A Case of Ampullary Neuroendocrine Tumor Treated by Endoscopic Papillectomy

Ampullary neuroendocrine tumor is rare but requires total resection for treatment. Traditionally, pancreatic duodenal resection has been recommended for treatment of ampullary neuroendocrine tumor. Because of the morbidity and mortality associated with surgical resection, endoscopic papillectomy is increasingly used in selected cases with low grade, no metastasis, and no invasion of the pancreatic or bile duct. We present a case of an ampullary neuroendocrine tumor which was successfully and completely resected via endoscopic papillectomy. Endoscopic papillectomy can be a viable alternative for the resection of neuroendocrine tumor at the major duodenal papilla in cases with high surgical risks.ope

Incidentally Found Chronic Neutrophilic Leukemia in a Patient with Rectal Cancer

증례는 감염 및 악성종양과 동반되어 백혈병양 반응과의 감별이 어려웠고, 또한 악성종양의 전이와 유사하게 종괴를 형성하여 더욱 감별이 어려웠던 CNL 1예를 경험하였기에 문헌고찰과 함께 보고하는 바이다. Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) is a rare myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by sustained neutrophilia, splenomegaly, and hypercellular bone marrow without Philadelphia chromosome. Diagnosis of CNL requires exclusion of identifiable causes of reactive neutrophilia, such as infection and tumors. Our patient presented with general weakness and weight loss. Computed tomography (CT) showed a mass in the distal rectum, which was confirmed to be an adenocarcinoma by colonoscopic biopsy. Positron emission tomography-CT showed multiple liver, bone, and lymph node metastases. Liver and lymph node biopsies revealed neutrophilic infiltration with no evidence of adenocarcinoma. The pathological findings of the bone marrow were compatible with CNL. Cytogenetic analysis revealed a normal karyotype, and molecular analysis was negative for BCR/ABL. Here, we present a 73 year-old man diagnosed with concurrent CNL and rectal cancer.ope

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement versus Sutureless Aortic Valve Replacement: A Single Center Retrospective Cohort Study

Purpose: This study sought to compare clinical outcomes between transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and sutureless aortic valve replacement (SU-AVR). Materials and methods: In total, 320 patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVR (n=254) or SU-AVR (n=66) at Severance Cardiovascular Hospital between July 2011 and September 2019 were included for analysis. Propensity score matching and inverse probability weighted adjustment were performed to adjust for confounding baseline characteristics. Outcomes defined by the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 in 62 patients pairs were compared. Results: Device success (79.0% vs. 79.0%, p>0.999) and 30-day mortality (4.8% vs. 0.0%, p=0.244) did not differ between the TAVR and SU-AVR groups. The TAVR group developed more frequent mild or moderate paravalvular leakage (59.7% vs. 8.1%, p<0.001), whereas SU-AVR was associated with higher rates of major or life-threatening bleeding (9.7% vs. 22.6%, p=0.040), acute kidney injury (8.1% vs. 21.0%, p=0.041), and new-onset atrial fibrillation (4.8% vs. 32.3%. p<0.001) at 30 days, along with longer stays in the intensive care unit (ICU) (1.9±1.6 days vs. 5.9±9.2 days, p=0.009) and hospital (7.1±7.9 days vs. 13.1±8.8 days, p<0.001). The TAVR group showed a trend towards a higher 1-year all-cause mortality, compared with the SU-AVR group (7.0% vs 1.7%, p=0.149). Cardiovascular mortality, however, did not differ significantly (1.6% vs 1.7%, p=0.960). Conclusion: TAVR achieved a similar 1-year survival rate free from cardiovascular mortality as SU-AVR and was associated with a lower incidence of complications, except for paravalvular leakage, and shorter stays in the ICU and hospital.ope

Coronary calcification is associated with elevated serum lipoprotein (a) levels in asymptomatic men over the age of 45 years: A cross-sectional study of the Korean national health checkup data

Lipoprotein a (Lp (a)) and coronary artery calcification (CAC) are markers of coronary artery and cardiovascular diseases. However, the association between Lp (a) and CAC in asymptomatic individuals remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine the influence of Lp (a) on CAC in asymptomatic individuals.We included 2019 asymptomatic Korean adults who underwent testing for a coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and Lp (a) at the Gangnam Severance Hospital Health Checkup Center in Korea from January 2017 to August 2019. Participants were divided into 2 groups: CACS = 0 and CACS > 0. Factors affecting the CACS were analyzed by sex. Because age is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis, ≥45 years in men and ≥55 years in women, we further divided participants into 4 subgroups (≥45 and <45 in men, ≥55 and <55 in women). Factors affecting the CACS in the 4 groups were analyzed.There was a positive correlation between the CACS and traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Lp (a) positively correlated with the CACS in men (P < .01) and remained significant after multivariable logistic regression (P < .01). The same result was observed in men aged ≥45 years (P < .01).Lp (a) is an independently associated factor of CAC and a marker of coronary atherosclerosis in asymptomatic men aged ≥45 years. In asymptomatic men aged ≥45 years, Lp (a) should be measured, and intensive Lp (a)-lowering treatment should be considered.ope

Validation and clinical application of a novel platelet function analyzer (ANYSIS 200) in cardiology patients

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Performance comparison of platelet function analyzers in cardiology patients: VerifyNow and Anysis-200 aspirin assays

Background: Analysis of responsiveness to antiplatelet therapy is crucial in the management of patients with cardiovascular diseases. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate a new platelet function analysis system (Anysis-200) and to compare it with VerifyNow (Accumetrics, San Diego, CA, USA) in cardiology patients. Methods: Overall, 125 citrated blood samples were collected from 85 cardiology patients referred for platelet function testing. In Anysis-200, platelet function was measured as blood migration distance (MD) until clogging of flow passage, which is comparable to aspirin resistance units obtained using VerifyNow. The two devices were simultaneously used and compared. Results: The MDs before and after taking aspirin were 175±51 and 247±27 mm, respectively (p < 0.0001). Compared with VerifyNow (reference), the sensitivity and specificity of Anysis-200 was 91.5% and 75.5%, respectively (area under the curve, 0.829). Further, the true positive rate in patients newly taking aspirin was 85% for VerifyNow and 92.5% for Anysis-200, respectively. The Cohen's kappa coefficient between the two devices was 0.682, indicating a relatively high agreement. Conclusions: Anysis-200, a novel system for assessing platelet aggregation, has accuracy and precision equivalent to that of, and significant agreement with, VerifyNow. Anysis-200 may be useful in screening patients with abnormal platelet reactivity and aspirin nonresponsiveness.restrictio

Safety and usefulness of a novel short track sliding balloon catheter

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and technical utility of the short track sliding (STS) balloon catheter. Background: An STS balloon catheter is designed to ensure a low profile at the shaft and perform distal anchoring using a single guidewire. However, its clinical practice with the STS balloon catheter has not been reported. Methods: This prospective multi-center registry enrolled 100 patients with significant coronary artery disease who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention using an STS balloon catheter at three hospitals in Korea from March 2019 to July 2020. Overall safety was assessed as any occurrences of device-related malfunction during the pre-dilation of the lesions. Its technical success rates of the kissing balloon technique or the distal anchoring technique using a single guidewire were also evaluated. Results: Of the 118 lesions pre-dilated using the STS balloon, no significant complication was observed except for three significant coronary dissections, which were completely covered with stents. There was no incidence of balloon catheter malfunction, such as fracture, entrapment, or perforation. With 13 attempts of kissing ballooning techniques with the STS balloon with a 6F guiding catheter, all cases were successful. The distal anchoring techniques were attempted in 10 cases, the stent was successfully crossed to the target lesion in all 10 cases. Conclusions: The novel STS balloon catheter can be safely applied in routine coronary intervention with minimal complications. In addition, this catheter could be useful for performing the kissing balloon technique with a small-caliber guiding catheter and distal anchoring technique with a single guidewire.restrictio