A free-floating ball thrombus in the left atrium is a rare complication of the mitral valvular disease. A 53-year-old man was admitted for pain and paresthesia on both legs. On admission he had auscultatory sign of mitral stenosis and mitral regurgitation, and the roentgenogram of his chest revealed a slight pulmonary ve..ous congestion, enlargement of the pulmonary conus and cardiomegaly. Laboratory findings including complete blood counts, coagulation studies and blood chemistry were normal. An echocardiographic examination revealed a mitral stenosis and a free-floating ball thrombus in the left atrium. We performed the emergent open heart surgery for removal of the ball thrombus and mitral replacement successfuly with Duromedics 29 mm valve. The size of thrombus was 39 X 32 X 30 mm.
Blood Cell Count ; Cardiomegaly ; Chemistry ; Conus Snail ; Echocardiography ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Leg ; Middle Aged ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mitral Valve Stenosis* ; Paresthesia ; Thoracic Surgery ; Thorax ; Thrombosis*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cisplatin (CP), an antitumor agent widely used in the treatment of head and neck cancers, has side effects such as ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity. These side effects are closely related to oxidative stress. In the present study, we attempted to suppress CP-induced ototoxicity in rats by administering melatonin, an antioxidant. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into different groups and were treated as follows: 1) saline control, 2) CP (16 mg/kg, i.p.), 3) CP plus melatonin (10 mg/kg, i.p.). The rats were sacrificed at the 6th day after CP treatment. RESULTS: CP-treated rats showed increase in cochlear malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase levels, and the decrease in cochlear superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase levels. CP-treated rats showed markedly decreased in the number of stereocilia on the inner hair cells and mildly decreased in the number of outer hair cells in organ of Corti under the light and scanning electron microscopic examination. Light and electron microscopic findings, and cochlear hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, SOD, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase levels were restored in the rats injected with CP plus melatonin than those with CP alone. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that melatonin suppresses CP-induced ototoxicity via the suppression of the increased production of reactive oxygen species.
Animals ; Catalase ; Cisplatin* ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Glutathione Reductase ; Hair ; Head ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; Melatonin* ; Neck ; Organ of Corti ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Stereocilia ; Superoxide Dismutase

PURPOSE: To evaluate the MR findings of septic thrombosis of the cavernous sinus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven MR images of six patients with septic cavernous sinus thrombosis obtained over a five-year period and proven clinically or radiologically were retrospectively reviewed. The contour and enhancement pattern of the cavernous sinus, changes in the internal carotid artery, orbit, pituitary gland and sphenoid sinus, and intracranial abnormalities were analyzed and compared with the findings of follow-up studies. RESULTS: In all six patients, contrast study revealed asymmetrical enlargement of the ipsilateral cavernous sinus and multiple irregular filling defects within it. Narrowing of the cavernous portion of the ipsilateral internal carotid artery was noted in five patients, upward displacement of the ipsilateral internal carotid artery in four, ipsilateral proptosis with engorgement of the superior ophthalmic vein in two, pituitary enlargement in five, and inflammatory change in the sphenoid sinus in six. Associated intracranial abnormalities included edema and enhancement in the meninx, temporal lobe, or pons adjacent to the cavernous sinus in four patients, hydrocephalus in one, and cerebral infarction in one. Follow-up MR imaging indicated that the extent of asymmetrical enlargement of the cavernous sinus, filling defects within it, as seen on contrast study, and enlarged pituitary glands had all decreased, without significant interval change. CONCLUSION: MR imaging is useful in the diagnosis of septic cavernous sinus thrombosis. Asymmetrical enlargement of the cavernous sinus, multiple irregular filling defect within it, as seen on contrast study, and changes in the internal carotid artery are characteristic findings.
Carotid Artery, Internal ; Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis* ; Cavernous Sinus* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Exophthalmos ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Orbit ; Pituitary Gland ; Pons ; Retrospective Studies ; Sphenoid Sinus ; Temporal Lobe ; Thrombophlebitis ; Thrombosis ; Veins

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to assess our clinical experience with single-port access (SPA) laparoscopic cystectomy and myomectomy and the surgical outcomes of those procedures at our institution. METHODS: The authors evaluated the surgical outcomes of SPA laparoscopic cystectomy in 293 patients and SPA laparoscopic myomectomy in 246 patients. The surgical outcomes comprised operation time, the amount of blood loss during the operation, the change in hemoglobin (before and after the operation), the change in hematocrit (before and after the operation), switching to the multi-port access method, complications, transfusions, and the duration of the postoperative hospital stay. RESULTS: The Pearson correlation coefficient and the Spearman correlation coefficient between the operation time and the amount of blood loss were 0.312 and 0.321 for SPA laparoscopic cystectomy, respectively, and 0.706 and 0.674 for SPA laparoscopic myomectomy, respectively. The drops in hemoglobin and hematocrit were 1.33~0.78 g/dL and 4.14%~2.45%, respectively, in SPA laparoscopic cystectomy, while the corresponding figures were 1.34~1.13 g/dL and 4.17%~3.24% in SPA laparoscopic myomectomy, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study reported the surgical outcomes of SPA laparoscopic cystectomy and myomectomy and compared them to previously published findings on traditional laparoscopic cystectomy and myomectomy. No significant differences were found in the surgical outcomes between SPA and traditional laparoscopic cystectomy and myomectomy.
Cystectomy* ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Surgical Procedures, Minimally Invasive ; Uterine Myomectomy

Purulent pericarditis is a rare condition with a high mortality rate. We report a case of purulent pericarditis subsequently caused by Candida parapsilosis, Peptostreptococcus asaccharolyticus, Streptococcus anginosus, Staphylococcus aureus, Prevotella oralis, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a previously healthy 17-year-old boy with mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis. The probable route of infection was a bronchomediastinal lymph node-pericardial fistula. The patient improved with antibiotic, antifungal, and antituberculous medication in addition to pericardiectomy.
Adolescent ; Bronchial Fistula ; Candida ; Coinfection ; Fistula* ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Peptostreptococcus ; Pericardiectomy ; Pericarditis* ; Pericarditis, Tuberculous ; Prevotella ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Streptococcus anginosus ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node*

PURPOSE: Gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GemCis) is the standard first-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). In ABC-02 study, the BTC patients received up to 6-8 cycles of 3-weekly GemCis; however, those without progression often receive more than 6-8 cycles. The clinical benefit of maintenance treatment in patients without progression is uncertain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Advanced BTC patients treated with GemCis between April 2010 and February 2015 at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, were retrospectively analysed. The patients without progression after 6-8 cycles were stratified according to further treatment i.e., with or without further cycles of GemCis (maintenance vs. observation groups). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Among the 740 BTC patients in the initial screen, 231 cases (31.2%) were eligible for analysis (111 in the observation group, 120 in the maintenance group). The median OS from the GemCis initiation was 20.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.4 to 25.6) and 22.4 months (95% CI, 17.0 to 27.8) in the observation and maintenance groups, respectively (p=0.162). The median PFS was 10.4 months (95% CI, 7.0 to 13.8) and 13.2 months (95% CI, 11.3 to 15.2), respectively (p=0.320). CONCLUSION: sGemCis maintenance is not associated with an improved survival outcome.
Biliary Tract Neoplasms ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Cisplatin ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis can develop from nonalcoholic fatty liver and progress to severe liver disease such as cirrhosis. The mechanism determining the progression from fatty liver to steatohepatitis is unknown. Iron is suspected to enhance hepatic damage associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aims of this study were to evaluate the relationship of serum iron indices and hepatic iron deposition with hepatic fibrosis or inflammation, and to assess whether the increased hepatic iron deposition is an independent predictor of progression to liver injury. METHODS: The biochemical and histopathological data of thirty-nine patients with NAFLD were analyzed. Liver biopsy findings were graded according to the method described by Brunt, et al. Hepatic iron concentration was available in 29 of 39 patients. RESULTS: The mean hepatic iron concentration and hepatic iron indices were 1,349+/-1,188 microgram/g dry weight and 0.9+/-0.7 microgram/g/age. Serum ferritin and body mass indices were associated with hepatic inflammation (p=0.001, p=0.006) and fibrosis (p=0.005, p=0.013). Hepatic iron concentration and hepatic iron index were not associated with hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. Multivariate analysis did not identify serum ferritin or body mass index as an independent predictor of liver injury. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic iron deposition shows no association with the degree of hepatic inflammation or fibrosis. Hepatic iron is not an independent predictor of hepatic injury in patients with NAFLD.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Fatty Liver/complications/*metabolism ; Female ; Ferritins/blood ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Iron/blood/*metabolism ; Liver/*metabolism/pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis/*etiology/metabolism/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Several simple tests for hepatic fibrosis employ indirect markers. However, the efficacy of using direct and indirect serum markers to predict significant fibrosis in clinical practice is inconclusive. We analyzed the efficacy of a previously reported indirect marker of hepatic fibrosis - the aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) - in patients with nonalcoholic chronic liver diseases (CLDs). METHODS: A total of 134 patients who underwent a percutaneous liver biopsy with a final diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B (n=93), chronic hepatitis C (n=18), or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (n=23) were enrolled. A single-blinded pathologist staged fibrosis from F0 to F4 according to the METAVIR system, with significant hepatic fibrosis defined as a METAVIR fibrosis score of > or =2. RESULTS: The mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of APRI for predicting significant fibrosis in nonalcoholic CLDs was 0.84 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.78-0.91]. APRI yielded the highest mean AUROC in the patients with chronic hepatitis B (0.85; 95% CI, 0.771-0.926). The positive predictive value of APRI > or =1.5 for predicting significant fibrosis was 89%. The negative predictive value of APRI <0.5 for excluding significant fibrosis was 80%. CONCLUSIONS: APRI might be a simple and noninvasive index for predicting significant fibrosis in nonalcoholic CLDs.
Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Biopsy ; Blood Platelets ; Diagnosis ; Fatty Liver ; Fibrosis* ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; ROC Curve ; Biomarkers

Endoscopic treatment of chronic pancreatitis by stent insertion is an accepted procedure, but various complications can be induced, including proximal migration of the stent. Many techniques are used to retrieve proximally migrated, pancreatic stents. We here report a case of a proximally migrated stent into the dorsal duct of a pancreas divisum, which was retrieved endoscopically by using a mini-snare. A 39-year-old female patient had chronic pancreatitis with divisum. A stent was inserted into the dorsal duct to relieve the chronic pain. After two months, sudden epigastric pain developed due to proximal migration of the stent. The pancreatic stent was retrieved successfully with one endoscopic attempt using a mini-snare. The epigastric pain resolved after retrieval of the stent. Our observation is that pancreatic stent migration may cause severe abdominal pain and that endoscopic retrieval is possible.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Chronic Pain ; Female ; Humans ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; Stents*

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is now widely accepted as a useful treatment method for gastric adenoma and early gastric cancer (EGC) because of its minimal invasiveness and satisfactory post-procedure results. The purpose of this study is to define the follow-up results and usefulness of EMR. METHODS: We analyzed 54 cases from June 2000 through September 2004. Endoscopy with histological examination was carried out every 3 months for 1 year after EMR. RESULTS: The patients consisted of 42 men and 12 women, and the mean age was 60 years old. The histological results were 42 gastric adenoma and 12 EGC cases. There were 9 cases that had the histological diagnosis changes after EMR. Complete resections was performed for 48 cases and the en block resections were 33 of 34 cases (97%) and piecemeal resections were done in 15 of 20 cases (75%). Recurrence was seen in 4 cases (7.1%), and the mean recurrence period was 7 months. There were 3 gastric adenomas of 42 cases (7.1%), one case of EGC of 12 cases (8.3%), one en block resection of 34 cases (2.9%) and three piecemeal resections of 20 cases (15%). CONCLUSIONS: EMR is a safe and useful treatment method for gastric adenoma and EGC. However, EMR has some limitations that EGC may have lymph node metastases or multiple tumors. So, periodic follow-up is very important. As we acquire more clinical experience, EMR may be accepted as the standard treatment method for gastric adenoma and EGC.
Adenoma* ; Diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Stomach Neoplasms*