Journal of Nippon Medical School最新文献

Extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) is a rare disease-causing form of portal hypertension. Myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) including essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a reported risk factor for EHPVO due to underlying persistent thrombophilia. A Japanese woman in her 40s was referred to our hospital with a 1-month history of gastric variceal bleeding due to EHPVO. Laboratory investigation showed thrombocytosis despite portal hypertension. She had a mutation in clonal marker JAK2V617F with EHPVO, which prompted us to consult a hematologist. A bone marrow biopsy revealed megakaryocyte lineage proliferation, which confirmed a diagnosis of ET. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed esophagogastric varices (LsF2CbRC2, Lg-cF1RC1), and abdominal computed tomography and angiography revealed splenomegaly and portal vein thrombosis with cavernous transformation, which suggested EHPVO. The patient had a history of ruptured esophagogastric varices and required prophylaxis against further variceal bleeding before antithrombotic therapy for EHPVO with ET. We performed laparoscopic Hassab's operation followed by endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) and hematological cytoreduction therapy. Laparoscopic Hassab's operation and three bi-monthly EVL procedures improved the esophagogastric varix (LmF0RC0, Lg-f F0RC0) at 6 months after surgery. Cytoreduction therapy reduced platelet count to 60.1 × 10⁴/uL, and the patient was very healthy at 7 months after surgery. Patients with EHPVO are traditionally referred to a gastroenterologist for abdominal pain, intestinal bleeding, or refractory ascites; however, hypercoagulative disease may be occult in such patients and require the attention of a hematologist. When treating patients with EHPVO, gastroenterologists should screen for hematological disease, including MPN.

Renal abscesses require prompt diagnosis and appropriate intervention, as they can be life-threatening. However, diagnosis based solely on clinical findings is often challenging. We present the case of a 69-year-old woman with left renal masses on follow-up computed tomography (CT) after surgery for pT2aN0M0 lung carcinosarcoma. The masses were localized only in the left kidney without suspected metastatic lesions at other sites. The patient was referred to our department for further evaluation and treatment under a diagnosis of suspected metastatic lung carcinosarcoma of the left kidney. On enhanced CT, the left renal masses, the largest of which had a diameter of 40×36 mm had thick irregular walls gradually enhanced by the contrast media and an internal low-attenuation area. The masses showed heterogeneous signal intensity with a pseudocapsule on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Clinical symptoms such as fever or costovertebral angle tenderness were absent, and blood and urine tests were not sufficiently inflammatory to suggest a renal abscess. Histopathological findings on CT-guided renal biopsy revealed only inflammatory tissue and no tumor cells. However, because lung carcinosarcoma metastatic nodules could not be ruled out, laparoscopic left nephrectomy was performed for a definitive diagnosis and curative intent. The pathological diagnosis was renal abscess without malignant lesions. Here, we present a case of renal abscess mimicking metastatic lesions in a patient with lung carcinosarcoma. Accurately differentiating renal abscesses from metastatic renal tumors before treatment is often difficult. Renal abscess diagnosis should be considered through a comprehensive evaluation of the clinical findings of individual cases.

Invasive neonatal infection with Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a disease of concern that can lead to neurological sequelae. Guidelines for preventing mother-to-child transmission have been introduced to reduce the incidence of early-onset infection, but guidelines for controlling the late-onset form are lacking. Recently, the trans-breastfeeding route of transmission has been highlighted as an example of late-onset infection, but no consensus on how to manage such infections has been reached. In this report, we describe a case of late-onset bacteremia/meningitis in a neonate suspected to have been infected with GBS via breastfeeding. A vaginal culture test of the mother at 35 weeks' gestation was negative for GBS. Since she had symptoms of mastitis, breast milk and nipple cultures were also tested and found to be positive for the strain of GBS identified in the neonate on genetic analysis. Diagnosis of trans-mammary GBS infection is challenging because breastfeeding-related events are difficult to identify. In our case, the diagnosis was based on the mother's history of mastitis, and the patient was treated without escalation to sequelae. When a neonate develops a fever, physicians should consider GBS infection and examine the mother's medical history to facilitate accurate diagnosis, especially if the history includes mastitis. A breast milk culture should be performed if the mother has mastitis, especially in cases of infection in preterm infants and in recurrent cases.

Ischemic colitis is a common disease with a good prognosis; however, complications can occur in the presence of a serious underlying disease. Herein, we present a case report in which characteristic findings on lower gastrointestinal endoscopy led to a diagnosis of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). An 82-year-old woman visited our hospital for chronic heart and renal failure. She had a history of breast cancer, myocardial infarction, and hemorrhoidal fistula and was initially hospitalized for ischemic colitis. Subsequent lower gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed extensive ulcerative lesions in the ascending, transverse, and descending colon. Histopathologically, small vessels exhibited multiple fibrin thrombus formations. Based on histopathological and endoscopic results, the presence of an underlying disease was suspected. Flow cytometric analysis showed that erythrocytes and granulocytes had 5.5 and 86.4% CD55- and CD59-negative cells, respectively. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with PNH and considered severely ill, given the ischemic colitis-induced abdominal pain and the need for red blood cell transfusions (4-6 units per month). Accordingly, the patient was administered ravulizumab. Ischemic enteritis did not relapse following ravulizumab administration, and transfusion dependence improved. If a patient with ischemic colitis presents atypical lower gastrointestinal endoscopic findings, it is important to explore the presence of an underlying disease.

A 76-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for evaluation of markedly high intraocular pressures (IOPs): ≥40 mmHg in both eyes. No intraocular inflammation, pseudoexfoliation, or glaucomatous optic neuropathy was observed on ophthalmological examination. The 24-hour IOP fluctuations, measured with a Goldmann tonometer in the sitting position at 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 o' clock, were 22/17, 33/28, 41/33, 30/22, and 30/24 mmHg, respectively, and showed a peak in the afternoon. The patient was diagnosed with ocular hypertension, and microhook trabeculotomy (μLOT) (right eye with lens reconstruction, left eye initially pseudophakic) was performed. After μLOT surgery in both eyes (4 days postoperatively in the right eye and 1 day postoperatively in the left eye), IOP decreased in both eyes to 12/15, 11/14, 12/15, 10/11, and 10/10 mmHg, and the fluctuation range was suppressed. At 3 months postoperatively (measured at 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 4 o' clock), the effect was maintained at 14/15, 15/19, 14/19, 11/12, 13/14, and 13/13 mmHg, respectively, but was slightly attenuated. In a patient with marked 24-hour IOP fluctuation, μLOT was effective in reducing IOP values and fluctuation.

A 38-day-old infant was referred to our hospital for evaluation of apnea, fever, and pyuria. Invasive bacterial infection, including meningitis, was suspected because of the presence of apnea. A contrast-enhanced CT scan revealed acute localized bacterial nephritis, and meningitis was ruled out. Gram-positive cocci and Gram-negative rods, ie, Enterococcus raffinosus and Escherichia coli, were isolated from a urine culture at the referring hospital. This case report describes the youngest case of E. raffinosus infection. Apnea was the main complaint, but the origin of fever was infant acute focal bacterial nephritis (AFBN) with mixed infection. In infants, bacterial infections, especially invasive bacterial infections, can result in poor outcomes and require careful evaluation and treatment. Furthermore, the possibility of AFBN should not be overlooked, because bacteriuria or leukocyturia may be absent and can flare up if antimicrobials are not administered for an adequate duration. Although ampicillin-susceptible E. raffinosus infection in our patient responded well to treatment, there have been reports of vancomycin-resistant enterococci, which highlights the importance of proper use of antimicrobial agents to avoid producing drug-resistant bacteria.

Nasogastric tube syndrome (NGTS) is a complication of NGT placement that can cause sore throat, bilateral vocal cord paralysis, and airway constriction. Although rare, this condition should be known by all physicians because it is sometimes fatal. We report a case of NGTS that was successfully diagnosed and debrided with a rigid curved laryngoscope. A 79-year-old man was referred to our department for evaluation of persistent pharyngeal pain and dysphagia after thoracic aortic aneurysm surgery. He had restricted bilateral vocal fold abduction, and the NGT had been placed for nearly 120 days. After induction of general anesthesia, the patient underwent laryngeal examination using a rigid curved laryngoscope, which revealed ossified cricoid cartilage in the postcricoid area, leading to confirmation of NGTS. The NGT was removed, and the protruding bony lesion was debrided. Subsequently, the patient underwent gastrostomy to improve his nutritional status. One month later, the postcricoid lesion improved, and the patient was able to tolerate an oral diet. The pathophysiology of NGTS is thought to involve ulceration of the postcricoid mucosa and injury of the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle by contact with the NGT. Although the treatment has not been established, early removal of the NGT is important. In the present case, the rigid curved laryngoscope was useful for resection of the bony lesion, which contributed to early epithelialization and symptom improvement.

A rectovaginal fistula (RVF) is an abnormal tract between the rectum and vagina, which requires surgical intervention in many cases. Although there are many different therapeutic approaches for RVF depending on the patient's' condition, there are no established guidelines for the care of RVF. This study aimed to evaluate the results of laparoscopic colostomy in advanced cancer patients with RVF, and the safety and efficacy of this surgery. In this study, seven female advanced cancer patients with RVF were hospitalized and successfully treated with laparoscopic colostomy from 2015 to 2018 at our university hospital. Their data were retrospectively evaluated from their medical records. The early use of diverting stomas facilitated timely resumption of cancer treatment and enabled early treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Although vaginal stool leakage affected three patients, all patients recovered, experiencing neither pain nor infection during their cancer treatment. While colostomy was physically and mentally taxing for the patients, it improved the infection and pain caused by the RVF. We conclude that the early use of diverting stomas had two effects: a significant improvement in infection management and facilitation of the rapid resumption of cancer treatment.

Perineural spread (PNS) from pelvic carcinoma has been regarded as a pathway to muscle and bone metastasis. However, few cases have been reported, especially in patients with bladder carcinoma. In the present report, we discuss a case of diffuse cancer involvement in the muscle 5 years after radical cystectomy for advanced bladder carcinoma. Careful observation of temporal changes on medical images confirmed PNS as the pathway to muscle metastasis (i.e., primary PNS). Our report presents early and post-treatment CT, MRI and FDG-PET/CT findings of PNS from the bladder carcinoma.

Anisakiasis is a parasitic infection affecting the human gastrointestinal tract. It is caused by the consumption of contaminated, raw or inadequately cooked fish or squid, which is typically used for making sushi and sashimi. Most cases involve gastric anisakiasis, whereas intestinal anisakiasis is rare. This report describes the case of a 63-year-old Japanese woman with a history of raw fish consumption who presented with acute-onset abdominal pain and vomiting. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) demonstrated thickened small bowel loops and ascites on the liver surface. The patient was admitted for supportive care. On the second day of hospitalization, contrast-enhanced abdominal CT revealed that the ascites had moved from the liver surface to the pouch of Douglas. On the fifth day of hospitalization, the patient was discharged with a substantial improvement in abdominal pain. Five days after the discharge, her eosinophil count was elevated, and parasitic disease was therefore suspected. Anti-Anisakis IgG/A and IgE (RAST) antibody levels were elevated, confirming the diagnosis of intestinal anisakiasis. A review of 51 reported cases of intestinal anisakiasis suggests that the presence of ascites and measurement of anti-Anisakis antibody titers are helpful for diagnosis in cases presenting with nonspecific abdominal symptoms after consumption of raw or undercooked fish.