Spontaneous Resolution of Hemorrhagic Pseudocyst-Associated Pseudoaneurysm in Groove Pancreatitis.

Hemorrhagic pseudocyst (HP) and pseudocyst-associated pseudoaneurysms (PPs) are complications of pseudocyst. Angiography with embolization has been advocated as the first-line intervention for HP. A 47-year-old man with groove pancreatitis combined with HP near the pancreatic head was treated conservatively.

Full-dose sofosbuvir plus low-dose ribavirin for hepatitis C virus genotype 2-infected patients on hemodialysis.

Background/aims: New direct-acting antivirals have shown surprising success in the treatment of hepatitis C, not only in the general population, but also in difficult-to-treat cohorts. However, there is still limited data regarding direct-acting antivirals, including sofosbuvir (SOF), in the context of hemodialysis. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and outcome of administering full-dose SOF (400 mg/day) plus low-dose ribavirin (RBV, 100 to 200 mg/day) in hemodialysis patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 (GT2) infection.

Efficacy and Safety of Daclatasvir and Asunaprevir in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1b Infection on Hemodialysis.

Background/aims: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of daclatasvir (DCV) and asunaprevir (ASV) in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on hemodialysis.

Methods;: We performed a single-arm, multicenter prospective study. Twenty-one chronic hemodialysis patients with HCV infection were prospectively enrolled from February 2016 to April 2017.

Efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for Korean patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 2 infection: A retrospective multi-institutional study.

Background/aims: Sofosbuvir plus ribavirin is a standard treatment for patients infected with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 in Korea. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of this treatment in Korean patients with chronic HCV genotype 2 infection.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of patients treated with sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for chronic HCV genotype 2 from May 2016 to December 2017 at eight hospitals located in the Daejeon-Chungcheong area.

Management of hepatitis C viral infection in chronic kidney disease patients on hemodialysis in the era of direct-acting antivirals.

The advent of novel, direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens for hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection has revolutionized its treatment by producing a sustained virologic response of more than 95% with few side effects and no comorbidities in the general population. Until recently, ideal DAA regimens have not been available to patients with severe renal impairment and end-stage renal disease because there are limited data on the pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of treatment in this unique population. In a hemodialysis context, identifying patients in need of treatment and preventing HCV transmission may also be a matter of concern.

Clinical impact of the early alanine amininotransferase flare during tenofovir monotherapy in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Background/aims: Little is known about the effect of early flares on response during first-line tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and outcome of early alanine aminotransferase (ALT) flare in treatment-naive patients with CHB during long-term TDF monotherapy.

Methods: One hundred eighty-one treatment-naive CHB patients were treated with a 300-mg once-daily dose of TDF for more than 12 weeks.

Safety and efficacy of tenofovir in chronic hepatitis B-related decompensated cirrhosis.

Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) as a first-line therapy in decompensated liver disease.

Methods: We enrolled 174 chronic hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis patients treated with 300 mg/d TDF at six Korean centers. Of the 174 cirrhosis patients, 57 were assigned to the decompensated cirrhosis group and 117 were assigned to the compensated cirrhosis group.

Endoscopic Nasobiliary Drainage for Bile Leak Caused by Injury to the Ducts of Luschka.

A 51-year-old man underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder stones. He had developed fever, chills, and abdominal pain four days after the procedure. In the drain tube, bile was persistently observed.

The efficacy of tenofovir-based therapy in patients showing suboptimal response to entecavir-adefovir combination therapy.

Background/aims: Before tenofovir (TDF) become available in South Korea, combination therapy with entecavir (ETV) and adefovir (ADV) was the most potent regimen for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients who fail to respond to rescue therapy for drug resistance. We analyzed the efficacy of ETV-ADV combination therapy and investigated the clinical and clonal results of TDF-based rescue therapy in CHB patients refractory to this combination.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of CHB patients treated for up to 3 years with ETV-ADV combination therapy as a rescue therapy for drug resistance.

Noninvasive fibrosis marker can predict recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after radiofrequency ablation.

Background/aims: Tumor recurrence after curative therapy is common for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As fibrosis and chronic inflammation contribute to the progression of HCC, we aimed to identify the predictive value of inflammatory and fibrosis markers for HCC recurrence after curative therapy using radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients with HCC treated with RFA between October 2005 and September 2013.

Primary anorectal malignant melanoma treated with endoscopic mucosal resection.

Anorectal melanoma is a rare neoplasm that accounts for less than 1-4% of anorectal malignant tumors. The main therapeutic modality for anorectal melanoma is surgical treatment, with abdominoperineal resection or wide local excision being the most common approaches. A 77-year-old male with a history of cerebral infarction and hypertension presented with anal bleeding.

Clinical outcomes of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib: a retrospective study of routine clinical practice in multi-institutions.

Background: Sorafenib is an orally administered multikinase inhibitor with antiangiogenic and antiproliferative properties. The results of large clinical trials demonstrate that sorafenib prolongs survival and the time to progression of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the present study was to determine the outcomes of such patients who were routinely treated with sorafenib at multi-institutions in Korea, in contrast to formal clinical trials.

Reversible splenial lesion on the corpus callosum in nonfulminant hepatitis A presenting as encephalopathy.

Reversible focal lesions on the splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC) have been reported in patients with mild encephalitis/encephalopathy caused by various infectious agents, such as influenza, mumps, adenovirus, Varicella zoster, Escherichia coli, Legionella pneumophila, and Staphylococcus aureus. We report a case of a reversible SCC lesion causing reversible encephalopathy in nonfulminant hepatitis A. A 30-year-old healthy male with dysarthria and fever was admitted to our hospital.

Hepatitis B surface antigen levels at 6 months after treatment can predict the efficacy of lamivudine-adefovir combination therapy in patients with lamivudine-resistant chronic hepatitis B.

Background/aims: Quantitation of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is an increasingly popular method to determine the treatment response in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. The clinical value of HBsAg level measurement during rescue therapy for lamivudine (LMV)-resistant CHB patients have not been evaluated to date. Therefore, this study investigated the correlation between HBsAg level and treatment response in LMV-resistant CHB patients treated with adefovir (ADV) add-on therapy.

Prevalence of renal dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis according to ADQI-IAC working party proposal.

Background/aims: A revised classification system for renal dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis was proposed by the Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative and the International Ascites Club Working Group in 2011. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of renal dysfunction according to the criteria in this proposal.

Methods: The medical records of cirrhotic patients who were admitted to Konkuk University Hospital between 2006 and 2010 were reviewed retrospectively.

The Refit model for end-stage liver disease-Na is not a better predictor of mortality than the Refit model for end-stage liver disease in patients with cirrhosis and ascites.

Background/aims: The modification of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scoring system (Refit MELD) and the modification of MELD-Na (Refit MELDNa), which optimized the MELD coefficients, were published in 2011. We aimed to validate the superiority of the Refit MELDNa over the Refit MELD for the prediction of 3-month mortality in Korean patients with cirrhosis and ascites.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients admitted with hepatic cirrhosis and ascites to the Konkuk University Hospital between January 2006 and December 2011.

The impact of the hepatitis B virus polymerase rtA181T mutation on replication and drug resistance is potentially affected by overlapping changes in surface gene.

Unlabelled: The emergence of drug-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major problem for antiviral treatment in chronic hepatitis B infection. In this study, we analyzed the evolution of drug-resistant mutations and characterized the effects of the rtA181T and rtI233V mutations on viral replication and drug resistance. We performed a clonal analysis of the HBV polymerase gene from serum samples during viral breakthrough treated with antiviral agents.

HBsAg level and clinical course in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with nucleoside analogue: five years of follow-up data.

Background/aims: Quantification of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is increasingly used to determine the treatment response in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, there are limited data about the clinical implications of Quantification of HBsAg long-term nucleoside analogue treatment for CHB. We investigated the clinical correlation between HBsAg level and clinical course in patients with CHB who are treated long-term with nucleoside analogues.

Anxiety and depression propensities in patients with acute toxic liver injury.

Aim: To investigate anxiety and depression propensities in patients with toxic liver injury.

Methods: The subjects were divided into three groups: a healthy control group (Group 1, n = 125), an acute non-toxic liver injury group (Group 2, n = 124), and a group with acute toxic liver injury group caused by non-commercial herbal preparations (Group 3, n = 126). These three groups were compared and evaluated through questionnaire surveys and using the Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale (HADS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the hypochondriasis scale.

Leukemia cutis in a patient with acute monocytic leukemia diagnosed simultaneously with hepatocellular carcinoma: A case study.

Acute myeloid leukemia presenting as leukemia cutis (LC) with hepatocellular carcinoma is extremely rare. The current study presents a case of a 53-year-old male with generalized cutaneous nodules on the face and anterior chest wall. Laboratory tests, including bone marrow biopsy revealed acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AML-M4) with skin and tonsilar involvement.

Lamivudine plus adefovir combination therapy for lamivudine resistance in hepatitis-B-related hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Background/aims: Lamivudine (LAM) plus adefovir (ADV) combination therapy has been accepted as one of the best treatments for LAM-resistant chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of this combination therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.

Methods: The medical records of CHB patients who developed LAM resistance and were treated with LAM plus ADV combination therapy for more than 6 months were reviewed.

Value of the APASL severity score in patients with acute variceal bleeding: a single center experience.

Background: Acute variceal bleeding is a severe complication in patients with cirrhosis. The Asian Pacific Association for Study of the Liver (APASL) severity score was proposed in 2011. This score is used for evaluating the severity of acute variceal bleeding.