Although transfusion of blood and plasma products are accepted as the principle means of transmission of HCV, other parenteral methods, such as acupuncture, tattooing needles, piercing, and surgery are possible methods of transmission of HCV. We managed a case of chronic hepatitis C acquired through ear piercing and acupuncture. A 10-year old girl presented with nausea, abdominal pain, and anorexia for 1 month. Her laboratory finding showed the following: AST/ALT, 865/1,290 IU/L; positive anti-HCV Ab; and HCV RNA. One year previously, she was treated with acupuncture for an ankle sprain and 2 years previously, she had her ears pierced. Laboratory findings of family members showed AST/ALT in the normal ranges, and negative anti-HCV Ab and HCV RNA. The pathologic findings of a liver biopsy revealed chronic hepatitis with mild lobular activity, moderate porto-periportal activity, and portal fibrosis. She was treated with pegylated interferon alpha-2a and oral ribavirin for 6 months, after which the clinical symptoms and laboratory findings improved.
Abdominal Pain ; Acupuncture ; Animals ; Ankle ; Anorexia ; Biopsy ; Body Piercing ; Ear ; Fibrosis ; Hepatitis C ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Interferons ; Liver ; Nausea ; Needles ; Plasma ; Reference Values ; Ribavirin ; RNA ; Sprains and Strains ; Tattooing

We report a rare case of acute acalculous cholecystitis (ACC) caused by Salmonella enteritidis infection in a previously healthy 9-year-old boy. Salmonella enteritidis was isolated from stool and bile culture. The diagnosis of ACC was established upon clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographic findings. The patient was successfully treated using percutaneous transhepaticcholecystic drainage (PTCCD) in combination with antibiotics therapy.
Acalculous Cholecystitis ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bile ; Child ; Drainage ; Humans ; Salmonella ; Salmonella enteritidis

Familial chylomicronemia syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by severe hypertriglyceridemia and fasting chylomicronemia. Causes of the syndrome include lipoprotein lipase (LPL) deficiency, apolipoprotein C-II deficiency, or the presence of inhibitors to LPL. We managed a 3-month-old girl who had recurrent acute pancreatitis caused by chylomicronemia. We report the first case of familial chylomicronemia in Korea caused by LPL deficiency in an infant with recurrent acute pancreatitis.
Fasting ; Humans ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type I ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Infant ; Korea ; Lipoprotein Lipase ; Lipoproteins ; Pancreatitis

A peritoneal loose body is reported to develop because of torsion and separation of the epiploic appendages. The condition is usually symptomless and may be incidentally during abdominal surgery or autopsy. It usually occurs in middle-aged and elderly adults and is very rare in children. In this paper, we report a case of a peritoneal loose body in the pelvic cavity of a 10-year old-girl who presented with urinary frequency and left lower abdominal discomfort. A second plain X-ray film of the abdomen, obtained before surgery, in a different view than the first, revealed that the calcified mass had migrated to a lower position. The mass was laparoscopically resected, and histological examination revealed it to be a fibrotic nodule with central liquefaction and calcification.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Aged ; Autopsy ; Child ; Humans ; X-Ray Film

An omental infarctions is an uncommon cause of an acute abdomen and a rare entity in children. The etiology is still unclear and the symptoms mimic acute appendicitis. We recently encountered a case of a 10-year-old boy who had a previous surgical history of a manual reduction for intussusception. He complained of abdominal pain and right upper quadrant tenderness without fever or anorexia. An abdominal ultrasonography suggested an omental infarction and computed tomography confirmed the diagnosis. Conservative management was adopted with a rapid and uneventful recovery. Non-operative treatment is a safe and effective treatment of choice for omental infarction.
Abdomen, Acute ; Abdominal Pain ; Anorexia ; Appendicitis ; Child ; Fever ; Humans ; Hydrazines ; Infarction ; Intussusception

Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome (SRUS) is a rare disorder in children. There are few investigations about the exact incidence and effective treatment of SRUS in children. We describe a 12-year-old male patient who had rectal prolapse for 9 years, hematochezia for 7 months, and was diagnosed with polypoid solitary rectal ulcer syndrome with rectal prolapse by colonoscopy. Anorectal manometry was also performed to evaluate the cause of frequent relapses.
Child ; Colonoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Manometry ; Rectal Prolapse ; Recurrence ; Ulcer

Calcifying fibrous tumors (CFTs) are unusual benign tumors of childhood, located primarily in soft tissues, pleura, and peritoneum. The cause and pathogenesis are unclear. We report a rare case of a CFT in a 2-year-old boy who presented with vomiting and abdominal distension. An abdominal X-ray showed an elliptical, calcific shadow in the LUQ area mimicking a foreign body. An internally protruding mass along the lesser curvature of the gastric body was an incidental finding during upper endoscopy, biopsies of which were negative. Abdominal CT showed a 4.5x3.2 cm soft tissue mass of the gastric wall with calcifications. A diagnosis of gastric submucosal mass was suspected and a wedge resection of the stomach was performed. On microscopic examination, the tumor was composed of whorls of dense hyalinized collagen bundles with a few fibroblasts. There were also amorphous dystrophic calcifications and nodular aggregates of mononuclear inflammatory cells. Immunohistochemically, spindle cells did not stain for anaplastic lymphoma kinase-1 (ALK-1), CK, smooth muscle actin (SMA), or desmin. Taken together, the mass was compatible with a CFT of the gastric wall. This is the first reported case of CFT in a Korean child.
Actins ; Biopsy ; Child ; Collagen ; Desmin ; Endoscopy ; Fibroblasts ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Incidental Findings ; Lymphoma ; Muscle, Smooth ; Peritoneum ; Pleura ; Preschool Child ; Stomach ; Vomiting

We report a rare case of gastric perforation in a 13-year-old boy with anorexia nervosa. He was admitted to our hospital with the chief complaint of body weight loss. He had lower abdominal pain after 2 days. An abdominal CT revealed diffuse peritonitis. At laparotomy, the stomach was dilated and perforated. Postoperatively, the patient suffered from malnutrition. We monitored electrolytes, minerals, and fluids closely before and during the initiation of feedings to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with refeeding syndrome. We present an extremely rare complication that relates to this phenomenon, describing an acute gastric dilatation that led to gastric necrosis and perforation through an unusual mechanism in an extremely anorectic teenager during hospitalization for refeeding.
Abdominal Pain ; Adolescent ; Anorexia ; Anorexia Nervosa ; Body Weight ; Electrolytes ; Gastric Dilatation ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Malnutrition ; Minerals ; Necrosis ; Peritonitis ; Refeeding Syndrome ; Stomach ; Stomach Rupture

Cowden's syndrome is a harmatomatous polyposis syndrome with characteristic mucocutaneous lesions and among the spectra of clinical disorders that has been attributed to germline mutations in the PTEN gene. Although Cowden's syndrome has rarely been reported, immunologic studies have revealed that patients with this syndrome have humoral and/or cellular immune abnormalities. We recently identified a 21-year-old woman with Cowden's syndrome who was diagnosed with candida esophagitis without a history of diabetes, carcinoma, or steroid therapy. We report the immunologic status of this patient and the relationship with candida esophagitis on the basis of a literature review.
Candida ; Esophagitis ; Female ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Hamartoma Syndrome, Multiple ; Humans ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: Preterm infants are very susceptible to malnutrition because of a lack of storage of nutrients, immature digestion and metabolism, and accompanying diseases associated with prematurity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of nutritional support by the pediatric nutritional support team (pNST) on the clinical course of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS: Between July 2003 and July 2006, 48 preterm infants who were admitted to the NICU at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital were included. The subjects were divided into the following two subgroups according to the presence of NST activity; pre-NST group (n=23) and NST group (n=25). Hospital records were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Forty-eight preterm babies were included (M:F=27:21; gestational age, 25~33 weeks). A dietician, pharmacists, or the pNST participated in the prescription of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) more rapidly in the NST group (p=0.000). The fasting periods and TPN administration periods were significantly decreased in the NST group compared to the pre-NST group (p=0.017 & p=0.001, respectively). The doses of calories, protein, and lipids administered via TPN were significantly increased in the NST group compared to the pre-NST group (p=0.016, p=0.000, and p=0.000, respectively). The total period on antibiotic therapy was significantly decreased in the NST group compared to the pre-NST group (p=0.007). CONCLUSION: Because nutritional support by the pNST is of benefit to the clinical course of preterm infants in the NICU, the pNST should recommend to improve the nutritional status and clinical outcome of preterm infants.
Digestion ; Fasting ; Gestational Age ; Hospital Records ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Malnutrition ; Nutritional Status ; Nutritional Support ; Parenteral Nutrition, Total ; Pharmacists ; Prescriptions