Inflammatory pseudotumor is a benign disease entity, which is histologically composed of inflammatory cells and fibrotic stroma. It is mainly found in the respiratory tract, but it has also been reported in the liver, central nervous system, soft tissues, urological system, and gastrointestinal tract. It is extremely rare in the spleen and there have been no cases of splenic inflammatory pseudotumor associated with autoimmune thyroiditis in Korea. The pathogenesis or etiology is unknown, but hypotheses include infection, autoimmunity, and parenchymal necrosis with hemorrhage. Because inflammatory pseudotumor may mimic malignant tumors on radiologic findings, pathologic confirmation is necessary to distinguish it from lymphoproliferative disorders of the spleen and other malignant tumors. We report a case of inflammatory pseudotumor of the spleen associated with autoimmune thyroiditis in a patient who complained of periumbilical pain.
Autoimmunity ; Central Nervous System ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Granuloma, Plasma Cell* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver ; Lymphoproliferative Disorders ; Necrosis ; Respiratory System ; Spleen* ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune*

PURPOSE: This study was done to develop and to evaluate an integrative palliative care scale for cancer patients. METHODS: The process included construction of a conceptual framework, generation of initial items, verification of content validity, selection of secondary items, preliminary study, and extraction of final items. The participants were 173 cancer patients in Daegu and Gyeongbuk. Item analysis, factor analysis, criterion related validity, and internal consistency were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Eighteen items were selected for the final scale, and categorized into 3 factors explaining 58.3% of total variance. The factors were labeled as social/environmental palliative care (9 items), psychological palliative care (4 items), and physical palliative care (3 items), and spiritually palliative care (2 items). The scores for the scale were significantly correlated with the quality of life of cancer patients. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the 18 items was .88. CONCLUSION: The above findings indicate that the integrative palliative care scale has good validity and reliability when used for cancer patients.
Daegu ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Palliative Care* ; Quality of Life ; Reproducibility of Results

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of career decision making by Korean nursing students. METHODS: The participants were 18 nursing students from one nursing college. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews, and the main question was, “Could you describe your experience of making a career decision?” Data from the field and transcribed notes were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory methodology. RESULTS: Core category of nursing students' experiences in making career decisions was ‘trying to find the way of being a nurse’. Action/interaction strategies were ‘becoming one's own self’, ‘actively exploring the way of being a nurse’, and ‘experiencing one’s own achievement as a future nurse’. Consequences were ‘deciding on the career on one’s own’ and ‘career indecision on one's own’. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that nursing students tried to know themselves, explore careers and experience their achievements, and that their efforts were influenced by real situations and support systems. Therefore, nurse educators should develop systems and programs to help students in nursing make career decisions.
Career Choice ; Decision Making ; Grounded Theory ; Humans ; Nursing* ; Qualitative Research ; Students, Nursing*

PURPOSE: Although a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) order is widely in use, it is one of the challenging issues in end-of-life care. This study was conducted to investigate attitudes toward DNR according to education and clinical experience. METHODS: Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising 30 items in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. RESULTS: Participants were 238 nurses and 72 physicians. Most participants (99%) agreed to the necessity of DNR for reasons such as dignified death (52%), irreversible medical condition (23%) and patients' autonomy in decision making (19%). Among all, 33% participants had received education about DNR and 87% had DNR experience. According to participants' clinical DNR experience, their attitudes toward DNR significantly differed in terms of the necessity of DNR, timing of the DNR consent and post-DNR treatments including antibiotics. However, when participants were grouped by the level of DNR education, no significant difference was observed except in the timing of the DNR consent. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the attitudes toward DNR were more affected by clinical experience of DNR rather than education. Therefore, DNR education programs should involve clinical settings.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Decision Making ; Education* ; Korea ; Professional Practice ; Resuscitation Orders ; Seoul ; Tertiary Care Centers

OBJECTIVES: Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) is a common surgical procedure that has recently been accepted as safe and feasible for the treatment of early gastric cancer. There have been many efforts to expand the indications of LADG to include the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of noncompliance rate as an indicator for D2 lymph node dissection (LND) validation in LADG. METHODS: The subjects were 48 patients who underwent distal gastrectomy with D2 LND at Kosin University Gospel Hospital from October to December 2010. Of them, 28 underwent LADG and 20 underwent open distal gastrectomy (ODG). We compared several factors including noncompliance rate to validate D2 LND. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in clinicopathologic factors except for BMI and tumor depth between the two groups. The average number of retrieved lymph nodes was significantly greater in the ODG group (45.9 +/- 2.9) than in the LADG group (35.5 +/- 2.0). The noncompliance rate was 43% in the LADG group and 40% in the ODG group with no significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: In terms of no difference of noncompliance rate, LADG with D2 lymph node dissection is a safe, feasible and oncologicallycamparable with open gastrectomy. A large scaled prospective randomized trial should be needed to confirm the benefit of LADG.
Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Stomach Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationships between the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and the speed of contrast-enhancement in hepatic hemangiomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-nine hepatic hemangiomas (> or = 1 cm) were evaluated with DWI, by using multiple b values (b = 50, 400, 800 s/mm2), followed by a gadolinium-enhanced dynamic MRI. The lesions were classified into three groups, according to the speed of contrast-enhancement on the portal phase. ADCs were measured on the ADC map automatically, and were calculated by using the two different b values (mADC50-400 with b values = 50 and 400; mADC400-800 with b values = 400 and 800 s/mm2). RESULTS: The mean ADCs (x 10-3 mm2/s) were significantly higher in the rapid group (1.9 +/- 0.44) than in the intermediate (1.7 +/- 0.35, p = 0.046) or the slow groups (1.4 +/- 0.34, p = 0.002). There were significant differences between the rapid and the slow groups in mADC50-400 (2.12 vs. 1.48; p = 0.008) and mADC400-800 (1.68 vs. 1.22, p = 0.010), and between the rapid and the intermediate groups in mADC50-400 (2.12 vs. 1.79, p = 0.049). Comparing mADC50-400 with mADC400-800, there was a significant difference only in the rapid group (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Higher ADCs of rapidly-enhancing hemangiomas may be related to richer intralesional vascular perfusion. Also, the restricted diffusion may be attributed to the difference of structural characteristics of hemangioma.
Adult ; Aged ; Contrast Media ; *Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Female ; Gadolinium DTPA/diagnostic use ; Hemangioma, Cavernous/*diagnosis ; Humans ; Image Enhancement ; Liver Neoplasms/*diagnosis ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged

Biloma is a rare disorder, and is defined as an abnormal extrahepatic or intrahepatic collection of bile within a defined capsular space. The common causes of biloma are iatrogenic and trauma. Spontaneous biloma, especially caused by pancreatic cancer, is very rare. An 86-year-old man was admitted with abdominal pain and fever. The patient denied a history of abdominal surgery, endoscopic retrograde cholangiography, or trauma. Abdominal computed tomography demonstrated a huge collection of fluid in the left lobe of the liver, dilatation of the intra and proximal common bile duct, and a heterogeneous enhancing mass in the pancreatic head portion. Percutaneous drainage under ultrasound guidance was performed, and the fluid analysis was compatible with biloma. A plastic stent was endoscopically inserted into the common bile duct to treat continuous drainage of the fluid despite percutaneous drainage. We report a case of biloma developed spontaneously in a patient with pancreatic cancer and successfully treated by endoscopic biliary stenting.
Abdominal Pain ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bile ; Cholangiography ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Common Bile Duct ; Dilatation ; Drainage ; Fever ; Head ; Humans ; Liver ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Plastics ; Stents

Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI), characterized by presence of intramural gas cyst in the intestinal wall is associated with various medical condition. Polymyosistis, however, is rarely associated with PCI. Few cases are reported in the world, and none has not been reported previously in Korea. A 67-year-old woman with polymyositis developed mild abdominal pain and abdominal distension during treatment with steroid and azathioprine. Radiographic findings including CT scan showed intraperitoneal free gas and intramural air, compatible with PCI. The patient's symptom and clinical findings improved after the treatment with antibiotics and high-dose oxygen therapy.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Azathioprine/therapeutic use ; Cefotaxime/therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Oxygen Inhalation Therapy ; Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Polymyositis/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use ; Radiography, Abdominal ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI), characterized by presence of intramural gas cyst in the intestinal wall is associated with various medical condition. Polymyosistis, however, is rarely associated with PCI. Few cases are reported in the world, and none has not been reported previously in Korea. A 67-year-old woman with polymyositis developed mild abdominal pain and abdominal distension during treatment with steroid and azathioprine. Radiographic findings including CT scan showed intraperitoneal free gas and intramural air, compatible with PCI. The patient's symptom and clinical findings improved after the treatment with antibiotics and high-dose oxygen therapy.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Azathioprine/therapeutic use ; Cefotaxime/therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Oxygen Inhalation Therapy ; Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Polymyositis/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use ; Radiography, Abdominal ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Hemosuccus pancreaticus is a rare cause of chronic and intermittent chronic gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and this condition cannot be easily detected by endoscopy. We report here on a 51-year-old woman with obstructive jaundice and a history of acute pancreatitis and chronic alcoholism. Abdominal computed tomography showed a dilated distal common bile duct. We performed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography to decompress the bile duct and we found a blood clot on the orifice of the ampulla of Vater. Hemobilia with massive bleeding was seen during the examination. Angiography for controlling the hemorrhage showed the pseudoaneurysm of the pancreaticoduodenal artery. Angiographic embolization was successful for controlling the arterial hemorrhage. The patient remained symptom-free and he was discharged without complications.
Alcoholism ; Ampulla of Vater ; Aneurysm, False ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Bile Ducts ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Common Bile Duct ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemobilia ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatitis ; Pancreatitis, Chronic