Nine Cases of Soft Tissue Infection Due to Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterium / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Non-tuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM) infections usually result in chronic disease, and making a diagnosis is often difficult. Skin and soft tissue infections due to NTM are not common and are usually diagnosed relatively late. We investigated the clinical characteristics of nine cases of skin and soft tissue infections with NTM. METHODS: Nine patients with an NTM infection who were confirmed consecutively by skin and soft tissue and/or adjacent bone cultures at a teaching hospital between August 2006 and July 2013 were enrolled in this study. The demographics, clinical characteristics, underlying diseases, treatment, and prognosis between different NTM species were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The most common NTM species causing a soft tissue infection was Mycobacterium abscessus (five patients, 55.6%). Common sites of infection were the knee and lumbar spine. Five patients (55.6%) had underlying diseases. Six patients (77.8%) were treated with combined surgical treatment (incision and drainage) plus antibiotics. The duration from symptom onset to diagnosis was long (77.7 +/- 44.6 days) due to inadequate microbiological evaluation and disregard for the clinical significance of the NTM culture. All patients were cured with treatment; however, the treatment duration was long (181.7 +/- 140.0 days). Procedure and cosmetic surgery were the most important risk factors for infection. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of NTM skin and soft tissue infections tends to be delayed in a clinical setting. Therefore, a high index of suspicion for NTM infection in chronic localized soft tissue infections is essential for diagnosis. Mycobacterium abscessus appears to be the most common NTM species causing soft tissue infections.

Vitamin K-induced anaphylaxis

Vitamin K is a naturally-occurring vitamin used to treat certain coagulation disorders. Despite its frequent use, vitamin K causes allergic reactions very rarely. We report a case of anaphylaxis due to vitamin K (phytonadione) that occurred in a 20-year-old man who has undergone hemorrhoid bleeding. The patient developed immediate whole body urticaria, itching sensation, dyspnea and marked hypotension about 2 minutes after the intravenous administration of vitamin K (phytonadione) and tranexamic acid for the purpose of bleeding control. Skin prick test was performed with vitamin K and tranexamic acid. Vitamin K showed positive response in skin prick test, while tranexamic acid showed negative response in skin prick test and challenge test. To our knowledge, it is the first case report of vitamin K-induced anaphylaxis that is proven with skin test. This case suggests that vitamin K can elicit anaphylaxis and skin test may be helpful in the diagnosis of a suspected allergic response to vitamin K.

A Case of Seminal Fluid-induced Anaphylaxis / 계명의대학술지

A 27-year-old female developed a series of symptoms consistent with anaphylactic shock following intercourse and visited emergency department. After administration of epinephrine, corticosteroid and antihistamine, her symptoms improved. Previously, she had often developed urticaria after intercourse. However it was not so severe. Skin prick test using her husband's diluted seminal plasma showed positive result. She was diagnosed as seminal plasma allergy and advised to use condom until she wants to conceive. We report a case regarding human seminal plasma allergy presented as anaphylactic shock and conduct literature review of Korean cases.

Characteristics of a Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) in Hollow Viscus Injury

PURPOSE: The usefulness of focused abdominal sonography for trauma (FAST) is now included in the frame work of the advanced trauma life support for examination of thoraco- abdominal trauma. Ultrasonographic screening is controversial in patients with hollow viscus injury. The purpose of this study is to determine the characteristics of emergency trauma sonographic findings in patients with hollow viscus injury. METHODS: All patients with isolated viscus injury after blunt abdominal trauma were retrospectively enrolled in this study during the 5-year period from December 1997 to November 2002. The patients were screened by using ultrasonography and an underwent explolaparotomy. The patients were diagnosed with a hollow viscus injury based on the surgical findings. Patients with viscus injury combined with parenchymal organ injury after abdominal trauma were excluded. Ultrasonographic examinations were performed by the experienced emergency physicians during the trauma resuscitation. RESULTS: Sixty patients were included in this study. The most common injury site was jejunum (23.3%). The common findings of emergency trauma sonography were free fluid collection (56.7%), none of fluid collection (38.3%), free air and fluid collection (3.3%), and free air (1.7%). The presence of mesenteric injury was significantly associated with fluid collection (x2=0009). CONCLUSION: The most common sonographic findings in hollow viscus injury patients after blunt abdominal trauma are free intraperitoneal fluid (anechoic or mixed echo pattern), normal, and free air (reverberation) in that order. Massive intraperitoneal fluid is more often detected in patients who have a viscus injury combined with a ruptured mesenteric vessel.

Usefulness of CT and ERCP in Traumatic Pancreatic Injury

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of CT and ERCP in the diagnosis of traumatic pancreatic injury, and the degree of such injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using CT (n=30) and ERCP (n=8), we retrospectively analyzed 30 cases of surgically proven traumatic pancreatic injury. Both CT and surgical findings were evaluated according to intra-and extra- pancreatic change and assigned to one of five grades, according to their pattern. ERCP findings were categorized as normal mass effect, parenchymal staining, or extravasation of contrast material. In all 30 cases CT and ERCP findings were compared with surgical findings. RESULTS: Pancreatic enlargement was the most common finding of intrapancreatic change in 21(67%) cases (67%). In 20 of 30 cases, there was good correlation between the CT grade and surgical grading. Of the remaining ten cases, seven cases (23%) were underestimated and three(10%) were overestimated. CT grade III or IV suggest pancreatic duct injury ; in two of 13 cases with this grade, such injury was not seen on surgery, however. Of the eight cases in which ERCP was performed, two were normal, one showed mass effect, one showed parenchymal staining, and four, all of which showed pancreatic duct injury on surgery, showed extravasation of contrast material. Two of these four cases were CT grade II, but on surgery, proven duct injury was seen. CONCLUSION: In cases of pancreatic duct injury, ERCP is superior to CT; where such injury is suspected, it should therefore be used to determine whether or not the injury is in fact present.