A Degenerative Intraspinal Cyst Mimicking a Nerve Root: A Case Report on an Intraoperative Challenge

Various intraspinal cysts have been described in the literature. Sometimes these cysts are difficult to recognize intraoperative and can place a surgeon in dilemma. We report a case of a degenerative intraspinal cyst with severe adhesion with dura, which was mimicking as a nerve root and posed a diagnostic dilemma during surgery. A Sixty-year-old man presented with insidious onset, gradually progressing lower back pain, right leg pain and neurological claudication of six months duration. The pain radiated to the right S1 dermatome. Right side straight leg raise test was positive at 45°. Sensations were diminished over the right L5 and S1 dermatomes. Motor function was normal. MRI showed a large cystic lesion at right L5-S1 level. The cyst appeared to compress the dural sac and traversing right S1 root at L5-S1 level. The lesion was isointense on T1-weighted image and hyperintense on T2-weighted image. While treating this condition using the uniportal full endoscopic technique the cyst appeared as nerve root. Meticulous dissection was required to separate the cyst from neural structures. Histology confirmed the diagnosis of a degenerative intraspinal cyst. The patient had significant improvement after surgery and at six months follow up he was completely asymptomatic. Various cysts can occur in the intraspinal canal, and careful attention should be paid to minimize the nerve injury in the presence of severe adhesions

Clinical and Endoscopic Recurrence after Surgical Resection in Patients with Crohn's Disease

Background/AimsThe natural history of Crohn's disease (CD) is characterized by a remitting and relapsing course and a considerable number of patients ultimately require bowel resection. Moreover, postoperative recurrence is very common. Relatively few studies have investigated the postoperative recurrence of CD in Korea. The aim of the current study was to assess postoperative recurrence rates - both clinical and endoscopic - in CD as well as factors influencing postoperative recurrence.MethodsElectronic medical records of patients who underwent surgery due to CD were reviewed and analyzed. Patients with incomplete surgical resection, a follow-up period of less than a year, and a history of strictureplasty or perianal surgery were excluded.ResultsOf 112 CD patients, 39 patients had history of bowel resection, and 34 patients met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 26 were male (76%) and the mean age of onset was 32.8 years. The mean follow-up period after operation was 65.4 months. Cumulative clinical recurrence rates were 8.8%, 12.5%, and 33.5% at 12, 24, and 48 months, respectively. Use of immunomodulators for prophylaxis was the only predictor of clinical recurrence in univariate analysis (P=0.042). Of 21 patients who had undergone follow-up colonoscopy after surgery, cumulative endoscopic recurrence rates were 33.3%, 42.9%, and 66.1% at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. No significant predicting factor for endoscopic recurrence was detected.ConclusionsPostoperative recurrence rates in Korean patients with CD are high, and endoscopic recurrence rates are comparable to those reported from Western studies. Appropriate medical prophylaxis seems to be important for preventing postoperative recurrence in CD

Investigation of Responsiveness to Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone in Growth Hormone-Producing Pituitary Adenomas

Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate how the paradoxical response of GH secretion to TRH changes according to tumor volumes. Methods. Patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly were classified as either TRH responders or nonresponders according to the results of a TRH stimulation test (TST), and their clinical characteristics were compared according to responsiveness to TRH and tumor volumes. Results. A total of 41 acromegalic patients who underwent the TST were included in this study. Between TRH responders and nonresponders, basal GH, IGF-I levels, peak GH levels, and tumor volume were not significantly different, but the between-group difference of GH levels remained near significant over the entire TST time. during the TST were significantly different according to the responsiveness to TRH. Peak GH levels and during the TST showed significantly positive correlations with tumor volume with higher levels in macroadenomas than in microadenomas. GH levels over the entire TST time also remained significantly higher in macroadenomas than in microadenomas. Conclusion. Our data demonstrated that the paradoxical response of GH secretion to TRH in GH-producing pituitary adenomas was not inversely correlated with tumor volumes

Autoimmune Hypoglycemia in a Patient with Characterization of Insulin Receptor Autoantibodies

BackgroundType B insulin resistance syndrome is a manifestation of autoantibodies to the insulin receptor that results in severe hyperglycemia and acanthosis nigricans. However, the mechanisms by which these autoantibodies induce hypoglycemia are largely unknown. In this paper, we report the case of patient with type B insulin resistance syndrome who presented with frequent severe fasting hypoglycemia and acanthosis nigricans.MethodsTo evaluate the mechanism of hypoglycemia, we measured the inhibition of insulin binding to erythrocytes and IM9 lymphocytes in a sample of the patient's dialyzed serum before and after immunosuppressive therapy.ResultsIn the patient's pre-treatment serum IgG, the binding of 125I-insulin to erythrocytes was markedly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner until the cold insulin level reached 10-9 mol/L. We also observed dose-dependent inhibition of insulin binding to IM9 lymphocytes, which reached approximately 82% inhibition and persisted even when diluted 1:20. After treatment with glucocorticoids, insulin-erythrocyte binding activity returned to between 70% and 80% of normal, while the inhibition of insulin-lymphocyte binding was reduced by 17%.ConclusionWe treated a patient with type B insulin resistance syndrome showing recurrent fasting hypoglycemia with steroids and azathioprine. We characterized the patient's insulin receptor antibodies by measuring the inhibition of insulin binding

Levodopa-carbidopa-entacapone overdose presenting as altered mental status, xanthoderma, and yellowish sclera

Levodopa-carbidopa-entacapone is a single combination drug consisting of levodopa (aromatic amino acid), carbidopa (dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor), and entacapone (catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor). The Food and Drug Administration approved levodopa-carbidopa-entacapone in 2003, as treatment for idiopathic Parkinson’s disease in patients experiencing signs and symptoms of wearing-off. Although various adverse drug reactions of levodopa-carbidopa-entacapone have been recorded, there has been no reported case of levodopa-carbidopa-entacapone overdose. We report the first case of signs and symptoms of an overdose of levodopa-carbidopa-entacapone (levodopa: 3000 mg; carbidopa: 750 mg; entacapone: 6000 mg) in a suicide attempt, presenting as altered mentality, xanthoderma, and yellowish sclera without hyperbilirubinemia