Endoscopic nasobiliary drainage improves jaundice attack symptoms in benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis: A case report

Treatment of pruritus with Prometheus dialysis and absorption system in a patient with benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis

Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis (BRIC) is an autosomal recessive liver disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of jaundice and itching. Episodes of cholestasis last variously from 1 week to several months, may start at any age and usually resolve spontaneously. No effective treatment has been found as yet. We report a case of genetically proven BRIC in a male patient who developed three episodes of pruritus and jaundice at the age of 14, 16 and 19 years. During the third episode, he did not respond to pharmacological medical therapy, and fractionated plasma separation and absorption (FPSA, Prometheus) was performed to manage intractable pruritus. The treatment immediately alleviated pruritus, lowered serum bilirubin concentration and induced sustained remission in the 5-year follow up. FPSA seems to be a safe and effective way of treatment for BRIC in patients with severe pruritus and prolonged jaundice.

Arrival time parametric imaging of the hemodynamic balance changes between the hepatic artery and the portal vein during deep inspiration, using Sonazoid-enhanced ultrasonography: A case of Budd-Chiari syndrome

This case report concerns a 40-year-old male who had previously been treated for an esophageal varix rupture, at the age of 30 years. The medical examination at that time revealed occlusion of the inferior vena cava in the proximity of the liver, leading to the diagnosis of the patient with Budd-Chiari syndrome. The progress of the patient was therefore monitored in an outpatient clinic. The patient had no history of drinking or smoking, but had suffered an epileptic seizure in 2004. The patient's family history revealed nothing of note. In February 2012, color Doppler ultrasonography (US) revealed a change in the blood flow in the right portal vein branch, from hepatopetal to hepatofugal, during deep inspiration. Arrival time parametric imaging (At-PI), using Sonazoid-enhanced US, was subsequently performed to examine the deep respiration-induced changes observed in the hepatic parenchymal perfusion. US images captured during deep inspiration demonstrated hepatic parenchymal perfusion predominantly in red, indicating that the major blood supply was the hepatic artery. During deep expiration, the portal venous blood flow remained hepatopetal, and hepatic parenchymal perfusion was displayed predominantly in yellow, indicating that the portal vein was the major source of the blood flow. The original diagnostic imaging results were reproduced one month subsequently by an identical procedure. At-PI enabled an investigation into the changes that were induced in the hepatic parenchymal perfusion by a compensatory mechanism involving the hepatic artery. These changes occurred in response to a reduction in the portal venous blood flow, as is observed in the arterialization of hepatic blood flow that is correlated with the progression of chronic hepatitis C. It has been established that the peribiliary capillary plexus is important in the regulation of hepatic arterial blood flow. However, this case demonstrated that the peribiliary capillary plexus also regulates acute changes in portal venous blood flow, in addition to the chronic reduction in blood flow that is observed in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the appendix in which contrast-enhanced ultrasonography was useful for assessing blood flow in a focal nodular lesion in the tumor cavity: A case report

A 63-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with pain in the right lower quadrant. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a 60-mm cystic mass at a site corresponding to the appendix. The mass wall on the appendicular ostium was thickened and enhanced by contrast, while calcification was observed in the mass wall on the appendicular tip. No projection was observed in the mass cavity. On abdominal ultrasonography (US), the mass wall on the appendicular ostium was thickened and projections were observed at two sites in the mass cavity. On contrast-enhanced US (CEUS), only one of these projections was enhanced. Based on the thickened and contrast-enhanced wall of the mass on the appendicular ostium on CT and US, as well as the contrast enhancement of a projection on US, the mass was diagnosed as mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the appendix. Ileocecal resection was subsequently performed on day 10. A detailed examination of the surgical specimen revealed carcinoma cells in the mass wall on the appendicular ostium. The contrast-enhanced projection was identified as granulation tissue that had grown to come into contact with the tumor, while the non-contrast-enhanced projection was identified as solidified mucus. US enabled successful visualization of projections in the mass cavity that were not visible on abdominal CT. CEUS also proved useful for assessing blood flow in these projections.