Abdominal Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and the Risk of Colonic Adenoma / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Abdominal obesity and hyperinsulinemia or insulin resistance are of interest in connection with colon carcinogenesis. We conducted a prospective case controlled study for the evaluation of relationship between abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and colorectal adenoma. METHODS: Fifty patients with colorectal adenoma and fifty healthy subjects were included in this study. Total colonoscopic examinations were performed in all the subjects. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), insulin, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR), triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (CROL), BMI (body mass index), WHR (waist hip ratio), percent body fat (PBF) and obesity degree (OD) were measured. HOMA-IR was considered to represent insulin resistance. Diabetic patients were excluded from this study. RESULTS: There were no differences in sex, serum insulin, FBS, HOMA-IR, TG, CROL between adenoma and control group. Subjects with high BMI, WHR, percent body fat, and obesity were more likely to have colonic adenoma. Multiple logistic regression analysis after adjusting confounding factors, had revealed that WHR was the most important independent risk factor for colon adenoma. CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal obesity was most closely related to colonic adenoma. However, insulin resistance was not related to colonic adenoma. A larger case controlled study is needed.

Crohn's Disease Associated with IgA Nephropathy / 대한소화기학회지

Crohn's disease is a condition of chronic inflammation potentially involving any location of the alimentary tract from mouth to anus. Numerous extraintestinal manifestations can also be present. Urologic complications of inflammatory bowel disease are seen in up to 25% of patients, but renal parenchymal disease has been rarely reported. IgA nephropathy is recognized worldwide as a most common form of primary glomerulonephritis. Clinical manifestations vary, ranging from microscopic hematuria to nephrotic syndrome. Recently, IgA nephropathy associated with systemic diseases has been reported. We describe a case of a 22 year-old man with Crohn's disease associated with IgA nephropathy. At the age of 8 years, microscopic hematuria appeared. After fourteen years, he presented with melena, mild fever, recurrent oral ulcer, microscopic hematuria and proteinuria. Colonoscopic examination revealed characteristic features of Crohn's disease such as multiple ulcers. Microscopic findings showed superficial ulceration with small noncaseating granulomas. Renal biopsy revealed IgA nephropathy. The patient was treated with oral prednisolone, olsalazine, and metronidazole followed by maintenance therapy with sulfasalazine and azathioprine resulting in clinical improvement of Crohn's disease and IgA nephropathy.

Preoperatively Diagnosed Asymptomatic Early Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Cholangiocarcinoma is usually diagnosed at the advanced stage because early symptoms and signs are relatively infrequent. The preoperative diagnosis of early extrahepatic bile duct cancer in common bile duct is uncommon. Also, an extrahepatic bile duct cancer arising from the lower portion of the common bile duct is usually papillary and rarely nodular or sclerosing. We decribe a case, preoperatively diagnosed as early extrahepatic bile duct cancer in lower portion of common bile duct, nodular type on endoscopic retrograde cholangiography. It was incidentally detected by the slight elevation of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase without any symptoms. An endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed abrupt narrowing of the intrapancreatic portion of the common bile duct with irregular and nodular filling defect. The lesion was confined to mucosa on the endoscopic ultrasonography. This patient was diagnosed as early extrahepatic bile duct cancer and underwent Whipple's operation. A histopathologic examination of resected specimen revealed to be moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma at stage 1 (T1N0Mo) in the extrahepatic bile duct.

A Case of Primary Hepatic Leiomyosarcoma Presenting with Multiple Subcutaneous Scalp Mass / 대한소화기학회지

Leiomyosarcoma is an uncommon tumor which arises from various sites including uterus, stomach, retroperitoneum, superficial soft tissues, bladder, kidney, and lung. Primary hepatic leiomyosarcoma is a very rare tumor and fewer than 70 cases of primary hepatic leiomyosarcoma have been reported since the first publication in Japan. And there was only one case report of cutaneous metastasis from hepatic leiomyosarcoma. We recently experienced a case of primary hepatic leiomyosarcoma presenting as subcutaneous palpable mass. Herein we report this case with a review of literatures.