Various applications of endoscopic scissors in difficult endoscopic interventions.

Endoscopic scissors offer a benefit over other devices by avoiding potential complications related to thermal and mechanical injury of surrounding structures. We describe our experience with endoscopic scissors in three difficult endoscopic interventions. A fishbone embedded in the esophageal wall penetrated very close to the pulsating aorta and the bronchus. The fishbone was cut in half by endoscopic scissors and removed without injury to adjacent organs. A gastric submucosal tumor with an insulated core that could not be resected by electrosurgical devices was cut using endoscopic scissors following endoloop placement. Extravascular coil migration after transcatheter arterial embolization resulted in a duodenal ulcer. The metallic coil on the duodenal ulcer was cut by endoscopic scissors without mechanical or thermal injury.

Drug fever due to piperacillin/tazobactam loaded into bone cement.

Although drug fever may develop after administration of the drug by various routes, it has not been reported with antibiotic-loaded bone cement. Here, a case of drug fever induced by piperacillin/tazobactam loaded into bone cement is reported. A 72-yr-old woman presented with fever that developed two weeks after insertion of bone cement loaded with antibiotics including piperacillin/tazobactam into the knee joint for infectious arthritis. The fever was associated with a skin rash and blood eosinophilia. The work-up of the fever excluded several causes. Drug provocation test demonstrated that the piperacillin/tazobactam, which had been loaded in the bone cement, was the cause of the fever. The findings of this case suggest that drug fever can be induced by any drug placed and released continuously within the body. Therefore, the evaluation for possible drug fever should include all drugs the patient has been exposed to regardless of the route of administration.

[Clinical characteristics and gestational complications associated with acute hepatitis a in pregnancy].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Acute hepatitis A was recently significant increased among women with gestational age in Korea. However, the clinical course and gestational complications have not been fully elucidated in pregnant patients with acute hepatitis A. We evaluated the clinical impact of acute HAV infection in pregnancy. METHODS: Twelve pregnant women out of 85 female patients with acute hepatitis A during 6 years were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The median age of the pregnant group was 26.5 years old. The number of patient with acute hepatitis A were 5 cases in the 1st trimester, 3 cases in the 2nd and 4 cases in the 3rd. 4 cases had significant gestational complications. One case experienced the abortion in 1st trimester and one fetal distress was noted in 3rd trimester. The latter case was delivered of a low birth weight infant (2,390 g) caused by premature rupture of membrane in 36 weeks of gestational age. Other two cases experienced premature contraction and they had been required tocolytic treatment. But, all mothers featured full recovery from HAV infection. Except one aborted fetus and one premature birth, Newborn babies were not affected by maternal hepatitis A. CONCLUSIONS: Acute HAV infection during pregnancy may be associated with the risk of gestational complications. HAV serology and vaccination for women with gestation age should be considered at high prevalence area of acute hepatitis A.

[The trend of eradication rate of Helicobacter pylori infection and clinical factors that affect the eradication of first-line therapy].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although triple combination therapy containing a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and two antibiotics is considered as a standard regimen for the first-line anti-Helicobacter pylori treatment, the recent trend of eradication rates following this therapy has been declined in the last few years. The purpose of this study was to investigate the trend of H. pylori eradication rates over the last 9 years and to evaluate are clinical factors affecting eradication rates. METHODS: From January 2001 to June 2009, H. pylori eradication rates in 709 patients with documented H. pylori infection who received triple combination therapy for 7 days were retrospectively evaluated according to years and various clinical factors. H. pylori status was evaluated by 13C urea breath test 4-6 weeks after completion of treatment. results: The overall H. pylori eradication rate was 77.0%. The annual eradication rates from year 2001 to 2009 were 78.9%, 72.5%, 81.0%, 75.0%, 79.1%, 77.1%, 77.8%, 77.8%, and 75.0% by per-protocol analysis. There was no decreasing tendency of the eradiation rate over 9 years (p=0.974). There was no statistical difference in the eradication rates according to age, sex, smoking, alcohol, NSAIDs, underlying diseases, endoscopic diagnosis, and PPI. However, the eradication rate was lower in patients who took aspirin (OR=0.509, 95% CI=0.292-0.887, p=0.001) and antibiotics within 6 months (OR=0.347, 95% CI=0.183-0.658, p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The H. pylori eradication rate has not changed at Gwangju-Chonnam province in Korea for recent 9 years. Lower eradication rate in aspirin and antibiotics users warrants further attention.

Intraductal Ultrasonography without Radiocontrast Cholangiogramin Patients with Extrahepatic Biliary Disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) has been performed as an adjunct to endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) during radiocontrast cholangiography (RC). Radiation exposure during RC poses a health risk to both patients and examiners. We evaluated the feasibility of IDUS without RC in various extrahepatic biliary diseases. METHODS: IDUS was performed with the insertion of an IDUS probe from the papilla of Vater to the confluent portion of the common hepatic duct without fluoroscopy. The technical success rate and procedure-related complications were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Wire-guided IDUS without RC was performed in 105 patients. The mean age was 66.5 years, and 50 (47.6%) were male. The IDUS diagnoses included choledocholithiasis (73, 69.5%), benign biliary stricture (11, 10.5%), choledocholithiasis with biliary pancreatitis (9, 8.6%), bile duct cancer (5, 4.8%), pancreatic cancer (1, 0.9%), and others (6, 5.7%). After IDUS, 66 (62.8%) underwent stone removal, 19 (18.1%) underwent biliary drainage, and 7 (6.6%) underwent brush cytology and biopsy. No significant complications such as perforation or severe pancreatitis occurred. CONCLUSIONS: IDUS without RC was a feasible and safe approach in patients with various extrahepatic biliary diseases. We anticipate a potentially important role of IDUS in various ERC procedures because it lacks the hazards of RC.

A case of pancreatic pseudocyst with a large subcapsular splenic hematoma treated successfully by ultrasonography-guided percutaneous drainage.

A subcapsular splenic hematoma is a very rare hemorrhagic complication of pancreatitis. We report here on a case of pseudocyst with a large subcapsular splenic hematoma in a 43-year-old man who presented with severe left flank pain for one week. Despite the initial conservative treatment consisting of pain control, bowel rest, intravenous fluids and antibiotics, the pain was not relieved. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) was performed, and it showed a pseudocyst that was increasing in size with a large subcapsular splenic hematoma measuring 6 x 13 cm compared to the images at admission. Ultrasonography (US)-guided percutaneous drainage was performed without any complications, and splenectomy was avoided. After the discharge, the patient remained asymptomatic for eight months. We suggest that percutaneous drainage of a large subcapsular hematoma complicating pancreatitis might be a useful treatment option in selected patients.

Very Late Stent Thrombosis due to Neointimal Rupture After Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent Implantation.

We report our experience of very late stent thrombosis (VLST) in a young male patient who underwent implantation of two paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) six years ago. The patient was compliant with standard dual antiplatelet therapy, but he presented with acute myocardial infarction which was associated with VLST. Intravascular ultrasound showed neointimal rupture with thrombus within the PES implanted in the right coronary artery. The lesion was successfully treated with balloon angioplasty without complications, however he was found to be hyporesponsive to clopidogrel when tested for adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation. The patient was discharged after uneventful recovery with triple anti-platelet therapy using aspirin, clopidogrel and cilostazol. To the best of our knowledge, a time interval of 2,223 days is the longest reported time interval between PES deployment and VLST occurrence. VLST may indeed occur in clinically stable patients, as multiple factors can influence the pathological mechanisms of VLST.