Surgical clip migration and subsequent stone formation in the common bile duct is a rare but well-established complication after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. There are some suggestions about the mechanisms of the migration process, but the details are still unclear. We report here a case in which common bile duct stones were formed around surgical clips, and other clips were found to have penetrated into the common hepatic duct, which we believe were in the process of migration after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patient required a laparotomy to retrieve the bile duct stones due to the distal stricture, and another laparotomy was necessary to remove the penetrating clips, which were deeply embedded in the bile duct wall. Although a variety of endoscopic and percutaneous interventional procedures are available in this era of modern medical technology, it is sometimes impractical to apply these procedures in such cases as ours, and exploratory laparotomy is sometimes required to correctly treat the patient. This case shows that the metallic surgical clips can penetrate into the intact bile duct wall through serial maceration, and we believe that careful application of clips may be the only way to prevent their migration after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

In this pancreatic-glucagon-specific radioimmunoassay we used C-terminal-region-specific antiserum. OAL-123, produced against a 19-29 C-terminal fragment of porcine glucagon. On measurement of pooled plasma the ranges for intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 4.8-8.1% and 7.5-10.7%, respectively. The concentration of immunoreactive glucagon in plasma of healthy subjects, as measured with the OAL-123 assay system, was 87.9 (SD 23.8) ng/L. Measurement of the same plasma samples with the 30K assay system (30K being an antiserum highly specific for pancreatic glucagon) showed a comparable value, 86.2 (SD 26.3) ng/L. We followed changes in human and dog plasma immunoreactive glucagon concentrations on arginine infusion and after glucose load, using the OAL-123 and the 30K assay systems, with identical results. Combining other results of comparative immunochemical characterization of the OAL-123 and 30K assay systems, we confirmed that the antisera raised against the C-terminal fragment of glucagon can be used in radioimmunoassay of pancreatic glucagon.

In this study, we observed a reversal of body weight gain but no recoveries in red blood cells or haematocrit or haemoglobin levels after stopping pioglitazone for 10 months in patients treated with pioglitazone for 38 months. This finding should prompt a reconsideration of the sustained effect of thiazolidinediones on the haematopoietic system in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

PurposeThe goals of this study are to evaluate the effect of duodenojejunal bypass (DJB) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients below body mass index (BMI) 25 kg/m2 in one year follow-up, and to compare the results of 1 week which we have reported in 2011.MethodsIn this prospective observational study, there were 31 type 2 diabetic patients who underwent DJB at Inha University Hospital from July 2009 to January 2011. We did laboratories such as 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), insulin level and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), etc. and compared their changes of preoperative, a week, 3 months, and 12 months.ResultsMean BMI was 23.1 ± 1.3 kg/m2, mean duration of T2DM was 8.3 ± 4.7 and mean age was 46.6 ± 7.7 years. There were a significant decrease of 75-g OGTT levels and increase of insulin secretion after 3 months. 13.3% showed diabetic remission (HbA1c < 6.0, medication cessation) and 26.7% showed diabetic improvement. The rates of remission and improvement much declined comparing with that of postoperative 1 week although those were determined by fasting and postprandial 2 hour level of glucose.ConclusionThis is the first study of metabolic surgery in Korean diabetes patients in the healthy weight range. DJB exerted positive influences on insulin resistance as well as beta cell function. Early effects on T2DM after DJB could be estimated as one of good modalities, although the effectiveness seems to be unacceptable. Further studies are mandatory for evaluation of the effectiveness of metabolic surgery and finding prognostic factors.

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the early and midterm results of superficial femoral artery (SFA) stenting with self-expanding nitinol stents and to identify the factors affecting patency.Materials and Methods:SFA stenting was performed in 165 limbs of 117 patients from January 2009 to December 2013. Patients were followed-up for the first occurrence of occlusion or stenosis based on computed tomography and duplex scan results and a decrease in ankle brachial index of >15%.Results:During the follow-up period (mean, 15.3±3.2 months), no early thrombotic reocclusions occurred within 30 days, but in-stent restenosis developed in 78 limbs. The primary patency rates at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months were 78%, 66%, 42%, and 22%, respectively, and the secondary patency rates were 85%, 72%, 58%, and 58%, respectively. TASC II C or D lesions, stent length >8 cm, number of patent tibial arteries and diabetes were significantly associated with reintervention.Conclusion:The midterm results of stenting for SFA occlusive disease were disappointing because the primary and secondary patency rates at two years were 22% and 58%, respectively. Reintervention after SFA stenting remains a major problem, particularly in patients with diabetes mellitus or long TASC II C or D lesions.