Retroperitoneal fibrosis, although benign, has a malignant course due to an encasement and obstruction of the retroperitoneal structures, particularly the urinary system. The most common treatment is often a surgical exploration followed by urologic intervention. However, steroid or azathioprine therapy has been advocated, with varying results and major side-effects. Recently, the successful medical therapy in patients with an early stage and low malignant potential has been reported. Here we report a male patient who underwent successful treatment of an idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis with tamoxifen and prednisolone.
Azathioprine ; Humans ; Male ; Prednisolone ; Retroperitoneal Fibrosis* ; Tamoxifen ; Ureter

BACKGROUND: We analysed the characteristics of anastomotic sites after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using coronary angiographies (CAGs) performed at one and five years postoperatively in the same patient population. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Among the 219 patients who underwent isolated CABGs between January 1995 and December 1997, follow-up coronary angiograms were performed in 149 (75.3%) patients at one year and in 115 (58.1%) patients at five years postoperatively. FitzGibbon grading system was used to evaluate the anastomotic sites. RESULT: The patency rates of arterial grafts at one- and five-year were 96.5% (192/199) and 93.1% (134/144), which were higher than those of saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) (82.9% (224/270) and 77.5% (141/182), respectively) (p=0.01). Although there were significant decreases in the patency rates between one- and five-year CAGs of both arterial and venous grafts, the proportion of FitzGibbon grade B among the SVGs was increased from 5.2% (one-year) to 8.2% (five-year), suggesting the progression of vein graft disease (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The patency rate of the arterial graft was higher than that of SVG in both one- and five-year CAGs. The attrition rate of saphenous vein graft was higher than arterial grafts.
Angiography* ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Saphenous Vein ; Transplants ; Veins

Pheochromocytoma, the catecholamine-producing tumor of chromaffin tissue, is associated with a curable form of hypertension. Recently we report the case of a 59 year-old male admitted for an acute myocardial infarction and who subsequently developed late recurrent severe ventricular arrhythmia coincident with transient hypertensive episodes. A pheochromocytoma was diagnosed on the basis of the urinary concentration of catecholamines and computerized tomography of the adrenal glands. After stabilization of his cardiac rhythm and blood pressure with alpha adrenergic blockade, the left adrenal gland, which contained the tumor, was subsequently resected. The diagnosis of a pheochromocytoma should be considered when recurrent ventricular arrhythmia are associated with intermittent hypertension after acute myocardial infarction.
Adrenal Glands ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Blood Pressure ; Catecholamines ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Pheochromocytoma*

BACKGROUND: To compare the 1997 American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria with the 1985 World Health Organization (WHO) criteria in categorization of the diabetes diagnostic status of Koreans and to define clinical characteristics of subjects diagnosed differently by the two criteria. METHODS: In 810 Korean subjects, we analyzed blood glucose and insulin response during 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). According to current WHO criteria, the cutoff values of FPG which distinguish normal and IGT from diabetes were determined. Then the subjects were categorized according to both WHO and ADA criteria. The clinical characteristics of the subjects with different diagnostic categories by the two criteria were defined. RESULTS: The FPG cut point distinguishing diabetes from IGT was 117 mg/dl, and from normal was 110 mg/dl. The overall agreement between the ADA criteria and the WHO criteria was moderate, as reflected in the kappa of 0.45. 141 of subjects categorized diabetes by WHO criteria were not diagnosed with ADA criteria. These discordant subjects were older in age and showed blunted early insulin response than concordant normal subjects. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that mild diabetes by the WHO criteria, especially in the elderly, would not be diagnosed as diabetes by the ADA FPG criteria only. Thus, in a group at high risk for developing diabetes or in a relatively older age group, we should continue using the OGTT.
Adolescence ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Blood Glucose/analysis* ; Diabetes Mellitus/diagnosis* ; Fasting ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Retrospective Studies ; World Health Organization

Tacrolimus is the most commonly used immunosuppressant after kidney transplantation. Here, we report a patient with multiple cerebral infarctions during tacrolimus treatment after kidney transplantation. A 54-year-old female was admitted due to sudden onset right leg weakness. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed multiple acute infarctions but normal vasculature. Evaluations of cardiac embolism were unremarkable. After 8 months, her weakness progressed and follow-up brain MRI showed additional multiple infarctions. We changed here medication from tacrolimus to mycophenolate mofetil, and her symptoms improved gradually.
Brain ; Calcineurin* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Embolism ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infarction* ; Kidney Transplantation ; Leg ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Tacrolimus

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Humans ; Meningoencephalitis* ; Mumps*

PURPOSE: To investigate the treatment outcome and the toxicity of helical tomotherapy (HT) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 18 patients with 31 lesions from mCRC treated with HT between 2009 and 2013. The liver (9 lesions) and lymph nodes (9 lesions) were the most frequent sites. The planning target volume (PTV) ranged from 12 to 1,110 mL (median, 114 mL). The total doses ranged from 30 to 70 Gy in 10-30 fractions. When the alpha/beta value for the tumor was assumed to be 10 Gy for the biologically equivalent dose (BED), the total doses ranged from 39 to 119 Gy10 (median, 55 Gy10). Nineteen lesions were treated with concurrent chemotherapy (CCRT). RESULTS: With a median follow-up time of 16 months, the median overall survival for 18 patients was 33 months. Eight lesions (26%) achieved complete response. The 1- and 3-year local progression free survival (LPFS) rates for 31 lesions were 45% and 34%, respectively. On univariate analysis, significant parameters influencing LPFS rates were chemotherapy response before HT, aim of HT, CCRT, PTV, BED, and adjuvant chemotherapy. On multivariate analysis, PTV < or =113 mL and BED >48 Gy10 were associated with a statistically significant improvement in LFPS. During HT, four patients experienced grade 3 hematologic toxicities, each of whom had also received CCRT. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrates the efficacy and tolerability of HT for mCRC. To define optimal RT dose according to tumor size of mCRC, further study should be needed.
Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: Controversies regarding preoperative versus postoperative chemotherapy for patients having hepatic metastases of colorectal primary made us elucidate the safety of chemotherapy. By examining the histopathologic changes in the liver following preoperative chemotherapy and analyzing the relation between surgical outcomes and preoperative chemotherapy, we were able to answer whether preoperative chemotherapy is safe. METHODS: We analyzed 38 patients who underwent chemotherapy before resection of hepatic metastasis from colorectal primary, retrospectively. Types of chemotherapy regimen were FL (5-FU+leucovorin), FOLFOX4 (oxaliplatin+5-FU+leucovorin), and FOLFIRI (irinotecan+5-FU+leucovorin). Results of liver function tests were compared before and after preoperative chemotherapy. One pathologist reviewed the degree of hepatic injury from resected specimens. Associations between the histological findings of hepatic injury and surgical outcomes and chemotherapeutic agents were examined. RESULTS: Histopathologic analysis revealed severe liver injury was present in 12 patients (31.6%). In further detail, moderate to severe sinusoidal dilatation was found in 3 patients (25%), steatosis of more than 30% was identified in 9 patients (75%), and steatohepatitis Kleiner score of > or =4 in 5 patients (41.7%). Preoperative chemotherapy did not affect the biochemical profiles of liver function. The overall perioperative complication rate was 5.3% (n=2). There was no difference in postoperative morbidity or mortality from reported results following hepatectomy. CONCLUSION: We found preoperative chemotherapy definitely induced histopathologic changes of hepatotoxicities. Even so, preoperative chemotherapy did not increase morbidity or mortality after hepatic metastasectomy. Preoperative chemotherapy seems to be safe in performing curative hepatic resection for the metastases.
Colonic Neoplasms ; Dilatation ; Fatty Liver ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Function Tests ; Metastasectomy ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies

An adrenal carcinosarcoma is extremely rare with reported three cases. This neoplasm is extremely aggressive with distant metastasis arising from the sarcomatous component. A 48-year-old female was present with abdominal distention for 1 month. All laboratory studies were within normal reference range including urinary and serum corticosteroids. The tumor consist typical areas of adrenal carcinoma and sarcoma. Sarcomatous elements were identified and confirmed both immunohistochemically and ultrastructurally. After radical resection, the patient developed rapid local and distant metastatic recurrence and died three months after surgery. This is the first reported case of adrenal carcinosarcoma in korea.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Carcinosarcoma* ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Reference Values ; Sarcoma

An atrial septal aneurysm is well recognized abnormality of uncertain clinical relevance. An intraatrial aneurysm was demonstrated in the fossa ovalis of a 41-year-old woman who suffered an episode of cerebellar infarction with recurrent atrial fibrillation. The disorder is rarely treated surgically. Most patients with this condition are given life-long anticoagulation, a treatment that may have serious complications. We report a rare case of atrial septal aneurysm with recurrent atrial fibrillation and cerebellar infarction which receiving an appropriate diagnosis and curative treatment.
Adult ; Aneurysm* ; Atrial Fibrillation* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Infarction*