PURPOSE: Atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP) is a hormone with strong vasodilating, diu-retic and natriuretic properties. The aim of this study was to clarify the interrelationship of ANP secretion and hemodynamic changes of patent ductus arteriosus(PDA) in healthy preterm and fullterm infants without clinical evidence of PDA. METHODS: Thirteen preterm infants and six full term infants who did not develop clinical evidence of PDA were studied at 6 hr, 12 hr, 24 hr, 3rd day and 4th day after birth, until their PDAs closed spontaneously. Plasma ANP concentrations and the hemodynamic changes of PDA were rneasured. RESULTS: The ANP concentrations of all infants increased from 34.1+/-10.9 pg/ml at 6 hr to 120.5+/-18.8 pg/ml at 12 hr, and declined thereafter gradually to 74.2+/-12.7 pg/ml at 4th day. The ANP concentrations, LA/Ao ratio and LAV decreased after ductal closure. The pulmonary flow velocity(PFV) of PDA correlated with ANP concentration in preterm infants(r=0.23, P<0.05). LA/Ao ratio correlated with ANP contration in all infants (r=0.28, P<0.05), especially in preterm infants(r=0.46, P<0.01 during 12 hr and 4th day after birth. LAV correlated with the ANP concentrations in preterm infants during 12 hr and 4th day after birth(r=0.34, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The changes of ANP concentrations are probably due to the changes of the left-to-right shunt of PDA with left atrial stretch. Reduction of the ANP concentrations may serve as an indicator of spontaneous closure of PDA. Therefore ANP measurement may be useful in deciding the need and the timing of medical and surgical managernent of newbom infants without clinical evidence of PDA.
Atrial Natriuretic Factor ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Low Birth Weight* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Parturition ; Plasma*

For intestinal Behcet's disease, the common complications are intestinal perforation, bleeding and fistula formation. Among these, fistula formation is mostly associated with previously performed surgeries and it is rare that fistulas form spontaneously. We experienced a case of Behcet's disease with duodenoileal fistula, and the patient does not have any previous surgery. A 57-year-old male patient was admitted due to persistent diarrhea and weight loss. He was diagnosed with intestinal Behcet's disease 6 years ago. On the 2nd portion of the duodenum, an opening to the colon was found on gastroduodenoscopy. As we rechecked the lesion with performing a gastrograffin upper GI series, there was a fistula between the 2nd portion of the duodenum and ileum. So we performed right hemicolectomy and duodenojejunostomy and we confirmed the duodenoileal fistula. Overall, we would like to suggest that this case was a case of Behcet's disease with spontaneous duodenoileal fistula.
Behcet Syndrome ; Colon ; Diarrhea ; Diatrizoate Meglumine ; Duodenum ; Fistula* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Ileum ; Intestinal Fistula ; Intestinal Perforation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Weight Loss