Nutcracker esophagus is thought to be a common cause of noncardiac chest pain although has not been clearly established, and the effective treatment is lacking. The usual forms of therapy for noncardiac chest pain by nutcracker esophagus have been directed traditionally toward reducing esophageal hypermotility and muscle tone such as nitrate and calcium channel blocker. However, the results of this treatment in the long term care of patient with esophageal symptoms have been generally disappointing and often unsatisfactory. Recently, psychosomatic aspect of esophageal motility disorder including antidepressant treatment has been accepted in the treatment of noncardiac chest pain. We report a 48 year old female with nutcracker esophagus associated chest pain by ambulatory 24 hour esophageal manometry who failed diagnosis by conventional manometry. The symptoms of chest pain, quality of life, and depression of the patient were improved after antidepressant medication.
Calcium Channels ; Chest Pain* ; Depression ; Diagnosis ; Esophageal Motility Disorders* ; Female ; Humans ; Long-Term Care ; Manometry ; Middle Aged ; Quality of Life ; Thorax*

The Dieulafoy's lesion is an unusual cause of gastrointestinal hemorrhage that results from the erosion of abnormally large submucosal artery. The lesion is usually located in the stomach, although it may occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract. Lower GI bleeding from Dieulafoy- like lesion of rectum is very rare. We describe one patient with extragastric Dieulafoy's disease, in the rectum. Diagnosis was made by endoscopy. Recently, endoscopy is important in the treatment of Dieulafoy-like lesion of rectum including epinephrine injection and coagulation therapy. We treated with the endoscopic management using ligation technique. We report a case that the 65-year old women had a extragastric Dieulafoy's lesion on the rectum, treated by endoscopic ligation with O-ring.
Aged ; Arteries ; Diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Epinephrine ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Ligation* ; Rectum* ; Stomach

Hypercalcemia due to hyperparathyroidism is a proposed mechanism of pancreatitis. The occurrence of acute pancreatitis caused by hypercalcemia represents a diagnostic clue for hyperparathyroidism. The incidence of acute pancreatitis caused by hyperparathyroidism appears to be decreasing, and it reflects the earlier diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism due to wide spread application of screening method. In a 71-year-old female patient who was admitted to hospital because of acute pancreatitis, hypercalcemia led to the discovery of the parathyroid adenoma. The patient recovered by parathyroidectomy with medical management of hypercalcemia.
Aged ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; Hyperparathyroidism* ; Incidence ; Mass Screening ; Pancreatitis* ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; Parathyroidectomy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic band ligation (EBL) has now emerged as the method of choice for treatment of esophageal variceal bleeding. However, only small numbers of patients with upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding from non-esophageal varices have been treated in this way. We studied the usefulness of EBL in UGI bleeding without esophageal varices during emergency endoscopy. METHODS: During January 1997 to December 2000, 28 patients (54.7 13.2 years, male:female=22:6) of non-variceal bleeding at upper GI tract were treated by endoscopic ligation, using Stiegmann-Goff clear view band ligation device. Bleeding was identified from gastric Dieulafoy's lesion (n=15), Mallory-Weiss syndrome (n=8), and small ulcer (n=5). RESULTS: Ten of the 28 patients had underlying diseases, including liver cirrhosis (n=5), chronic renal failure (n=2), essential hypertension (n=2), and sepsis (n=1). The Dieulafoy's lesions were mostly located on the fundus and the body. There was active bleeding in 19 (spurting, 8: oozing, 11) and only exposed vessel in 9. EBL was successful in 27 of 28 cases (97%) during admission, and one patient had rebleeding during follow-up period ranging from 6 months to 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: EBL is an available, inexpensive, and easily learned method of treatment for patients with non-variceal gastrointestinal hemorrhage such as Dieulafoy's lesion, Mallory-Weiss syndrome, and small ulcer with active bleeding.
Emergencies ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Ligation* ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Mallory-Weiss Syndrome ; Sepsis ; Ulcer ; Upper Gastrointestinal Tract ; Varicose Veins

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic use of endoscopic ultrasonograpy (EUS) in detecting the cause of common bile duct (CBD) dilatation in patients in whom abdominal ultrasonography or abdominal CT scan could not identify the cause of dilatation. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients (23 men, 14 women, mean age 62.2 years) with uncertain causes of CBD dilatation on abdominal sonogram and CT scan between October 1999 and November 2003 were enrolled. All patients were evaluated by EUS and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Final diagnosis were determined by ERCP, surgical exploration and clinical follow-up. RESULTS: The following diagnosis were made by EUS: choledocholithiasis in 11 patients, CBD dilatation only in 12, benign stricture of distal CBD in 8, periampullary tumor in 6. The definitive diagnosis of choledocholithiasis (n=11), benign stricture of distal CBD (n=10), ampullary tumor (n= 5) were determined by ERCP with or without sphincterotomy and surgical exploration. EUS provided the accurate explanation for CBD dilatation in 32 of the 37 patients (86%). CONCLUSIONS: When the diagnosis of biliary obstruction remains obscure on abdominal sonography or CT scan, EUS may be useful.
Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Choledocholithiasis ; Common Bile Duct* ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation* ; Endosonography* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography

Most submucosal tumors of the stomach are of mesenchymal origin. Gastric schwannoma, which is a subset of mesenchymal tumors, is a rare tumor taking origin from Schwann's cells. A 61-year-old woman whose endoscopy showed a well circumscribed submucosal mass measuring 2.5 cm on the midbody of the stomach. Endosonographically, the tumor was well circumscribed, low echoic submucosal mass with cystic lesion in the 4th layer of the gastric wall. The patient underwent wedge resection. Microscopically, the cells were made up of irregular fasciculating bundles of spindle cells featured with benign nuclear atypia and peripheral lymphoid cell cuffing, involving muscularis propria. Immunohistochemical staining showed positivity for S-100 protein and the neuron-specific enolase, but were negative to CD 34, desmin and smooth muscle actin. From these findings, this tumor was diagnosed as a schwannoma.
Actins ; Desmin ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Smooth ; Neurilemmoma* ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; S100 Proteins ; Stomach

BACKGROUND: The prediction of the postoperative cardiac complications is important in the medical management of patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. Several indices have been developed to predict the outcome, but their usefulness has neither been evaluated nor been widely used. The purpose of this study was to assess the NT-proBNP as a prognostic factor for the prediction of the postoperative cardiac risk as compared with the existing cardiac indices in elderly patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. METHODS: From September 2003 to January 2004, we examined 50 patients older than 60 years, who were scheduled to undergo orthopedic surgery. The plasma NT-proBNP concentration, clinical cardiac indices and left ventricular ejection fraction were measured prior to the operation. The postoperative outcomes were followed and predictors for postoperative cardiac risk were identified. RESULTS: Cardiac complications occurred in 22% of the patients. A statistically significant increase in the cardiac complications was observed in the patients with higher plasma concentration of NT-proBNP (p<0.001), higher original cardiac index score (p<0.001), higher revised cardiac index score (p=0.004) and that fell into the major group of the American college of cardiology/American heart association guidelines (p=0.018). The NT-proBNP concentrations were positively correlated with the original cardiac index score (r=0.666, p<0.001), revised cardiac index score (r=0.429, p=0.002) and grouping by the ACC/AHA guidelines (r=0.497, p<0.001). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for the plasma NT-proBNP (0.946, 95% CI) was superior to the other cardiac indices. The optimal cut-off point for the prediction of postoperative cardiac complications occurred at a plasma NT-proBNP, concentration of 539.3 pg/mL and provided a 90.9% sensitivity, 92.3% sensitivity, 79.9% positive predictive value and 97.3% negative predictive value. The independent predictors for postoperative adverse cardiac event were age and Goldman index. CONCLUSION: The plasma NT-proBNP level may be a useful parameter for the prediction of postoperative cardiac complications.
Aged* ; Heart ; Humans ; Orthopedics ; Plasma* ; Risk Assessment ; Stroke Volume

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) form a group of uncommon neoplasms originated from the pleuripotential mesenchymal cell. There is no final conclusion about accurate diagnosis and prognostic factors of GIST. Clinical presentation is not specific and intraperitoneal bleeding is a very rare complication. We report a case of a malignant GIST complicated by intraperitoneal hemorrhage, which was diagnosed by abdominal CT and EUS before operation. A subtotal gastrectomy was perfomed without complication. The patient is still alive without recurrence.
Diagnosis ; Gastrectomy ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors* ; Hemoperitoneum* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Rupture* ; Stomach* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) form a group of uncommon neoplasms originated from the pleuripotential mesenchymal cell. There is no final conclusion about accurate diagnosis and prognostic factors of GIST. Clinical presentation is not specific and intraperitoneal bleeding is a very rare complication. We report a case of a malignant GIST complicated by intraperitoneal hemorrhage, which was diagnosed by abdominal CT and EUS before operation. A subtotal gastrectomy was perfomed without complication. The patient is still alive without recurrence.
Diagnosis ; Gastrectomy ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors* ; Hemoperitoneum* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Rupture* ; Stomach* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Primary gastrointestinal lymphomas originating from the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) have been reported with increasing frequency. The stomach is the most frequent site of MALT lymphoma, and a relationship with Helicobacter pylori infection has been studied. However, primary MALT lymphoma arising from the ampulla of Vater is extremely rare, and its relationship with Helicobacter pylori infection is still obscure. We report here a case of a 71-year-old man with marginal zone B cell lymphoma of MALT with large B cell lymphoma of the ampulla of Vater that was not associated with Helicobacter pylori. A pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed, and the pathologic examination of the resected specimen confirmed the diagnosis. The patient tolerated just one course of systemic chemotherapy, but has been doing well for 18 months after surgery.
Aged ; Ampulla of Vater* ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Lymphoid Tissue ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; Stomach