[A case of pulmonary embolism due to heparin-induced thrombocytopenia after the placement of hepatic arterial infusion catheter].

A 68-year-old woman developed acute pulmonary embolism after hepatic arterial infusion therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Because the platelet count was significantly reduced, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) due to heparin usage in hepatic arterial infusion therapy was clinically suspected. Subsequently, the patient tested positively for HIT antibodies, and a definitive diagnosis was obtained.

[A patient with an angiomyolipoma of the liver in whom the course of enlargement could be confirmed].

The patients was a 54-year-old woman. In the liver, a high-echo phyma was detected. The lesion increased from 5 to 23mm over 2 years and 4 months.

Effective interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients with low viral loads.

Background/aims: Possible short-term interferon therapy was investigated in chronic hepatitis C patients with genotype 2a or 2b and low viral-loads. Furthermore, initial changes of hepatic C virus RNA levels in early phase interferon therapy, and the number of pretreatment mutated clones at hypervariable region-1 were determined in order to upgrade interferon therapy efficacy prediction rates.

Methodology: Study subjects were 31 patients with histologically proven chronic hepatitis C, having less than 1 Meq/mL of hepatic C virus RNA levels.

[Twenty-four weeks administration of interferon-alpha for chronic hepatitis B].

Twenty-four weeks administration of interferon-alpha has been performed to 23 patients of chronic hepatitis B. As the result, complete or partial responders reached to 47.8%, so that it was considered to be effective therapy for chronic hepatitis B.