Fatal fulminant herpes simplex hepatitis following surgery in an adult.

We present a case of a healthy 72-year-old man with herpes simplex hepatitis (HSVH) development soon after ordinary surgery for biliary stones. A sudden onset of hepatitis associated with high fever and leukopenia emerged on postoperative day 5, followed by a rapid and lethal course (died on day 9), despite an acyclovir therapy on day 8. Postmortem liver biopsy revealed positive immunostaining for herpes simplex virus (HSV) type-1. The serum tests (available after the death) were negative for anti-HSV immunogloblulins, but positive for HSV DNA. A review of 15 cases of postsurgical HSVH along with 42 cases of non-surgical HSH showed that (1): A wide spectrum of surgical procedures was involved; and (2): High mortality (87%) associated with lower rates of ante-mortem diagnosis (20%) and acyclovir treatment (20%). Due to the difficulty in diagnosis and lethal nature, an early clinical suspension and prompt empirical anti-viral intervention are imperative for postsurgical hepatitis with undetermined etiology, characterized by fever and leucopenia.

Pancreatic mass as an initial manifestation of polyarteritis nodosa: a case report and review of the literature.

Classic polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) that targets medium-sized muscular arteries and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), characterized by inflammation of small-caliber vessels and the presence of circulating myeloperoxidase anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (MPO-ANCA), are distinct clinicopathological entities of systemic vasculitis. A 66-year-old woman presented with fever, cholestasis and positive MPO-ANCA. Radiological examination showed a pancreatic mass compressing the bile duct. Therefore, we performed pancreatoduodenectomy. Histopathological examination revealed that necrotizing vasculitis predominantly affecting the medium-sized vessels, spared arterioles or capillaries in the pancreas, a finding consistent with PAN. Unexpectedly, renal biopsy revealed small-caliber vasculitis and glomerulonephritis, supporting MPA. The initial manifestation of a pancreatic mass associated with vasculitis has only been reported in 7 articles. Its diagnosis is challenging because no reliable clinico-radiological findings have been observed. Clinicians should be aware of such cases and early diagnosis followed by immunosuppression is mandatory. Our findings may reflect a polyangiitis overlap syndrome coexisting between pancreatic PAN and renal MPA.

[Spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinomas].

We report a rare case of spontaneous regression (SR) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A 70-year-old man consulted us for general fatigue. Enhanced abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed two HCCs, of 5cm in the posterior segment and 8cm around the right Glissonean pedicle with tumor thrombus in the main portal trunk. He refused to undergo any treatment, but 28 months later, CT showed complete disappearance of the hilar tumor and portal tumor thrombus, and partial regression in the posterior tumor with shrinkage of the right lobe of the liver. His PIVKA-II levels decreased from 23358 to 217mAU/ml. In the present case, tumor infarction of the portal thrombus, and the administration of imidapuril hydrochloride and Hochu-ekki-to may have caused SR.