality rates compared to individuals without chronic kidney disease (CKD). This retrospective cohort study sought to demonstrate clinical outcomes and associated factors among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) confirmed Korean HD patients. Methods: From February 2020 to November 2021, the COVID-19 Task Force Team collected clinical data for HD patients with confirmed COVID-19 via a self-report survey of nephrologists. The composite outcome included in-hospital mortality, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and use of mechanical ventilation. Risk factors associated with clinical outcomes were analyzed among HD patients and compared to those of individuals without CKD using the COVID-19 database from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Results: A total of 380 HD patients from 206 facilities were diagnosed with COVID-19. Fever (49.5%) and cough (25.7%) were the two most common initial symptoms. The overall in-hospital fatality rate was 22.4% and even higher among ICU admission cases (64.7%). Non-survivors were older, more frequently developed shortness of breath, and were more likely to come from a nursing hospital. Compared to the age- and sex-matched non-CKD population, HD patients showed greater risk of in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio, 2.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.56–2.75; p < 0.001) and composite outcome (hazard ratio, 3.50; 95% confidence interval, 2.56–4.77; p < 0.001). Conclusion: HD patients have a greater risk of in-hospital mortality and morbidity from COVID-19. Special attention should be paid to COVID-19 HD patients when they are older or present with symptoms.

Background: The effect of each health-related quality of life (HRQOL) component on hemodialysis prognosis has not been well studied. We aimed to investigate the clinical factors associated with HRQOL and the effect of HRQOL after dialysis initiation on long-term survival in an Asian population. Methods: A total of 568 hemodialysis patients were included from a nationwide prospective cohort study. HRQOL was evaluated using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL) Short FormTM 1.3 at 3 months after dialysis initiation. The effect of each KDQOL item score on mortality was analyzed. Multivariable Cox analysis was performed after adjusting for age, sex, modified Charlson comorbidity index, and causes of primary kidney disease. Results: Old age, diabetes mellitus, high comorbidities, and low serum albumin levels were associated with poor physical health status. Decreased urine output was associated with both poor physical and mental health status.The scores of 3 indices in the kidney disease domain (effect of kidney disease, social support, and dialysis staff encouragement) showed significant associations with mortality, as did the 3 indices (physical function, physical role limitation, and body pain) in the physical health domain. Neither the 4 indices in the mental health domain nor the mental composite score showed a significant association with mortality. However, a high physical composite score was associated with decreased overall patient mortality (P = 0.003). The effect of physical composite score on survival was prominent among young or middle-aged groups. Conclusion Poor physical health status 3 months after hemodialysis start correlates significantly with overall mortality.

Background: The effect of each health-related quality of life (HRQOL) component on hemodialysis prognosis has not been well studied. We aimed to investigate the clinical factors associated with HRQOL and the effect of HRQOL after dialysis initiation on long-term survival in an Asian population. Methods: A total of 568 hemodialysis patients were included from a nationwide prospective cohort study. HRQOL was evaluated using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL) Short FormTM 1.3 at 3 months after dialysis initiation. The effect of each KDQOL item score on mortality was analyzed. Multivariable Cox analysis was performed after adjusting for age, sex, modified Charlson comorbidity index, and causes of primary kidney disease. Results: Old age, diabetes mellitus, high comorbidities, and low serum albumin levels were associated with poor physical health status. Decreased urine output was associated with both poor physical and mental health status.The scores of 3 indices in the kidney disease domain (effect of kidney disease, social support, and dialysis staff encouragement) showed significant associations with mortality, as did the 3 indices (physical function, physical role limitation, and body pain) in the physical health domain. Neither the 4 indices in the mental health domain nor the mental composite score showed a significant association with mortality. However, a high physical composite score was associated with decreased overall patient mortality (P = 0.003). The effect of physical composite score on survival was prominent among young or middle-aged groups. Conclusion Poor physical health status 3 months after hemodialysis start correlates significantly with overall mortality.