Cholangiocarcinoma has been associated with various fibrocystic diseases of liver and biliary tract, but cholangiocarcinoma in polycystic liver disease (PLD) was extremely rare. It was reported that the prognosis of cholangiocarcinoma associated PLD was very poor and distant metastases were common. We report a rare case of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma associated with PLD in 58- year- old female who presented vague abdominal pain. She had also polycystic kidneys with normal renal function. MRI showed well demonstrated tumor with central scar and a adjacent large cyst in the left lobe of the liver. She underwent extended left lobectomy. On microscopic examination, the tumor was moderately differentiated cholangiocarcinoma having abundant fibrous stroma and necrosis and the adjacent cyst showed focal in situ carcinomatous changes in the lining epithelium.
Abdominal Pain ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangiocarcinoma* ; Cicatrix ; Epithelium ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Necrosis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases ; Prognosis ; Cholangiocarcinoma

Torsades de pointes is a polymorphic ventricular tachycardia associated with prolonged QT interval and increased U wave amplitude. It has been found to be induced by various drugs, electrolyte imbalances, and so on, but the mechanism of torsades de pointes has not been completely documented. Two hypotheses, early afterdepolarization and dispersion of repolarization have been known to be the possible mechanism. Terfenadine and astemizole are the antihistamines, known to be one of the etiologic agents of torsades de pointes, and factors associated with increased risk are significant liver disease, drug overdose, and concomitant administration of imidazole and macrolide antimicrobial drugs. There has been only one case reported that torsades de pointes had been induced by first-generation antihistamine, piprinhydrinate. We experienced a case of 43 year old male patient with torsades de pointes induced by first-generation antihistamine, hydroxyzine and treated successfully with drug cessation, MgSO
Adult ; Astemizole ; Drug Overdose ; Histamine Antagonists ; Humans ; Hydroxyzine* ; Isoproterenol ; Liver Diseases ; Male ; Tachycardia, Ventricular ; Terfenadine ; Torsades de Pointes*

Background/Aims: Biologics are very effective drugs for patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). However, there are patients who are not responding to biologics. This study aimed to evaluate the level of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-23, and IL-17 from synovial fluid in patients with AS and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and differences of the level of those cytokines according to drugs. Methods: Synovial fluid was obtained from 34 patients (42 samples) with AS and 45 patients (47 samples) with RA with active arthritis of the knee, and the cytokine levels were measured. The differences in the levels between patients treated with and without biologics (biologics and non-biologics groups, respectively) were analyzed in AS and RA. The correlations between cytokines were examined in the non-biologics and biologics groups. Results: The TNF-α level in AS was significantly lower than that in RA (p = 0.016). The IL-17 and IL-23 levels were not different between AS and RA (p = 0.409 and p = 0.562, respectively). In AS and RA, TNF-α, IL-17, and IL-23 showed good correlation among each other in the non-biologics group. However, there was no significant correlation in biologics group. In some patients in the AS group, the IL-17 or IL-23 level was markedly elevated in the biologics group. Conclusions Treatment with biologics affects the cytokine profile in inflammatory synovial fluid in patients with both AS and RA. Furthermore, IL-23 and IL-17 cytokine might be an important factor in some patients who are unresponsive to biologics in AS.

The tumor seeding after percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) therapy has been considered to be a rare complication in hepatocellular carcinoma. We report a case of needle tract implantation of hepatocellular carcinoma following PEI manifested as subcutaneous nodule. A 57-years old male patient had been treated with PEI for hepatocellular carcinoma. Thirteen months after completion of the PEI session, a subcutaneous nodule was palpated at the site of the needle puncture. A CT scan showed that the subcutaneous nodule was 1.7 cm in size and enhanced in the early phase. The nodule was surgically removed. Microscopic examination showed hepatocellular carcinoma.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Ethanol* ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Needles* ; Punctures ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Gastric carcinogenesis has been studied in various aspects. Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and mutation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene have recently been argued to be important factors of gastric carcinogenesis. There have been many studies to determine the precise mechanism of how Hp is related to gastric cancer, but it is so far still unknown. We studied the relationship of Hp infection and p53 overexpression and tried to discover some significance in clinicopathologic factors such as age, sex, stage, site, differentiation and gross morphology. Ninety-six patients who were diagnosed with gastric cancer at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University Medical College from November 1995 to March 1996, and 96 control patients of non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) were studied by endoscopic biopsy of normal gastric tissue and cancer tissue. They also underwent the CLO (Delta West, Melbourne, Western Australia) test for Hp positivity and p53 immunohistochemical stain for p53 positivity. These data were analyzed for comparison with the clinicopathologic characteristics of gastric cancers. In conclusion, the differentiated group cancer had a significantly high Hp positivity and p53 positivity. There is a possibility that Hp infection and p53 tumor suppressor gene mutation might be significantly related in the gastric carcinogenic process of well- and moderately-differentiated adenocarcinomas, but further study is necessary to determine more direct clues on the carcinogenic roles of these factors.
Adenocarcinoma/metabolism* ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Helicobacter Infections/metabolism* ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Protein p53/analysis* ; Stomach Neoplasms/metabolism*

Sacroiliitis is a prototyical feature of the seronegative spondyloarthropathies. It has been reported rarely in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. We report a case of bilateral sacroiliitis in a 26 year-old female who presented 5 out of 11 ARA criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus. She complained of right low back pain since 1 week after delivery. Plain roentgenogram, computed tomogram and magnetic resonance imaging revealed no evidence of subluxation or pyogenic infection that may be possibly related to delivery, but bilateral sacroiliitis especially more severe in the right side that showed concordantly increased uptake on bone scan. Also she had neither HLA DR-3 nor B-27 antigens and had no other clinical findings of limitation of motion of spine and chest expansion, which suggest that there is a less likelihood of coexistent ankylosing spondylitis. In this case, we suggested that sacroiliitis may be a infrequent manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Sacroiliitis* ; Spine ; Spondylarthropathies ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing ; Thorax

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cardiac myxomas are uncommon. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to reduce morbidity or mortality. Before 1970, preoperative diagnosis was difficult. With the development of echocardiography, a correct diagnosis is made before operation. We reviewed our clinical experience in diagnosis and management of 52 cases of myxomas seen over a 33-year period, 1966 to 1998. PATIENTS AND METHODS: There were 20 males (38%) and 32 females (62%);age range 7 - 80. All the patient's medical records were reviewed. In twenty-five patients in whom echocardiographic features could be reviewed, clinical fetures were compared according to two distinct echocardiographic features;Round and polypoid type. RESULTS: Eighty-four percents of the presenting symptoms were cardiac origin while systemic embolism (SE) accounted for 15%. Echocardiography was used most often for diagnosis. The myxomas were located in the left atrium in 50 (96%), right atrium in 2 (4%). One patient had multiple myxoma. The incidence of SE was significantly higher in polypoid type than in round type (58% vs 0%, p<0.05). Multivariate regression analysis revealed polypoid type was the only independent predictor of SE (p=0.0029). Follow-up duration was ranged from 1 to 266 months. There was no deaths associated with myxoma. One patient presented with a recurrence 3 years after resection, and reoperation was performed uneventfully. CONCLUSION: Due to the nonspecific presentation of myxoma, a high index of suspicion is needed. Surgical excision of myxoma can be considered curative with excellent long-term result. However, because of high possible occurrence of SE, a close attention should be given to those patients who have myxoma of polypoid type.
Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Embolism ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Myxoma* ; Recurrence ; Reoperation

Metronidazole can induce serious neurologic problems including peripheral neuropathy, seizures, and encephalopathy. We examined a patient with acute Wernicke's encephalopathy and peripheral polyneuropathy that had developed after prolonged metronidazole therapy without a history of chronic alcoholism or poor nutritional intake. The 68-year-old man had been hospitalized for a brain abscess and was treated for 10 weeks with metronidazole (2 grams per day). This patient, who showed symptoms of numbness and tingling in the legs, was referred for electromyography (EMG) and was diagnosed with peripheral polyneuropathy. A few days later, he developed sudden ataxia, dizziness, and diplopia. The neurologic examination revealed nystagmus and ophthalmoplegia, and the FLAIR brain MRI showed symmetrical high signal intensity lesions in the cerebellar dentate nucleus, midbrain, tegmentum around the periaqueductal gray matter, and tectum. After administering intravenous thiamine and stopping the metronidazole therapy, he recovered from the ophthalmoplegia and ataxia. Brain MR showed complete recovery within 3 weeks; however the EMG remained abnormal for a further 6 months, although the symptoms were almost completely resolved by this time.
Aged ; Alcoholism ; Ataxia ; Brain ; Brain Abscess ; Cerebellar Nuclei ; Diplopia ; Dizziness ; Electromyography ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Leg ; Mesencephalon ; Metronidazole ; Neurologic Examination ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Periaqueductal Gray ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Polyneuropathies ; Seizures ; Thiamine ; Wernicke Encephalopathy

Ischemic colitis is the consequence of a sudden reduction in colon blood supply, which in turn results in ischemic injury. The splenic flexure and rectosigmoid junction are the areas most often affected. Ischemic colitis occurs with greater frequency in the elderly and is caused by various medications and procedures. Pseudoephedrine acts as a vasoconstrictor directly affecting adrenal receptors of nasal mucous membrane. Pseudoephedrine occasionally causes vascular insufficiency due to intense vasoconstriction, even at standard doses. Ischemic colitis associated with pseudoephedrine has been reported in other countries,, but it has never been reported in Korea. In this paper, we describe 3 cases of ischemic colitis that occurred after taking pseudoephedrine for nasal congestion.
Aged ; Colitis, Ischemic* ; Colon ; Colon, Transverse ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Korea ; Mucous Membrane ; Pseudoephedrine* ; Vasoconstriction