Perigraft seroma is uncommon complication of polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE) grafts applied as an arteriovenous shunt for hemodialysis. It is a collection of clear, sterile fluid confined to nonsecretory fibrous pseudomembrane, most commonly localized around the middle and distal portion of graft. The possible etiologic factors of perigraft seroma include poor graft incorporation, mechanical graft damage caused by alcohol and povidone-iodine, intraoperative streching of the graft, variations in quality control at the time of manufacture and contributing factors such as anemia and coagulopathy in uremia. The best strategy for management of perigraft seroma is not clear. spiration or drainage alone is not effective, and some authors advocate graft removal. We report a case of perigraft seroma around arterial end of PTFE graft along with a brief review of the literatures.
Anemia ; Drainage ; Humans ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Povidone-Iodine ; Quality Control ; Renal Dialysis* ; Seroma* ; Transplants ; Uremia

Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a disease characterized by proliferation of fibro-inflammatory tissue, which mainly encloses the abdominal aorta, iliac arteries and (enlarges to the retroperitoneum to surrounds) ureters. Two leading pathogenesis are an exacerbated local inflammatory reaction to aortic atherosclerosis and a manifestation of systemic autoimmune disease. Because of insidious disease course, most cases are diagnosed late when bilateral urinary obstruction caused oliguria and symptoms related to uremia. In this case, the patient complained left flank pain which might have been caused by left ureter stone, but through abdominal CT scan, the patient was diagnosed as left unilateral retroperitoneal fibrosis. Abdominal CT scan showed encircling mass around abdominal aorta and left ureter with hydronephrosis. The patient had no underlying disease and didn't take any medication; she was diagnosed as idiopathic unilateral retroperitoneal fibrosis and started prednisolone, 40 mg daily. Three months have passed since the therapy was started; most fibrous tissue was disappeared, hydronephrosis was resolved and flank pain was relieved.
Aorta, Abdominal ; Atherosclerosis ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Flank Pain ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Iliac Artery ; Oliguria ; Prednisolone ; Retroperitoneal Fibrosis ; Uremia ; Ureter

BACKGROUND: The urine dipstick is widely used as an initial screening tool for the evaluation of proteinuria; however, its diagnostic accuracy has not yet been sufficiently evaluated. Therefore, we evaluated its diagnostic accuracy using spot urine albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) and total protein/creatinine ratio (PCR) in proteinuria. METHODS: Using PCR > or = 0.2g/g or > or = 0.5g/g and ACR > or = 300mg/g or > or = 30mg/g as the reference standard, we calculated the diagnostic accuracy profile: sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: PCR and ACR were available for 10,348 and 3,873 instances of dipstick testing. The proportions with PCR > or = 0.2g/g, > or = 0.5g/g and ACR > or = 300mg/g, > or = 30mg/g were 38.2%, 24.6% and 8.9%, 31.7%, respectively. The AUCs for PCR > or = 0.2g/g, > or = 0.5g/g, and ACR > or = 300mg/g were 0.935 (trace: closest to ideal point), 0.968 (1+), and 0.983 (1+), respectively. Both sensitivity and specificity were > 80% except for PCR > or = 0.5g/g with trace cutoff. For the reference standard of ACR > or = 30mg/g, the AUC was 0.797 (trace) and the sensitivity was 63.5%. CONCLUSION: Urine dipstick test can be used for screening in older outpatients with ACR > or = 300mg/g or PCR as the reference standard for proteinuria. However, we cannot recommend the test as a screening tool with ACR > or = 30mg/g as the reference owing to its low sensitivity.
Albuminuria ; Area Under Curve ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Outpatients* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Proteinuria* ; Reagent Strips ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Allopurinol is frequently used for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout. Sometimes, a life-threatening reaction develops, as is illustrated by the following case report. We describe a 60-year-old male patient who was treated with allopurinol because of asymptomatic hyperuricemia, and he was presented with fever, skin rash, eosinophilia, worsening renal function and vanishing bile duct syndrome. In this report, we discussed vanishing bile duct syndrome as a serious side effect of allopurinol, and we briefly reviewed the etiology, prevention, and treatment modalities for vanishing bile duct syndrome.
Allopurinol/*adverse effects ; Bile Duct Diseases/*etiology/pathology ; Drug Hypersensitivity/*complications ; English Abstract ; Gout Suppressants/*adverse effects ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

Subclavian and internal jugular vein catheters are widely employed for temporary hemodialysis access. Placement of subclavian venous catheter has many complications such as pneumothorax and hemothorax, etc. Incidence of subclavian vein obstruction due to thrombosis is probably greater than is commonly appreciated. Subclavian vein obstruction may cause no specific complaints, but thrombosis in the presence of an arteriovenous fistula may produce severe symptoms such as massive edema and pain. This is report of one patient, who developed massive edema of upper extremity and in whom proximal subclavian vein occlusion developed after previous percutaneous dialysis catheter. Right internal jugular vein to axillary vein bypass with 8mm PTFE provided prompt and effective venous outflow, with complete resolution of venous engorgement of the affected limb and preservation of the dialysis fistula.
Arteriovenous Fistula ; Axillary Vein ; Catheters ; Dialysis ; Edema ; Extremities ; Fistula ; Hemothorax ; Humans ; Hyperemia ; Incidence ; Jugular Veins ; Pneumothorax ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Renal Dialysis* ; Subclavian Vein* ; Thrombosis ; Upper Extremity

Lymphedema is a rare but known complication of psoriatic arthritis and other inflammatory arthritides. Only a few cases associated with psoriatic arthritis have been reported, but none showed psoriasis was the sole factor. The precise etiology is, as yet, unknown, but many different mechanisms are likely to cause lymphedema in psoriatic arthritis, such as lymphatic vascular damage and perilymphatic accumulation of inflammatory material. Various immunosuppressive drugs have been assessed in treating this condition. Here, we report the case of an 85-year-old man with psoriasis presenting with a rare complication of bilateral lymphedema in the lower extremities. Lymphedema as well as psoriasis improved with cyclosporine.
Aged, 80 and over ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Psoriatic ; Cyclosporine ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Lymphedema* ; Psoriasis*

BACKGROUND: Patients with spinal cord injury have a significant degree of morbidity and mortality caused by renal disease. Tubulointerstitial form of renal disease with minimal proteinuria predominate in this population. A retrospective study was performed to investigate the risk factors that may contribte to the development of proteinuria in patient with chronic spinal cord injury. METHODS: Between December 1999 and May 2000, 40 spinal cord injury patient in Korean Veterans Hospital were recurited retrospectively into the study. The information was gathered included medical record, laboratory data, and radiological study. RESULTS: Proteinuric subjects were older, had a longer duration of injury, had undergone a greater number of decubitus ulcer procedures and hydronephrosis. CONCLUSION: Proteinuria in the patients with spinal cord injury was related to the increase of the therapy for the decubitus ulceration, hydronephrosis, and the duration of the spinal cord injury, and it developed significantly more in paraplegia patients than in quadriplegia patients, which might be due to the more duration of the spinal cord injury in paraplegia patients. Therapeutic efforts directed toward preserving renal function should focus on avoidance of hydronephrosis, and decubitus ulceration.
Amyloidosis ; Hospitals, Veterans ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Paraplegia ; Pressure Ulcer ; Proteinuria* ; Quadriplegia ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

Bacterial esophagitis is an uncommon disease and has not been well characterized. Bacterial infection of the esophagus is usually presented as a superimposed infection upon a preexisting viral or fungal esophagitis and most patients are immunocompromised hosts. A 67-year-old man was admitted for retrosternal pain and hematemesis, who had a past history of long-standing diabetes mellitus and end stage renal disease, also had a history of steroid medication. Extensive esophageal ulcerations of the mucosa were visualized by endoscopy. Staphylococcus aureus grew in blood culture. After the 2 weeks of antibiotics treatment, he was successfully recovered without any sequelae. Due to its rarity, this case is herein reported with a review of the corresponding literature.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacterial Infections ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Endoscopy ; Esophagitis* ; Esophagus ; Hematemesis ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Mucous Membrane ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Ulcer

Polycythemia vera is a hematopoietic stem cell disease, characterized by sustained and excessive proliferation of erythrocytic, granurocytic and megakaryocytic cells in the bone marrow resulting in pancytosis in peripheral blood. There have been a few reports of glomerulonephritis with polycythemia vera, most of which were IgA nephropathy. We report a case of a polycythemia vera associated with proteinuria. We confirmed the polycythemia vera according to World Health Organization criteria. Renal pathology showed IgA nephropathy and minimal change disease. Periodic phlebotomy was done and hydroxyurea was administered without specific managements for renal disease. After 3-month treatment, hemoglobin level decreased and proteinurea disappeared.
Bone Marrow ; Glomerulonephritis ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Hydroxyurea ; Immunoglobulin A ; Nephrosis, Lipoid ; Phlebotomy ; Polycythemia ; Polycythemia Vera ; Proteinuria ; World Health Organization

Urinothorax is rare cause of pleural effusion. Urinothorax should be considered when pleural effusion occurs in patients with urinary tract obstruction accompanied by retroperitoneal urinoma. It has been reported in patients with trauma, malignancy, kidney biopsy and renal transplantation. Most cases are diagnosed retrospectively by promt resolution of symptoms after relief of urinary obstruction. But diagnosis can be made based on clinical suspicion, radiological findings and biochemical analysis of the effusion and most important finding is the pleural level of creatinine is higher than the serum level. We experienced right pleural effusion in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease hemodialyzed. The patient had right urinoma in the retroperitoneal space before pleural effusion developed. After 3month, he complained acute dyspnea. There was no effect in resolving effusion by lowering dry weight. We thought alternative diagnostic possibility, urinothorax and checked the pleural fluid to serum creatinine ratio. Finally concluded that pleural effusion was urinothorax secondary to remnant left polycystic kidney rupture and tried left nephrectomy. The patient showed reduction of pleural effusion. It is important to alert physician to this condition and to avoid the other invasive diagnostic study.
Biopsy ; Creatinine ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Kidney ; Kidney Transplantation ; Nephrectomy ; Pleural Effusion ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases ; Polycystic Kidney, Autosomal Dominant* ; Renal Dialysis ; Retroperitoneal Space ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture ; Urinary Tract ; Urinoma