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The patient is a 22-year-old, female. She had a family history of familial adenomatous polyposis(FAP)and a prophylactic total colorectal resection was performed for FAP at age of 18. She presented with fever and abdominal distention and palpated a mass with tenderness in the right lower abdomen. Contrast-enhanced CT scan of the abdomen showed a heterogeneous contrast effect around the tumor margins. With the diagnosis of intra-abdominal desmoid tumor, a partial duodenal resection, small bowel mass resection, and right fallopian tube resection were performed along with the tumor, and an artificial anus was created with the jejunum. Contrast-enhanced CT scan of the abdomen 16 months after resection of desmoid tumor showed a 6.5 cm long desmoid tumor recurrence in the mesentery. She received 5 courses of doxorubicin (DOX)plus dacarbazine(DTIC)therapy followed by continued NSAIDs. Seven years after the operation, she has been able to maintain the shrinkage of the recurrent tumor and is still on medication. Long-term surveillance is necessary because of the possibility of the appearance of other associated lesions in the future.

A 74-year-old woman with a chief complaint of hematochezia was admitted to our hospital. Colonoscopy revealed a 2 cm submucosal tumor with an erosion in the Rb of the rectum. Biopsy showed various inflammatory cell clusters, but no malignant findings. Thoracoabdominal CT and abdominal MRI showed no abnormal findings other than that of rectal wall thickening. Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy performed on suspected rectal NET showed no abnormal accumulation. A total of 3 biopsies were performed, but a definitive diagnosis was not confirmed, and transanal rectal mucosal resection was performed for diagnostic purposes. Immunohistochemistry showed CD20(+)and bcl-2(+), and the lesion was diagnosed as malignant rectal B cell lymphoma. For 1 year postoperatively, the patient showed no recurrence. For this case, biopsy often failed to confirm a definitive diagnosis on rectal submucosal tumors. If the tumor is >1 cm in diameter in a rectal NET, a rectal resection with lymph node dissection is required, and anal function may be impaired. Local tumor excision for diagnosis and treatment may be worthwhile in rectal submucosal tumors if pre-resection diagnosis with biopsy is difficult.

In nivolumab therapy for unresectable advanced esophageal cancer, there are a few cases that show a complete response, and long-term survival can be expected in such cases. Here, we report a case in which nivolumab had a complete response to multiple lymph node metastases during multidisciplinary treatment for esophageal cancer and survived for a relatively long period despite being elderly. Examination of complete response cases provides us with significant insights in considering the unexplained biomarkers of immune checkpoint inhibitors and treatment discontinuation during complete response.

Adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) is a peripheral T-cell malignancy caused by the human T-cell lymphotropic virus, type I and it has an extremely poor prognosis. A 66-year-old man with severe hepatic damage, massive pleural effusion and ATL cell infiltration-induced ascites was referred to our department. Reduced-intensity cytotoxic chemotherapy was attempted, but could not continue due to persistent hyperbilirubinemia. Laboratory results also showed elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and serum albumin levels were profoundly decreased. A humanized monoclonal antibody against chemokine receptor type 4 (CCR4), mogamulizumab (Moga), was thereby challenged and it successfully resolved the hepatic damage. Finally, a standard dose of chemotherapy could be administered, and it induced a complete remission. The patient is still in remission more than three years after the final dosage of standard chemotherapy. These results indicate that Moga, whose pharmacokinetics are not significantly influenced by hepatic function or serum albumin, could be a promising treatment option for patients with ATL complicated by severe hepatic damage due to infiltration of ATL cells.

The case involved a 44-year-old man who underwent intersphincteric resection and lateral lymph node dissection for rectal cancer. Pathological diagnosis revealed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma comprising KRAS wild type, and pT2N0M0 (pathological Stage I). CapeOX (capecitabine plus oxaliplatin[L-OHP]), and bevacizumab therapy was initiated because of local recurrence. Although a partial response (PR) was observed, the therapy was terminated after 6 courses because of the development of hand-foot syndrome. FOLFIRI and cetuximab therapy was initiated after cancer recurrence was observed during a follow up. As the therapeutic efficiency is characterized by stability (stable disease: SD), and the tumor reduction effect observed was not sufficient, we performed an abdominoperineal resection to achieve local control. However, a left hydronephrosis occurred due to the pelvic recurrence, necessitating the emergency hospitalization of the patient. Because resistance to L-OHP was not confirmed, mFOLFOX6 and bevacizumab therapy was introduced in hopes of the effect of the former. As Grade 2 allergy (erythema) appeared immediately after the L-OHP was administered during the 3 courses, treatment was discontinued. We the reinitiated the treatment along with the desensitization therapy from the 4 courses. A total of 27 courses of mFOLFOX6 and bevacizumab therapy were administered until the state of disease progression (progression disease: PD) was determined. PR was defined as the best therapeutic efficiency. In some cases, discontinuation of treatment is necessary as observed in the present case due to the onset of L-OHP allergies, even if the overall effect of the treatment is expected to be good. Our case is essentialas it demonstrates the successfulness of desensitization therapy for L-OHP allergies.

A case is a 46-year-old woman visited us with a chief complaint of bloody stools. A diagnosis of rectal cancer(Rs)was made, and laparoscopic resectomy plus D3 was performed. After progressing to pT4a(SE)N2, M0, pStage III b, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy(6 courses of XELOX)was administered. Two months after initiating chemotherapy, since the CEA value increased, chest abdominal CT was performed. Five nodules were found in the bilateral lungs and diagnosed as lung metastases(PUL2). Systemic chemotherapy(IRIS plus BV)is administered to PUL2(Grade C)of rectal cancer metachronous metastases. After 3 courses, the effect judgment was SD. Based on the recurrence period from postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and the findings during this time, it was judged that weight loss surgery was appropriate for the rectal cancer lung metastatic lesions in which chemotherapy was ineffective, and partial resection of both lungs under thoracoscopic assistance was performed. Systemic chemotherapy(TAS-102 plus BV)was initiated to prevent postoperative recurrence. The patient is currently alive without relapse after 12 months. We reported a case of metachronous metastasis of colon cancer in which multidisciplinary treatment was successful.

We developed a reliable prediction model for colorectal cancer(CRC)patients after surgically curative resection. Using clinicopathological factors, prediction models were constructed for liver metastasis-free survival(LMFS). Between January 2004 and December 2010, 528 CRC patients were investigated. On univariate analysis of clinicopathological factors, the following factors associated with LMFS: pathological tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, and preoperative serum CEA. Using these factors, a prediction model was constructed using a Cox regression model with a concordance index of 0.824 for LMFS. These individualized prediction models could help clinicians in the treatment of postoperative CRC patients.

A female patient in her 70s underwent an abdominoperineal resection and bilateral lymph node dissection for advanced lower rectal cancer. The patient did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. In the Japanese classification of colorectal carcinoma (8th Edition), the tumor was a moderately differentiated type 2 adenocarcinoma, and was 4.5 cm in size. Histologically, the tumor was considered to be Stage IIIb (T3N0M0). She received no adjuvant chemotherapy. After 39 months, pelvic computed tomography (CT ) revealed a 29 mm tumor in the right pelvic wall. The patient declined surgery for recurrence so radiotherapy was planned. First, chemotherapy with mFOLFOX6 was administered for 4 courses to reduce tumor size. Consequently, irradiation with carbon ions was given to the site of recurrence at a total dose of 74 GyE in 37 fractions. There were no severe complications. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level decreased to the lower limit of the normal range from a maximum of 4.9, and no progression of the recurrent tumor was detected on CT for approximately 4 years. Systemic chemotherapy followed by irradiation with carbon ions may be effective for recurrent rectal cancer.

To evaluate the risk factors associated with lymph node(LN)metastases described in the Japanese Society for Cancer of Colon and Rectum (JSCCR) guidelines, we retrospectively analyzed 40 patients with submucosal invasive colorectal cancer who underwent surgical resection after endoscopic resection at Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases between 2006 and 2008. We examined clinicopathological factors such as sex, age, tumor diameter, morphology, histological grade, submucosal invasion, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, and LN metastasis and 5-year disease-free survival(DFS) and overall survival (OS). All patients had tubular adenocarcinoma. Ten patients had LN metastasis. Histological grade, tub2, and a positive vertical margin were significant risk factors. Submucosal invasion was greater than 1,000 µm in patients with LN metastasis. There was no difference in clinicopathological factors between patients with colon cancer and those with rectal cancer, but LN metastasis occurred in 18.7% and 50.0% of colon cancer and rectal cancer patients, respectively. There were no recurrences or cancer-related deaths, although one patient died of other causes. In conclusion, patients who were treated according to the JSCCR guidelines had a favorable prognosis.

The patient was a 53-year-old woman who underwent colonoscopy for anal pain and melena. We diagnosed her with Stage I (T2N0M0) anal canal squamous cell carcinoma by biopsy specimen and CT scan. We recommended chemo-radiotherapy because she hoped to keep her anus. For this patient, we planned an S-1 administration at a dose of 120 mg/ body/day for consecutive 14 days followed by 7 days of rest period with whole pelvis and bilateral inguinal radiation (total 45 Gy/25 Fr). Then we added a booster radiation (14 Gy/7 Fr) to a local area for 5 days followed by 2 days of rest period. After 2 weeks of chemo-radiotherapy, we could not detect any tumors by colonoscopy. We diagnosed it as a pathological complete response for biopsy specimen.

CASE 1: A 61-year-old man having advanced gastric cancer was presented with massive hematemesis. We could not control bleeding by gastrointestinal endoscopic hemostatic therapy, so we performed a transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). We performed embolization on the left gastric artery. CASE 2: A 58-year-old man having advanced gastric cancer was presented with hematemesis. We could not control bleeding by gastrointestinal endoscopic procedure, so we conducted TAE. We performed embolization on the left gastric artery and right gastric artery. In both cases, hemostasis was achieved by TAE, and effectively controlled the bleeding from advanced gastric cancer.

We analyzed a treatment outcome and the effect of systemic chemotherapy for patient with unresectable gallbladder carcinoma. Sixteen patients were investigated. Gemcitabine (GEM) was administrated for fifteen patients as the first-line chemotherapy. S-1 was administrated for ten patients as the second-line chemotherapy. The response rate and tumor control rate of the first-line GEM were 14.3% and 78.6%, respectively. The median progression free time of the first-line GEM was 6.0 months. The response rate and tumor control rate of the second-line S-1 were respectively 20.0% and 30.0%. The median progression free time of the second-line S-1 was 1.8 months. The median survival time of all cases was 14.9 months. The outcome of systemic chemotherapy for patients with unresectable gallbladder carcinoma in our hospital was feasible compared with past reports.

Combined chemotherapy including 5-FU plus radiation treatment resulted in a synergistic effect has been reported. S-1 enhances a radiation response of colon cancer cell line xenografts. Also the effectiveness of S-1 + radiation therapy has been reported. A 66-year-old man underwent a low anterior resection for lower rectal cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy was not performed due to Stage II rectal cancer. Twenty months after the operation, solitary sacral bone metastasis was found during the postoperative work-up. S-1 (120 mg/day) combined with radiotherapy was performed on days 1-14 and 21-35. Radiation (3 Gy) was administered a total of 45 Gy on days 1-5, 7-12 and 35-40. Moreover, the reduction was judged as complete response after 11 courses of mFOLFOX 6. There has been no sign of recurrence for 44 months. It suggested that local control therapy (S-1 + radiation) plus systemic chemotherapy (mFOLFOX6) was one of the promising effective therapies for single sacral bone metastasis of rectal cancer.

A 75-year-old female presented with appetite and weight loss and epigastralgia. CT revealed a primary gallbladder carcinoma Stage IVb with multiple hepatic metastases. Gastrofiberscopy revealed an invasion to duodenal and bleeding from the tumor. For her poor performance status, it seems to be too difficult to undergo a general chemotherapy. So after gastrojejunostomy, transarterial embolization (TAE) was performed. She underwent 2 times TAE. There was a notable reduction in tumor size. But pulmonary metastases were found in bilateral lung. She died after 8 months. TAE may be useful for advanced gallbladder carcinoma with tumor vascularity.

Purpose: To evaluate the performances of various devices for inhaled steroid., Methods: Aerosol particle diameters were determined using the Aerodynamic Particle Sizer Spectrometer. Conversion ratios to fine particle aerosol were determined using an Andersen non-bubble sampler., Results: The mass median aerodynamic diameter was between 1 and 4 microm for all devices examined, tending to decrease with the increase in a suction flow rate. The percent of drug aerosolized less than 11 microm in diameter at a suction flow rate of 28.3 L/min was 100% for BDP-HFA and CIC-HFA, 87.5% for FP-HFA, 47.0% for BUD-DPI, 6.2% for FP-DPI, and 4.9% for SFC-DPI. The percent of drug aerosolized less than 7.6 microm in diameter at a suction flow rate of 60 L/min was 78.2% for BUD-DPI, 5.9% for FP-DPI, and 6.5% for SFC-DPI., Discussion: For MDI preparations, devices permitting easy synchronization of drug atomization and inspiration exhibited higher inhalation efficiency. For DPI preparations, the BUD-DPI device exhibited higher inhalation efficiency, which was enhanced by increasing the suction flow rate.

The efficacy and safety of bi-weekly administration of medium-dose docetaxel (TXT) were evaluated in patients with advanced and recurrent breast cancers. The additional effect of 5'-DFUR for non-responders was also evaluated. Forty patients with advanced and recurrent breast cancers were treated and 38 cases of 40 were evaluated (34 with recurrent cases and 4 with advanced cases). All cases were female, and their mean age was 56.0 (38-74). TXT of 60 mg/body, which was equivalent to 30-50 mg/m2 for standard-sized Japanese women, was administered every two weeks. 5'-DFUR of 800 mg/body was added for non-responders after 5 weeks. The response rate was calculated from the data of 32 cases with measurable lesions, and side effects were evaluated in about 34 cases with exact records. Two hundred seventy-one courses were performed for 38 patients (4-24 courses per person, average 7.13 courses). The mean dosage per course of TXT was 58.4 mg/body (38.3 mg/ m2). Three complete and 7 partial responses were observed (overall response rate: 31.3%). Ten non-responders were evaluated for the additional effect of 5' DFUR, and one case reached PR. Grade 3/4 bone marrow suppression occurred in 9 patients, and Grade 3/4 general malaise was observed in two patient. According to the results, bi-weekly administration of medium dose TXT is an active and safe regimen in patients with advanced and recurrent breast cancers. The additional effect of 5'-DFUR was observed in one of 10 non-responders of bi-weekly chemotherapy with medium-dose TXT.

We encountered 3 cases of pneumonia caused by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia between January and June 2001. S. maltophilia is resistant to broad-spectrum antibiotics including carbapenem. Reported studies indicate that excessive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics may induce resistance in this organism. However, our data showed that there was no clear correlation between the amounts of carbapenems used in our hospital and the isolation of the organism. If broad-spectrum antibiotics are ineffective or even actually worsen a case of pneumonia, S. maltophilia may be the sole causative organism, and a potent double- (or triple-) combination therapy consisting of minocyclin and one or two other potent antimicrobial agents should be considered.

Background: High frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) via thin tracheal tube is a convenient method of ventilation in microlaryngosurgery, but the problem of the assessment of oxygen and carbon dioxide status during HFJV is yet to be studied., Methods: Fifteen patients undergoing microlaryngosurgery under total intravenous anesthesia with HFJV were studied. The combined transcutaneous carbon dioxide (PtcCO2) and oxygen (PtcO2) levels were compared with arterial blood gas values (PaCO2, PaO2)., Results: The PtcCO2 values demonstrated a high degree of correlation with PaCO2 before intubation (r = 0.97), during HFJV (r = 0.96), and after anesthesia (r = 0.93). The PaO2 values demonstrated a generally good correlation with PaO2 before intubation (r = 0.78) and during HFJV (r = 0.83), but not after anesthesia (r = 0.54)., Conclusion: Capnography values are invalid during HFJV, and an arterial catheter is not always indicated and feasible in microlaryngoscopy. The transcutaneous devices provide an effective method for non-invasive monitoring of PaCO2 in situations where continuous and precise control of CO2 levels is desired such as in perioperative period of microlaryngosurgery with HFJV.

A 50-year-old healthy woman was scheduled for surgery of the first thoracic vertebral (T 1) hemangioma accompanying rapidly aggravated neurological deficit in three months. Anesthesia was induced with intravenous fentanyl and propofol and maintained with isoflurane-oxygen-air inhalation, followed by propofol infusion combined with sevoflurane inhalation. Following posterior decompression of T 1 with fusion of C 6-T 3, consecutive total spondylectomy of T 1 with anterior fusion of C 7-T 2 was carried out. At the end of surgery, marked edema was noticed on her face, neck and bilateral upper extremities, possibly due to long manipulation around the left jugular angle. Next morning the edema spread to her whole body and the elevation of both diaphragms and the mediastinal expansion were recognized. Mechanical ventilation in the mode of IMV was performed until subsiding of edema on the fifth postoperative day. During this period, hypoxemia was frequently observed in spite of appropriate respiratory support. On the third postoperative day, bronchoscopic bronchial toilet was performed which brought the improvement of blood oxygenation. The occasional administration of furosemide was not effective to reduce general edema, but served for the acceleration of lymphatic drainage after the release of the thoracic duct obstruction and the patient was extubated uneventfully on the sixth postoperative day.

A 73-year-old man was hospitalized because of weight loss and fever. Laboratory data showed marked leukocytosis (21,200/mm3), granulocytosis (89.7%), thrombocytosis (47.8 x 10(4)/mm3), increased CRP (15.8 mg/dl), and increased SCC (5.0 ng/ml). Chest X-ray films demonstrated a mass shadow in the right upper lung field. Chest computed tomographic scans revealed a mass shadow 58 mm in diameter with mediastinal pleural invasion in the right S1. Right upper lobectomy and dissection of regional lymph nodes was performed under a diagnosis of lung cancer (squamous cell carcinoma, T3 N0 M0 stage IIB) with concomitant infection. Serum G-CSF was 234 pg/ml pre-operatively and 68.8 pg/ml postoperatively. The cytoplasm of tumor cells stained positively with anti-recombinant human G-CSF monoclonal antibody. No general bacteria or mycobacteria were detected within the specimen. Postoperatively, the patient's white blood cell count, platelet count, and CRP level soon decreased, and the fever disappeared. We diagnosed the disease as G-CSF-producing squamous cell type lung cancer.

Two cases of intraabdominal organ injuries due to blunt chest trauma are reported. A 58-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with multiple rib fractures, hemopneumothorax and left flail chest. An emergency operation was performed and intraoperative findings revealed that the fractured rib was penetrating through the diaphragm to the stomach. A 52-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with left multiple rib fractures and hemopneumothorax. Her treatment included chest tube drainage, but a week after admission, intraabdominal bleeding occurred due to a ruptured spleen, necessitating an emergency operation (splenectomy). Blunt chest trauma injury is usually accompanied by multisystem injury. Therefore, it is important to detect intraabdominal injury during an emergency operation and the follow-up period.

A 38-year-old woman with a history of hemosputum once in a several years was admitted to our hospital because of a mass shadow in the left lower lung field on chest X-ray film. Physical examination revealed neither cardiac murmur nor any sign of heart failure. Chest X-ray film showed a tumorous shadow in the left posterior basal segment. Chest CT scan showed that this shadow was consisted of enhanced, dilated and torutuous vessel and was connected to the descending thoracic aorta. Angiographic examinations showed that there was no normal left basal trunk of the pulmonary artery, and revealed an anomalous arterial supply to the basal segments from the descending thoracic aorta, with an expanded left inferior pulmonary vein. Broncho-fiberscopy showed no abnormal findings in the bronchial tree except for mild stenosis of the left basal bronchus. This case was diagnosed as an anomalous systemic arterial supply to the left basal lung (Pryce type I). The left lower lobe without pulmonary sequestration and the anomalous systemic artery were resected. Microscopically, the anomalous artery showed an elastic type, and the peripheral lung areas showed congestion. The postoperative course was uneventful. We collected reports of 26 cases of the same anomalies in Japan and discussed the difference of this anomaly from pulmonary sequestration.

We present two cases of injury to the cervical trachea and the tracheal bifurcation due to blunt trauma. A 20-year-old man sustained complete disruption of the cervical trachea during a traffic accident. He underwent end-to-end anastomosis of the disrupted trachea. Nevertheless, 3 weeks after the initial surgery, tracheostomy was required because of suture failure. Two months after the second procedure, he underwent closure of the tracheostoma. Granulation developed temporarily, but diminished thereafter. The second case was a 14-year-old boy. He sustained a longitudinal laceration about 3 cm from the tracheal over the membranous portion during a traffic accident. The laceration was successfully repaired by interrupted sutures with absorbable materials. Our experiences emphasize the importance of debridement of the injured cartilageous portion during treatment of tracheal injury due to blunt trauma and the difficulty in managing complete disruption of the cervical trachea with bilateral paralysis of the recurrent nerve.

To evaluate changes after Lobectomy in the regional functions of the remaining lung and of the unaffected lung, three-dimensional (3-D) images of lung ventilation and perfusion SPECT were studied. In 60 patients who underwent lung resection, ventilation (99m Tc-phytate aerosol inhalation) and perfusion (99m Tc-MAA) SPECT were performed before and one month after operation. 3-D images were obtained from SPECT by the volume-rendering method setting thresholds at three levels, and the 3-D functional capacity of the right and left lung was determined at a threshold of 25%. Changes were evaluated using the ratio of the value obtained after operation to the one obtained before operation. The remaining rate of perfusion in the remaining lung was 0.58 +/- 0.22 after the right upper lobectomy, 0.32 +/- 0.04 after the right upper & middle bilobectomy, 0.86 +/- 0.11 after the right middle lobectomy, 0.55 +/- 0.17 after the right lower lobectomy, 0.24 +/- 0.18 after the left upper lobectomy, 0.46 +/- 0.05 after the left lower lobectomy, and 0 after the left pneumonectomy. The remaining rate was significantly low in the right upper & middle bilobectomy and the left upper lobectomy. The large decrease in the rate in these operations was considered to have resulted from a shift of the remaining lung towards the head and excessive expansion of the remaining lung. The distribution of the aerosol inhalation decreased more significantly than that of perfusion in almost all patients. The remaining rate of ventilation of the remaining lung after the lower lobectomy was lower than that after the upper lobectomy. This may have been due to the characteristics of the aerosol practices. We found that changes in the regional functions of the lung after lung resection can be topographically and quantitatively evaluated by 3-D image processing of pulmonary ventilation and perfusion SPECT, such analysis is usefulness in evaluation of function preservation operation.

Although both residual T1 activity and defect reversibility are used as a marker of myocardial viability on stress-redistribution-reinjection T1 (T1-RI) imaging, it is not yet fully understood which marker better predicts reversible dysfunction after revascularization. The aim of this study was to assess the comparative efficacies of these criteria for prediction of functional recovery after revascularization. Twenty-five patients (LVEF 41%) who underwent successful revascularization were studied with T1-RI SPECT and gated blood pool scintigraphy before revascularization. The gated blood pool study was repeated at mean 2 months after revascularization. The left ventricular myocardium was divided into 9 segments and the mean regional activities were calculated for each segment. In this study, two independent criteria were used as a viability index; (A) the presence of residual T1 activity (> 50% of peak) on the final image (reinjection image), (B) reversible defect (> 10% increase on the subsequent images) or normal T1 uptake (> 80% of peak) on the initial image. Functional recovery occurred in 51 of 88 dysfunctional segments. The presence of residual T1 activity was a highly sensitive (96%) but poorly specific (35%) marker of reversible dysfunction, while a reversible defect or normal T1 uptake was a less sensitive (67%) but more specific (59%) predictor of functional recovery. In conclusion, defect reversibility provides unique information on myocardial viability which cannot be obtained by assessing residual T1 activity alone.

Three different methods of postoperative pain management were evaluated by a 16 year old girl within 1 month after the last surgery who had undergone intrathoracic surgery three times during the six months. The postoperative pain management was different after each surgery. The first bullectomy was performed under thoracoscopy and she did not complain of severe pain with nerve blocks and NSAID suppository. After the second and third intrathoracic surgery, postoperative pain relief was tried with iv PCA and epidural morphine respectively. Although she commented that epidural morphine had been more potent than i.v. PCA from the viewpoint of pain relief, she preferred i.v. PCA to bolus administered epidural morphine because she could always control her pain whenever pain relapsed. Bolus epidural morphine, however, was administered by physicians only, and she endured severe pain for more than two hours until the next dose at the midnight of the operation. That might be the reason why she was not satisfied with epidural morphine. It was concluded that we should try to offer not fluctuating analgesic level but readily available potent analgesics which could be hopefully administered by patients themselves in adolescent or adult population.

Twelve month old boy had been suffering from a neck lymphangioma. Partial resection was carried out in his newborn period at another hospital, and he was obliged to be tracheostomied because of severe airway obstruction due to postoperative edema. He was scheduled for partial glossectomy since his tongue had increased in mass, which could easily be injured by teeth, and he had difficulties in swallowing recently. His airway was not obstructive even during sleep and preoperative MRI showed adequate space around the larynx. We induced anesthesia by a mask and he was subseqently intubated with a fiberscope via his nose because his huge and less mobile tongue could not allow the insertion of a laryngoscope and this might cause bleeding. We did not extubate the endotracheal tube for fear of airway obstruction attributable to postoperative edema. Marked edema around the neck persisted longer than we expected. We tried to evaluate the degree of diminution of edema with MRI twice to decide when extubation could be attempted. However, examination with MRI could not give us useful informations. Consequently we evaluated the timing of extubation by examining whether he could close his mouth or not, whether his tongue could move freely and the degree of edema. We realized lymphangioma caused marked and extensive edema after the operation and we should keep in mind that lymphangioma of the tongue might cause various anesthetic problems especially on airways.

A 35-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of a fever and a productive cough. She had undergone renal transplantation and had taken immunosuppressive drugs, a steroid, inhaled amphotericin-B, and pentamidine. She was treated with ganciclovir, because infection with cytomegalovirus was suspected but her symptoms did not resolve. A chest X-ray film and a computed tomogram showed an infiltrative shadow in the right lower lung field. Specimens obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy showed lipid-laden macrophages and oil droplets in alveolar spaces. Organisms of the genus nocardia were isolated from bronchial lavage fluid. The final diagnosis was lipoid pneumonia combined with pulmonary nocardiosis. After treatment with Imipenem.cilastatin sodiom, Exacin and Sulfamethoxazole.trimethoprim, her symptoms and the infiltrative shadows on the chest X-ray film resolved. We believe that this patient had an exogenous lipoid pneumonia caused by inhalation of deoxycholic acid in amphotericin-B solubilized liquid, in addition to pulmonary nocardiosis.

A 37-year-old man with multiple nodules on a chest X-ray film, hypertension, and proteinuria was admitted to our hospital in September, 1993. Thirteen years earlier, he had been admitted to another hospital because of bloody sputum, fever, and dyspnea. He also had slight oral aphthae and slight iridocyclitis. A chest X-ray film at that time showed bilateral diffuse reticular shadows, and his illness was diagnosed as acute interstitial pneumonitis. Since that time, he had been continuously receiving tapering doses of prednisolone. His chest symptoms were relieved, and the findings on the chest X-ray film resolved with that treatment. In 1993, he also had positive tests for HBs antigen and for HLA-B51, and he was found to have renal vascular hypertension. Chest CT films and a pulmonary angiogram showed multiple aneurysms and occlusions of pulmonary arteries. A renal angiogram showed multiple intraparenchymal aneurysms of renal arteries. A specimen taken by open-lung biopsy showed healed endoarteritis obliterans of muscular arteries and no alveolitis. His illness was diagnosed as polyangiitis overlap syndrome, because of the unclassified systemic necrotizing vasculitis.

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is known as the growth factor that stimulates the multiplication and accumulation of extracellular matrix. Recently, TGF-beta also has been found to have the ability to control the growth and metastatic potential of cancer cells. It is known that central fibrosis frequently occurs in pulmonary adenocarcinoma and the prognosis becomes poorer as fibrosis become more hyalinized. To estimate the role of TGF-beta in the formation of central fibrosis in pulmonary adenocarcinoma and its influence on the prognosis of patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma, we performed an immunohistochemical study of TGF-beta in 51 cases of T1 pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Positive stain for TGF-beta was shown in 31 cases, and negative stain was shown in 20 cases. In patients with Stage I, T1 pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the post operative survival curve was compared between positive and negative cases of TGF-beta, and the result showed a tendency toward poorer prognosis in positive cases of TGF-beta. Twenty-four of 51 cases of T1 pulmonary adenocarcinoma had central fibrosis. Twenty of 24 cases with central fibrosis showed positive stain for TGF-beta. It was proven that the appearance of central fibrosis was significantly related to positive stain for TGF-beta in T1 pulmonary adenocarcinoma. According to these results, it is suggested that TGF-beta plays some role in the formation of central fibrosis in pulmonary adenocarcinoma and TGF-beta is possibly a prognostic factor for patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

A 62-year-old woman was admitted with malfunction of the Hancock valve in mitral position. She had been suffering from gastroduodenal ulcer for about ten years. She couldn't take warfarin after 5 years later of the initial operation due to recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding. Judging from her age and renal dysfunction, we preferred mechanical valve to avoid the risks for the reoperation. After confirming the healed ulcer with administering omeprazole, we performed prosthetic valve replacement with SJM 29 M successfully. Postoperative course was uneventful and recurrence of the ulcer was not observed.

A 76-year-old female was referred to our hospital for examination of milky pleural effusion. We diagnosed her illness as chylothorax because of the high concentration of triglyceride in the effusion. There was neither obstruction nor damage of the thoracic duct. Systemic evaluation disclosed an abdominal mass in the umbilical region. Fasting with intravenous hyperalimentation followed by pleurodesis with minocycline successfully eliminated the effusion. On the other hand, the abdominal mass was diagnosed as mesenteric panniculitis by open biopsy. Since she also had chylous ascites, the tumor could have obstructed the intestinal lymphatics. Chylothorax was probably caused by damage to collateral lymph circulation.

A 70-year-old man was admitted for diagnosis of an abnormal shadow on chest X-ray film. Chest X-ray films and chest tomograms showed a club-like shadow close to the pulmonary artery. The tumor was diagnosed as a small cell lung cancer, after transbronchial biopsy. The patient underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This patient had small cell lung cancer that appeared on chest X-ray films to have a strange shape.

Myocardial fatty acid utilization in the area with thallium fill-in after reinjection was assessed using 123I-labeled 15-(p-iodophenyl)3R,S-methylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP). We studied 22 patients with prior myocardial infarction that revealed persistent defects on standard exercise-redistribution thallium imaging. In each patient, exercise-redistribution-reinjection thallium imaging was performed. Within two weeks of the thallium study, resting BMIPP imaging was performed 20 min after injection of BMIPP (148 MBq). Following qualitative analysis of the obtained thallium and BMIPP images, quantitative analysis was performed on the basis of relative regional uptake. Of 199 myocardial segments that showed persistent defects on exercise-redistribution images, 73 segments showed apparent fill-in on the reinjection images (fill-in positive), and the remaining 126 segments did not (fill-in negative). When BMIPP images were compared with the corresponding thallium reinjection images, reduced BMIPP uptake compared with thallium were frequently observed in the area of fill-in positive segments (65 of 73 segments, 89%). Quantitative analysis also showed decrease in BMIPP activity compared to thallium activity in the area of fill-in (49.7 +/- 16.1 vs. 65.8 +/- 16.0%, p < 0.001). In contrast, only 24 of the 126 fill-in negative segments (19%) showed lower BMIPP uptake than thallium. These results suggest that impaired fatty acid utilization in the area of thallium new fill-in after reinjection already exists at resting condition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

We encountered a 63-year-old man whose dry cough due to interstitial pneumonia had been successfully with an anti-thrombin drug, argatroban, which was given to treat exacerbated Buerger's disease. We therefore prospectively evaluated fibrinogen, fibrin-degradating product D-dimer, thrombin anti-thrombin III complex, and plasmin anti-plasmin complex in patients with interstitisal lung diseases. In a preliminary study, we found that some patients actually had elevated levels of these markers. These findings suggested that increased coagulability was involved in the pathophysiology of interstitial pneumonia. In this study, we measured the levels of serum-soluble thrombomodulin as a marker of endothelial cell damages that lead to hemostasis. We found that serum levels of thrombomodulin were high in about 35% of patients with sarcoidosis, interstitial pneumonia associated with collagen diseases, or idiopathic interstitial pneumonia. Furthermore, these levels decreased as the patients' conditions improved. Although further evaluation is needed, these results suggest that endothelial cell damage and hemostasis are involved in the pathophysiology of interstitial pneumonia.

A mediastinal thymic cyst was excised under thoracoscope in a 66 year-old man. Mass lesion was noted in the left anterior mediastinum on chest X-p during a screening examination. Based on the findings of the chest CT and MRI, the mass was diagnosed as a cyst containing low fat and low protein fluid without solid tissue. This lesion was diagnosed as a mediastinal thymic cyst. Under general anesthesia, the thoracoscopy was inserted to the left thoracic cavity. Then, the cyst was resected sharply and bluntly with pair of scissors, while electric coagulation was performed as needed. In cases of mediastinal thymic cyst, it is possible to completely resect the cyst by thoracoscopic treatment, causing minimal surgical invasiveness. Considering that a few thymic cysts are combined with malignant tumor, complete resection of the lesion is required in the treatment of thymic cyst.

A case of the mitral valve aneurysm with aortic valvular infective endocarditis is reported. A 30-year-old male who had the history of Streptococcus viridans endocarditis underwent aortic and mitral valve replacement. The aortic valve was bicuspid and had the perforation in its non-coronary cusp, and histology in its specimen showed post-inflammatory vascularization and disorganization of architecture. A gigantic aneurysm was visible in the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve, but both anterior and posterior leaflets had no inflammatory change in histology. In this case, the "jet" of blood produced by aortic valve perforation involved the mitral valve. This aneurysmal change was so called "jet lesion" secondary to aortic valve endocarditis.

144 surgical patients with isolated aortic valve disease were reviewed to determine the incidence and the mechanism of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The hemodynamic data revealed PH (pulmonary artery systolic pressure of 40 mmHg or more) in 18 patients (12.6%). There was a positive correlation between left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and pulmonary artery pressure. After operation the pulmonary artery pressure normalized in all cases but 2 patients in early post-operative period. In patients with aortic stenosis with PH, LVEDP/LVEDVI ratio was higher than that of patients without PH, which showed left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. In patients with aortic regurgitation with PH, the cause of elevated LVEDP was not only severe long-standing regurgitation with ventricular dysfunction, but also the imbalancement of compensation by dilated ventricle with preserved left ventricular function.

A 43-year-old woman in whom anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery, associated with rheumatic mitral stenosis, was surgically corrected. She underwent aortic implantation of anomalous left coronary artery and mitral valve replacement. It was feasible to obtain a sufficient length of the left main trunk excising a large cuff of pulmonary artery wall surrounding the ostium of anomalous left coronary artery, without transecting pulmonary artery. This surgical case is first reported about BWG syndrome associated with rheumatic valvular disease.

A 71-year-old male had suffered from cough with purulent sputum. He was admitted to our hospital because of worsening of his symptoms. The chest X-ray film showed diffuse nodular shadows and emphysematous changes in both lung fields. Transbronchial lung biopsy demonstrated findings compatible with diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB). Bronchoscopy showed the tracheal lumen was sagittaly narrowed and membranous portion was protruded into the lumen. The trachea completely collapsed when coughing. His disease was diagnosed as saber-sheath type tracheomalacia (Johnson III). Tracheomalacia was reported to be observed in 0.9% of patients examined by bronchoscopy. The dominant type of tracheomalacia is crescent type, and saber-sheath type is rare. Chronic airway inflammation with DPB might have exacerbated the tracheomalacia in this case.

A markedly symptomatic patient with tetralogy of Fallot and absent pulmonary valve underwent operation at 40 days after birth. The baby had severe cardiopulmonary insufficiency at neonatal period and needed surgical intervention. The operation is consisted of patch closure of ventricular septal defect, partial resection of dilated pulmonary artery, and right ventricular outflow reconstruction with unicusped prosthetic patch. The patient is growing and is well more than 2 years and 8 months after operation.

Change in physiologic corneal astigmatism due to aging was studied. A series of 868 cases (1,660 eyes) was evaluated. These eyes were divided into 6 groups by age; A) below 40 years, B) in the 40's, C) in the 50's, D) in the 60's, E) in the 70's, and F) over 80. Corneal astigmatism was examined with an autokeratometer. In Group A, 88.5% had with-the-rule astigmatism (WTR), whereas only 3.7% had against-the-rule astigmatism (ATR). The cylindrical diopter (CD) of WTR was 1.29 +/- 0.73 D, which was significantly the largest among the groups. In Group C, WTR decreased to 55.9% and ATR increased to 22.9%. The CD of WTR also decreased to 0.85 +/- 0.47 D. In Group E, WTR was 31.4% and ATR was 49.3%. The CD of ATR increased to 0.88 +/- 0.70 D. In Group F, WTR was 19.9%, whereas ATR was 65.9%. The CD of ATR was 1.48 +/- 0.88 D, which was the largest among the groups. As such, WTR was dominant at younger ages, and ATR increased with aging at older ages. The CD of WTR decreased, and ATR increased, with aging.

We report an infantile male case of ASD, VSD and PDA associated with DiGeorge syndrome. The patient who was 58-day old presented the partial deficiency of cell-mediated immunity and normocalcemia before the admission to our hospital. We made semi-emergent operation because of increasing of lung congestion caused by repetitional infection of upper respiratory tract. Direct closure of the ASD, patch closure of the VSD and ligation of the PDA were performed successfully. He was suffered from severe pneumonia caused by MRSA in early postoperative stage. It was effective to give antibiotics and gamma-globulins.

We would like to report on a case of thymic carcinoma that could be completely resected supported by extracorporeal circulation. A 53-year-old female complaining of severe coughing and hoarseness was admitted to our hospital. Her chest X-ray film revealed an abnormal shadow in the upper mediastinum and an elevation of the left diaphragm. Chest CT and MRI showed an anterior mediastinal mass that invaded the main pulmonary artery. The preoperative histological diagnosis of thymoma was made by mediastinoscopic specimen. After 50 Gy irradiation, surgery was performed. During the operation, after resection of the left brachiocephalic vein and a part of the upper lobe of the left lung, the tumor was detached from the wall of the aorta and resected with the invaded part of the pulmonary artery supported by cardiopulmonary bypass. Reconstruction of the pulmonary wall defect was accomplished with Xenomedica. The final pathological diagnosis was thymic adenosquamous carcinoma. The postoperative course has been uneventful 24 months after surgery. Extracorporeal circulation is a useful technique in operations involving malignant diseases when complete resection is able to be accomplished.