Neonatal lupus can occur in infants born to mother with autoimmune disorders through transplacental auto-antibodies. Clinical manifestations in neonatal lupus include cutaneous lesions and hematologic or hepatobiliary findings resembling those seen in systemic lupus erythematosus. In autoimmune state, macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) represent a critical and potentially fatal complication that can result in mortality if not immediately identified and managed with the appropriate care. Here we present a 33-day-old girl diagnosed with neonatal lupus and serious MAS. She was delivered by a primipara mother who did not exhibit any autoimmune symptoms. The patient visited the hospital due to fever and pancytopenia. Laboratory data were compatible with MAS, including pancytopenia, high level of ferritin, soluble interleukin-2, and decreased natural killer cell activity. In addition, autoimmune study showed positive results for anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), anti-Sjogren syndrome antigen A (SSA), and SSB, The autoimmune study for mother also showed positive results for ANA, anti-SSA, and SSB. The patient recovered after she received high dose steroid and supportive care. Our case indicates that neonatal lupus should be taken into consideration when fever, erythematous skin rash, and pancytopenia are observed in infants, even if their mothers have no prior history of autoimmune conditions.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) was introduced in 1977 with the administration of chemotherapeutic agent to gelatin sponge particles through the hepatic artery in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and was established as conventional TACE using Lipiodol in the 1980s. In the 2000s, drug-eluting beads were developed and applied clinically. Currently, TACE is a commonly used non-surgical treatment modality for patients with HCC who are unsuitable for curative treatment. Considering the vital role of TACE in the management of HCC, it is crucial to organize current knowledge and expert opinions regarding patient preparation, procedural techniques, and post-treatment care in TACE, which can enhance therapeutic efficacy and safety. A group of 12 experts in the fields of interventional radiology and hepatology, convened by the Research Committee of the Korean Liver Cancer Association (KLCA), has developed expert consensus-based practical recommendations in TACE. These recommendations have been endorsed by the Korean Society of Interventional Radiology and provide useful information and direction in performing TACE procedure as well as pre- and post- procedural patient care.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) was introduced in 1977 with the administration of chemotherapeutic agent to gelatin sponge particles through the hepatic artery in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and was established as conventional TACE using Lipiodol in the 1980s. In the 2000s, drug-eluting beads were developed and applied clinically. Currently, TACE is a commonly used non-surgical treatment modality for patients with HCC who are unsuitable for curative treatment. Considering the vital role of TACE in the management of HCC, it is crucial to organize current knowledge and expert opinions regarding patient preparation, procedural techniques, and post-treatment care in TACE, which can enhance therapeutic efficacy and safety. A group of 12 experts in the fields of interventional radiology and hepatology, convened by the Research Committee of the Korean Liver Cancer Association (KLCA), has developed expert consensus-based practical recommendations in TACE. These recommendations have been endorsed by the Korean Society of Interventional Radiology and provide useful information and direction in performing TACE procedure as well as pre- and post- procedural patient care.

Objective: To investigate the association among the electrode placement method, electrode type, and local tumor progression (LTP) following percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for small hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and to assess the risk factors for LTP. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, we enrolled 211 patients, including 150 males and 61 females, who had undergone ultrasound-guided RFA for a single HCC < 3 cm. Patients were divided into four combination groups of the electrode type and placement method: 1) tumor-puncturing with an internally cooled tip (ICT), 2) tumor-puncturing with an internally cooled wet tip (ICWT), 3) no-touch with ICT, and 4) no-touch with ICWT. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression analyses were performed to evaluate the risk factors for LTP. The major RFA-related complications were assessed. Results: Overall, 83, 34, 80, and 14 patients were included in the ICT, ICWT, no-touch with ICT, and no-touch with ICWT groups, respectively. The cumulative LTP rates differed significantly among the four groups. Compared to tumor puncturing with ICT, tumor puncturing with ICWT was associated with a lower LTP risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 0.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0–0.88, P = 0.034). However, the cumulative LTP rate did not differ significantly between tumorpuncturing with ICT and no-touch RFA with ICT (aHR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.03–1.62, P = 0.188) or ICWT (aHR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0–2.28, P = 0.294). An insufficient ablative margin was a risk factor for LTP (aHR = 6.13, 95% CI = 1.41–22.49, P = 0.019). The major complication rates were 1.2%, 0%, 2.5%, and 21.4% in the ICT, ICWT, no-touch with ICT, and no-touch with ICWT groups, respectively. Conclusion ICWT was associated with a lower LTP rate compared to ICT when performing tumor-puncturing RFA. An insufficient ablation margin was a risk factor for LTP.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate local tumor progression-free survival (LTPFS) and overall survival (OS) after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for solitary colorectal liver metastases (CLM) <3 cm and to identify the risk factors associated with poor LTPFS and OS after percutaneous RFA. Methods: This study screened 219 patients who underwent percutaneous RFA for CLM between January 2013 and November 2020. Of these, 92 patients with a single CLM <3 cm were included. LTPFS and OS were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the differences between curves were compared using the log-rank test. Risk factors for LTPFS and OS were assessed using Cox proportional-hazard regression models. Results: Technical efficacy was achieved in the first (n=91) or second (n=1) RFA sessions. During the follow-up (median, 20.0 months), cumulative LTPFS rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 92.4%, 83.4%, and 76.5%, respectively. During the follow-up (median, 27.8 months), the corresponding OS rates were 97.5%, 81.3%, and 74.8%, respectively. In multivariable Cox regression analyses, the group with both tumor-puncturing RFA and a T4 stage primary tumor (hazard ratio, 3.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 10.2; P=0.037) had poor LTPFS. In the univariable analysis, no factors were significantly associated with poor OS. Conclusion Both LTPFS and OS were promising after percutaneous RFA for a single CLM <3 cm. The group with both tumor-puncturing RFA and a T4 stage primary tumor showed poor LTPFS. No risk factors were identified for poor OS.

Objective: To compare the therapeutic outcomes of laparoscopic hepatic resection (LHR) and laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation (LRFA) for single subcapsular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: We screened 244 consecutive patients who had received either LHR or LRFA between January 2014 and December 2016. The feasibility of LRFA in patients who underwent LHR was retrospectively assessed by two interventional radiologists. Finally, 60 LRFA-feasible patients who had received LHR and 29 patients who had received LRFA as the first treatment for a solitary subcapsular HCC between 1 cm and 3 cm were finally included. We compared the therapeutic outcomes, including local tumor progression (LTP), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) between the two groups before and after propensity score (PS) matching. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was also used to evaluate the difference in OS and RFS between the two groups for all 89 patients. Results: PS matching yielded 23 patients in each group. The cumulative LTP and OS rates were not significantly different between the LHR and LRFA groups after PS matching (p = 0.900 and 0.003, respectively). The 5-year LTP rates were 4.6% and 4.4%, respectively, and OS rates were 100% and 90.7%, respectively. The RFS rate was higher in LHR group without statistical significance (p = 0.070), with 5-year rates of 78.3% and 45.3%, respectively. OS was not significantly different between the LHR (reference) and LRFA groups in multivariable analyses, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.33 (95% confidence interval, 0.12–1.54) (p = 0.818). RFS was higher in LHR (reference) than in LRFA without statistical significance in multivariable analysis, with an HR of 2.01 (0.87–4.66) (p = 0.102). Conclusion There was no significant difference in therapeutic outcomes between LHR and LRFA for single subcapsular HCCs measuring 1–3 cm. The difference in RFS should be further evaluated in a larger study.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of perfluorobutane microbubbles (Sonazoid®, GE Healthcare) on steam popping duringradiofrequency (RF) ablation for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to assess whether popping affects treatmentoutcomes. Materials and Methods: The institutional review board approved this retrospective study, which included 90 consecutivepatients with single HCC, who received percutaneous RF ablation as the first-line treatment. The patients were divided intotwo groups, based on the presence or absence of the popping phenomenon, which was defined as an audible sound with asimultaneous sudden explosion within the ablation zone as detected via ultrasonography during the procedure. The factorscontributing to the popping phenomenon were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Local tumor progression(LTP) and disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method with the log-rank test for performingcomparisons between the two groups. Results: The overall incidence of the popping phenomenon was 25.8% (24/93). Sonazoid® was used in 1 patient (4.2%) inthe popping group (n = 24), while it was used in 15 patients (21.7%) in the non-popping group (n = 69). Multivariableanalysis revealed that the use of Sonazoid® was the only significant factor for absence of the popping phenomenon (oddsratio = 0.10, p= 0.048). There were no significant differences in cumulative LTP and DFS between the two groups (p= 0.479and p= 0.424, respectively). Conclusion The use of Sonazoid® has a suppressive effect on the popping phenomenon during RF ablation in patients withHCC. However, the presence of the popping phenomenon may not affect clinical outcomes.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to analyse laboratory values according to fever duration, and evaluate the relationship across these values during the acute phase of Kawasaki disease (KD) to aid in the early diagnosis for early-presenting KD and incomplete KD patients. METHODS: Clinical and laboratory data of patients with KD (n=615) were evaluated according to duration of fever at presentation, and were compared between patients with and without coronary artery lesions (CALs). For evaluation of the relationships across laboratory indices, patients with a fever duration of 5 days or 6 days were used (n=204). RESULTS: The mean fever duration was 6.6±2.3 days, and the proportions of patients with CALs was 19.3% (n=114). C-reactive proteins (CRPs) and neutrophil differential values were highest and hemoglobin, albumin, and lymphocyte differential values were lowest in the 6-day group. Patients with CALs had longer total fever duration, higher CRP and neutrophil differential values and lower hemoglobin and albumin values compared to patients without CALs. CRP, albumin, neutrophil differential, and hemoglobin values at the peak inflammation stage of KD showed positive or negative correlations each other. CONCLUSION: The severity of systemic inflammation in KD was reflected in the laboratory values including CRP, neutrophil differential, albumin, and hemoglobin. Observing changes in these laboratory parameters by repeated examinations prior to the peak of inflammation in acute KD may aid in diagnosis of early-presenting KD patients.
C-Reactive Protein ; Coronary Vessels ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis* ; Fever ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lymphocytes ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Neutrophils

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between 99mTecnicium-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan findings and clinical parameters including age and fever duration. METHODS: The positive rates for abnormal DMSA scans were analyzed according to the age of patients, fever duration prior to admission, and total fever duration. DMSA scan findings were divided into 3 categories: single defect, multifocal defects, and discrepant defects. We evaluated the detection rates of vesicoureteral reflux according to DMSA scan lesions. RESULTS: Among a total 320 cases, 141 (44.1%) had abnormal DMSA scans. The infant group (0-1 year of age) had a shorter total fever duration, and a lower C-reactive protein (CRP) value and DMSA positive rate (39.8% vs. 60.6%, P=0.002) compared to children group (2-15 years of age). Patients with abnormal scans had a longer total fever duration and higher CRP compared to those with normal scans. The positivity rate of abnormal scans did not differ between the patients with a short fever duration prior to admission of ≤2 days and those with longer fever duration of ≥3 days. However, patients with longer total fever duration had a higher rate of abnormal DMSA scans (P=0.02). Among cases with a single defect, multifocal defects, and discrepant defects, vesicoureteral reflux was observed in 22.4%, 60% and 70.6% of cases, respectively (P=0.004). CONCLUSION: Although DMSA scan has limitations in early diagnosis, DMSA scan findings may aid in the prediction of the severity of systemic inflammation and detection of vesicoureteral reflux.
C-Reactive Protein ; Child ; Early Diagnosis ; Fever ; Humans ; Infant ; Inflammation ; Pyelonephritis* ; Succimer* ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between 99mTecnicium-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan findings and clinical parameters including age and fever duration. METHODS: The positive rates for abnormal DMSA scans were analyzed according to the age of patients, fever duration prior to admission, and total fever duration. DMSA scan findings were divided into 3 categories: single defect, multifocal defects, and discrepant defects. We evaluated the detection rates of vesicoureteral reflux according to DMSA scan lesions. RESULTS: Among a total 320 cases, 141 (44.1%) had abnormal DMSA scans. The infant group (0-1 year of age) had a shorter total fever duration, and a lower C-reactive protein (CRP) value and DMSA positive rate (39.8% vs. 60.6%, P=0.002) compared to children group (2-15 years of age). Patients with abnormal scans had a longer total fever duration and higher CRP compared to those with normal scans. The positivity rate of abnormal scans did not differ between the patients with a short fever duration prior to admission of ≤2 days and those with longer fever duration of ≥3 days. However, patients with longer total fever duration had a higher rate of abnormal DMSA scans (P=0.02). Among cases with a single defect, multifocal defects, and discrepant defects, vesicoureteral reflux was observed in 22.4%, 60% and 70.6% of cases, respectively (P=0.004). CONCLUSION: Although DMSA scan has limitations in early diagnosis, DMSA scan findings may aid in the prediction of the severity of systemic inflammation and detection of vesicoureteral reflux.
C-Reactive Protein ; Child ; Early Diagnosis ; Fever ; Humans ; Infant ; Inflammation ; Pyelonephritis* ; Succimer* ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux