Clinical Effectiveness of Ultrasound-guided Costotransverse Joint Injection in Thoracic Back Pain Patients

Because of its anatomical location and function, the costotransverse (CTRV) joint can be a source of thoracic back pain. In this retrospective observational study, we evaluated the clinical effectiveness of the CTRV joint injection in thoracic back pain patients with suspected CTRV joint problems. We enrolled 20 thoracic back pain patients with localized tenderness that was provoked by the application of pressure on the affected CTRV joints. We injected it with 0.5 ml of a ropivacaine and triamcinolone mixture at each level. The mean pre-injection pain score decreased by 37.9% (7.2 ± 1.5 to 4.5 ± 1.7, P < 0.001) two weeks after CTRV joint injection. In addition, 70% of patients reported an excellent or good level of satisfaction. We demonstrated that an ultrasound-guided injection of the CTRV joint reduced patients' pain scores and led to a high level of satisfaction at short-term follow-ups in patients with suspected CTRV joint problems.

A Nationwide Survey of Lymphangioleiomyomatosis in Korea: Recent Increase in Newly Diagnosed Patients

In 2007, the Korean Interstitial Lung Disease Society had collected clinical data of patients who have diagnosed as Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) since 1990 through nationwide survey, which showed that LAM patients had increased sharply after 2004. The present study was performed to show the clinical features of Korean patients with LAM, and to establish the reason for the recent increase in the diagnosis. All 63 patients were women and the mean age at diagnosis was 36 yr. The most common presenting symptom was dyspnea and 8 patients had tuberous sclerosis complex. The survival rate at 5 yr after diagnosis was 84%. Compared with patients diagnosed after 2004 (n=34), the patients diagnosed before 2004 (n=29) complained with dyspnea more (P=0.016) and had lower FEV1% predicted (P=0.003), and DLco% predicted (P=0.042). The higher proportion of patients diagnosed after 2004 showed the normal chest radiography, and they were detected by routine chest CT screening (P=0.016). This study showed that clinical features of Korean patients with LAM were not different from those reported elsewhere. It is concluded that the reason for the increase of newly diagnosed patients is the result of increase in detection of the early stage LAM by the widespread use of chest CT screening.

A Case of Endobronchial Lipoma Causing Right Middle and Lower Lobes Collapse and Bronchiolitis Obliterans-organizing Pneumonia / 결핵및호흡기질환

Lipoma is a common neoplasm in soft tissues. However, an intrapulmonary lipoma is a rare benign tumor. Patients with a bronchial lipoma might have a malignant potential related to their smoking history due to the case reports of lung cancer accompanied with lipoma. Endobronchial lipoma can cause irreversible parenchymal lung damage if not diagnosed and treated early. Therefore, it should initially be treated by fiberoptic bronchoscopy or surgery depending on the status of distal parenchymal lung damage. Bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP) is a pathological syndrome that is defined by the presence of buds of granulation tissue consisting of fibroblasts and collagen within the lumen of the distal air spaces. BOOP is caused by drug intoxication, connective tissue disease, infection, obstructive pneumonia, tumors, or an unknown etiology. We encountered a 58 year-old male patient with endobronchial lipoma, causing the collapse of the right middle and lower lobes, and BOOP due to obstructive pneumonia.

A Case of Pneumothorax Caused by Cystic Lung Metastasis of Angiosarcoma / 결핵및호흡기질환

Angiosarcoma is a rare but highly malignant tumorthat usually arises in the scalp or face of elderly males. Distant metastases favor the lung, liver, lymph nodes and skin. Metastatic pulmonary angiosarcoma commonly takes the form of a nodule but can sometimes appear as a thin-walled cyst. We report a case of 65 years-old male with a spontaneous pneumothorax, who underwent excision and radiotherapy for an angiosarcoma of the scalp 2 years ago. A chest CT scan revealed multiple cysts in the lung. The video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy demonstrated subpleural cysts without tumor cells. A skin biopsy of the scalp showed an angiosarcoma. This case was diagnosed as a recurrence of an angiosarcoma with a supposed lung metastasis. This case suggests that a spontaneous pneumothorax in elderly people may be secondary to a pulmonary metastasis from an angiosarcoma of the scalp.

A Case of X-Linked Agammaglobulinemia with Btk Gene Intron 2 Mutation / 결핵및호흡기질환

X-linked agammaglobulinemia is the most common type of primary immunodeficiency disorder. Mutation ofthe cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase gene, Btk (Bruton's tyrosine kinase), is known to be the etiology of X-linked agammaglobulinemia. The patients with this disease manifest a B-cell deficiency and low levels of serum immunoglobulin; due to the deficient antibodies, they suffers from recurrent upper and lower respiratory infections. We report here a 24-year-old male with an initial clinical impression of recurrent pneumonia and bronchiectasis. The patient presented with marked pan-hypogammaglobulinemia and the absence of circulating B-lymphocytes on the immunologic study, and he carried a splicing mutation of intron 2 in the Btk gene (IVS2 -3C>G).

A Case of Henoch-Shonlein Purpura Caused by Rifampin / 결핵및호흡기질환

Rifampin is one of the first line drugs for treating tuberculosis, but it might be associated with serious adverse effects, including renal failure. We report here on a case of a 57-year-old patient who developed Henoch-Shonlein purpura during antituberculosis therapy that included rifampin. The patient converted to negative on the AFB smear for tuberculosis two weeks after the initial administration of antituberculosis medication. After treatment for 60 days, this patient was diagnosed with Henoch-Shonlein purpura by the purpura lesion on the lower legs, the leukocytoclastic vasculitis, the renal impairment and the pathological examination. After stopping rifampin, the skin lesions disappeared in about 10 days and his renal function gradually improved. This case study showed that Henoch-Schonlein purpura can be caused by rifampin during antituberculosis therapy and we recommend that the use of rifampin should be restrained when clinical symptoms of Henoch-Shonlein purpura are observed.

A Case of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis Combined with Neurosarcoidosis / 결핵및호흡기질환

Sarcoidosis is a multi-systemic syndrome of an unknown etiology, and it is characterized by the formation of multiple noncaseating granulomas that disrupt the architecture and function of the tissues in which they reside. The most commonly affected organs are lung, skin and lymph nodes. Overt clinical involvement of the nervous system is uncommon and this occurs in about 5% of all patients during the course of their disease. The most common manifestations are granulomatous leptomeningitis, cranial nerve palsy, electrolyte or other endocrinologic abnormalities, but isolated memory impairment is a rare manifestation. This is a case of 59 years-old male with recent memory impairment, and he was previously diagnosed with pulmonary sarcoidosis by transbronchial lung biopsy. The brain MRI imaging revealed the leptomeningeal and parenchymal involvement of sarcoidosis. He was treated with high dose corticosteroid and his memory function was improved to nearly a normal level. We report here on a case of successful treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis combined with neurosarcoidosis with using high dose corticosteroid, and the patient presented with recent memory impairment.

A Case of Successful Management of Sarcoidosis with Chylothorax Using Octreotide / 결핵및호흡기질환

Sarcoidosis is a multi-system granulomatous disorder of an unknown etiology and affects individuals worldwide. It is characterized pathologically by the presence of non-caseating granulomas in more than one involved organ. However, pleural involvement of sarcoidosis is rare and there are no reported cases in Korea. Traditionally, sarcoidosis has often been treated with systemic corticosteroids or cytotoxic agents. In particular, chylothorax with sarcoidosis is usually treated with corticosteroid for approximately 3~6 months, followed by repeated therapeutic thoracentesis, talc pleurodesis, dietary treatment, or thoracic duct ligation where needed. We encountered a 46 years old female patient presenting with cough, dyspnea and both hilar lymphadenopathy (stage I) on chest radiograph. The patient was diagnosed with a non-caseating granuloma, sarcoidosis by a mediastinoscopic biopsy. For one month, she had suffered from dyspnea due to right side pleural effusion, which was clearly identified as a chylothorax on thoracentesis. Corticosteroid therapy with dietary adjustment was ineffective. She was treated successfully with a subcutaneous injection of octreotide for 3 weeks and oral corticosteroid. We report a case of successful and rapid treatment of chylothorax associated with sarcoidosis using octreotide and oral corticosteroid.

Risk factors of gastrointestinal bleeding for end-stage renal disease patients / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUDN: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is not a rare complication in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on dialysis and the occurrence of GIB has also been associated with higher morbidity and mortality rates. However, reasons for the high incidence of GIB are not clear. This retrospective study was undertaken not only to analyze the clinical features of GIB but also to elucidate the independent risk factors for GIB in Korean ESRD patients. METHODS: One hundred thirty ESRD patients on dialysis at the Severance Hospital of Yonsei University College of Medicine from January 2000 to December 2005 were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups: 65 patients with GIB (the GIB group) and 65 age-, sex-, and dialysis modality-matched patients without GIB (the C group). Clinical characteristics, medications, and laboratory findings were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared to the C group, congestive heart failure (40.0% vs. 21.5%, p<0.05), coronary arterial occlusive disease (CAOD) (32.3% vs. 4.6%, p<0.005), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use (18.4% vs. 1.5%, p<0.01) were significantly more common in the GIB group. The baseline serum albumin levels were significantly lower in the GIB group than in the C group (2.53+/-0.67 g/dL vs. 3.56+/-0.63 g/dL, p<0.005). Using logistic regression analysis, CAOD (OR=23.0), NSAID use (OR=12.5), and lower serum albumin levels (OR=2.9) were identified as independent risk factors for GIB (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Careful attention must be paid to ESRD patients with CAOD, taking NSAIDs, or with low serum albumin levels in view of GIB.

Applicability of American and European Spirometry Repeatability Criteria to Korean Adults / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical applicability of the repeatability criteria recommended by the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) spirometry guidelines and to determine which factors affect the repeatability of spirometry in Korean adults. METHODS: We reviewed the spirometry data of 4,663 Korean adults from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (KNHANES) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Cohort (COPD cohort) and the Community-based Cohort Study VI-Fishing village/Islands (community cohort). We measured the anthropometric factors and differences between the highest and second-highest FVC (dFVC) and FEV1 (dFEV1) from prebronchodilator spirometry. Analyses included the distribution of dFVC and dFEV1, comparison of the values meeting the 1994 ATS repeatability criteria with the values meeting the 2005 ATS/ERS repeatability criteria, and the performance of linear regression for evaluating the influence of subject characteristics and the change of criteria on the spirometric variability. RESULTS: About 95% of subjects were able to reproduce FVC and FEV1 within 150 ml. The KNHANES based on the 1994 ATS guidelines showed poorer repeatability than the COPD cohort and community cohort based on the 2005 ATS/ERS guidelines. Demographic and anthropometric factors had little effect on repeatability, explaining only 0.5 to 3%. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the new spirometry repeatability criteria recommended by the 2005 ATS/ERS guidelines is also applicable to Korean adults. The repeatability of spirometry depends little on individual characteristics when an experienced technician performs testing. Therefore, we suggest that sustained efforts for public awareness of new repeatability criteria, quality control of spirograms, and education of personnel are needed for reliable spirometric results.

A Case of Pulmonary Choriocarcinoma / 결핵및호흡기질환

Pulmonary choriocarcinoma is a very rare tumor in men. Herrein, the case of a pulmonary choriocarcinoma in 39-year-old man, and whether it had a primary nature, is reported. He denied any prior medical illness, but was admitted to our hospital with a history of a cough, and progressive dyspnea and hemoptysis 2 and 1 week duration, respectively. Chest radiographs on admission revealed a huge lung mass, 10 cm in diameter, in the left upper lung field, with left pleural effusion. Although biopsies using several diagnostic methods for the pathological confirmation were attempted, the pathology was not confirmed. Finally, the patient died after 2 months of regression. An autopsy of the lung was then performed.

Validation of the Korean Version of the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire for Patients with Chronic Respiratory Disease / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: The "health-related quality of life" (HRQL) for patients with chronic respiratory disease has been emphasized, because chronic respiratory disease (CRD) is chronic and progressive, and it finally causes disability. HRQL instruments may be useful for monitoring patients' progress or for determining the most appropriate choice of treatment. We describe the adapting St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), which is a self-administered questionnaire developed by Jones et al. (1991), into the Korean version for covering three domains of health for the patients suffering with airways disease. METHOD: We obtained the original SGRQ from the author after gaining permission. For adaptation, we created an expert panel and translated the original questionnaire into Korean language. The translated questionnaire was then back-translated by bilingual experts and we compared it with the original questionnaire. After correction and feasibility testing, 74 patients with chronic respiratory disease (COPD, asthma, destroyed lung) completed the Korean version of the SGRQ. The clinical status of each patients was evaluated concurrently with measurement of their health status. RESULT: The Korean version of the SGRQ was acceptable and easy to understand. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was 0.92 for the overall scale and 0.63 for the "Symptoms", subscale, 0.87 for the "Activity", subscale, and 0.89 for the "Impacts" subscales. The correlation coefficients between the overall score and the Borg scale score, oxygen saturation, and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)) were 0.52, -0.32 and -0.26, respectively. These results support that the Korean SGRQ was correlated with other measurements. CONCLUSION: The Korean SGRQ was reliable and valid for patients with chronic respiratory disease, such as COPD, asthma, and destroyed lung. The SGRQ score was well correlated with other respiratory measurements as well. Although further studies should complete the adaptation work, our results suggest that the SGRQ may be used in Korea and also for international studies involving Korean CRD patients.