A Comparison of clinical characteristics between medically-treated patients and surgically-treated patients with ischemic colitis.

Background/aims: Ischemic colitis (IC) is usually a self-limiting disease. But, it can cause necrosis that requires urgent surgical treatment. We sought to evaluate clinical difference in IC patients between medical and surgical treatment groups, and to identify prognostic factors for adverse outcomes.

Endoscopic removal of impacted magnetic foreign bodies in the gastroesophageal junction.

Ingestion of foreign bodies is common in gastroenterology practice. Most of them are spontaneously passed through gastrointestinal tract. However, ingestion of multiple magnets can cause serious complications, because magnets attract each other and they hold the gastrointestinal wall.

A case of recurrent infection caused by a pancreaticoduodenal fistula associated with a pancreatic arteriovenous malformation.

Although arteriovenous malformations (AVM) occur frequently in digestive organs, pancreatic AVM is rare. The clinical symptoms of pancreatic AVM are variable and include gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal pain, jaundice, portal hypertension, pancreatitis, and duodenal ulcer. However, choledochoduodenal or pancreaticoduodenal fistulas complicated with ascending infection and pancreatitis is extremely rare.

Autoamputation of a giant colonic lipoma.

Most colonic lipomas are asymptomatic and need no treatment, whereas lesions larger than 2 cm can cause acute abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, gastrointestinal bleeding, intussusception or bowel obstruction. Autoamputation of polypoid lesions in the gastrointestinal tract is indeed a rare phenomenon, and its precise mechanism remains unknown. It presumably occurs due to ischemic necrosis of the polyp by peristalsis-induced torsion or tension.

[A case of large retroperitoneal lipoma mimicking liposarcoma].

Lipomas are the most common benign tumors of adipose tissue among adults. Lipomas can occur almost anywhere in the trunk, extremities, mediastinum, and pelvis, but retroperitoneal lipomas are extremely rare. It should be distinguished from well differentiated liposarcoma in order to provide the appropriate treatment and follow up.

Usefulness of physical maneuvers for prevention of vasovagal syncope.

Background: It is known that approximately two-thirds of patients with vasovagal syncope have prodromal symptoms and when these start, physical maneuvers that can increase venous return may abort the syncopal attack. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of 3 physical maneuvers, squatting, leg-crossing with muscle tensing, and handgrip, on improving hemodynamic status, and to compare the effect of each on aborting or preventing vasovagal syncope.

Methods And Results: Of 50 patients who underwent the head-up tilt test (HUT) to evaluate syncope, 27 patients with positive HUT were classified as group I (14 men, 13 women; mean age 44.