V. parahaemolyticus was isolated from blood culture of a 34-year old female patient with HCV viral hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. V. parahaemolyticus is one of the frequent causative agents of gastrointestinal infection, but rarely causes septicemia. This case is thought to be the 3rd report of V. parahaemolyticus septicemia in Korea.
Adult ; Female ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Sepsis* ; Vibrio parahaemolyticus* ; Vibrio*

Damages on the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) during thyroid surgery is the most common iatrogenic cause of vocal cord paralysis. Identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and meticulous surgical techniques can significantly decrease the incidence of this complication. The nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve is an exceedingly rare anomaly of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. The nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve is associated with abnormal development of the aortic arch, where the innominate (brachiorephalic) artery is not found and the right common carotid artery rises directly from the aortic arch. The aberrant right subclavian artery can always be felt against the vertebral column behind the esophagus. Surgeons need to be aware of the positions of these arteries to avoid damaging them. We experienced a case of nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve in the right side with the aberrant right subclavian artery. The patient received a total thyroidectomy with neck dissection for thyroid carcinoma with nodal metastasis. Incidentally, we also found nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve, and also found an aberrant right subclavian artery by the computed tomography scan. The patient presented transient vocal cord paralysis but gained complete recovery of vocal cord mobility after one and a half month later.
Aorta, Thoracic ; Arteries ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Esophagus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Neck Dissection ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve* ; Spine ; Subclavian Artery ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroidectomy ; Vocal Cord Paralysis ; Vocal Cords

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that the direction of the J-tip of the guidewire during insertion into the internal jugular vein (IJV) might determine its ultimate location. METHODS: In this study, 300 patients between the ages of 18 and 99 years who required central venous catheterization via IJV in the emergency department enrolled for randomization. IVJ catheterization was successful in 285 of 300 patients. An independent operator randomly prefixed the direction of the J-tip of the guidewire to one of three directions. Based on the direction of the J-tip, patients were allocated into three groups: the J-tip medial-directed group (Group A), the lateral-directed group (Group B), or the downward-directed group (Group C). Postoperative chest radiography was performed on all patients in order to visualize the location of the catheter tip. A catheter is considered malpositioned if it is not located in the superior vena cava or right atrium. RESULTS: Of the total malpositioned catheter tips (8 of 285; 2.8%), the majority (5 of 8; 62.5%) entered the contralateral subclavian vein, 2 (25.0%) were complicated by looping, and 1 (12.5%) entered the ipsilateral subclavian vein. According to the direction of the J-tip of the guidewire, the incidence of malpositioning of the catheter tip was 4 of 92 in Group A (4.3%), 4 of 96 in Group B (4.2%), and there were no malpositions in Group C. There were no significant differences among the three groups (p = 0.114). CONCLUSIONS: The direction of the J-tip of the guidewire had no statistically significant effect on incidence of malpositioned tips.
Catheterization ; Catheterization, Central Venous ; Catheters* ; Central Venous Catheters ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jugular Veins* ; Radiography ; Random Allocation ; Subclavian Vein ; Thorax ; Vena Cava, Superior

OBJECTIVE: Two-dimensional fluoroscopy-based computerized navigation for the placement of pedicle screws offers the advantage of using stored patient-specific imaging data in providing real-time guidance during screw placement. The study aimed to describe the accuracy and reliability of a fluoroscopy-based navigation system for pedicle screw insertion. METHODS: A total of 477 pedicle screws were inserted in the lower back of 96 consecutive patients between October 2007 and June 2012 using fluoroscopy-based computer-assisted surgery. The accuracy of screw placement was evaluated using a sophisticated computed tomography protocol. RESULTS: Of the 477 pedicle screws, 461 (96.7%) were judged to be inserted correctly. Frank screw misplacement [16 screws (3.3%)] was observed in 15 patients. Of these, 8 were classified as minimally misplaced (< or =2 mm); 3, as moderately misplaced (2.1-4 mm); and 5, as severely misplaced (>4 mm). No complications, including nerve root injury, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, or internal organ injury, were observed in any of the patients. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of pedicle screw placement using a fluoroscopy-based computer navigation system was observed to be superior to that obtained with conventional techniques.
Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Humans ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted

BACKGROUND: The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of etomidate against N-methyl-D- aspartate (NMDA) induced neurotoxicity in rat cortical neurons by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). METHODS: The cerebral cortical neurons of fetal rat were grown for 12 days in dissociated cell culture. They were divided into four groups: first group acted as control with no drug administration and other groups treated with either NMDA 100microM or Etomidate (ET) 10microM + NMDA 100microM or ET 100microM + NMDA 100microM After 24 hrs, cell death was assessed by morphology under the light microscope and quantified by measuring the LDH in the culture media. RESULTS: In the light microscopic findings, the intact cortical neurons were increased in the ET groups. NMDA-induced LDH production also significantly suppressed in ET group (P<0.05). There were no significant difference between the ET 10microM and 100microM groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the etomidate has protective effect on the cultured rat cortical neurons against NMDA-induced neurotoxicity.
Animals ; Aspartic Acid ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Death ; Culture Media ; Etomidate* ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; N-Methylaspartate* ; Neurons* ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Rats*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Parathyroid gland tumor is a relatively rare disease in Korea. The purpose of our study is to assess the clinical features, diagnostic tools and therapeutic results. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Seven patients with parathyroid gland tumor were analyzed retrospectively. They were diagnosed and received surgical therapy in our hospital from 1995 to 1999. The patients were all female with mean age of 45.3 years (in the range of 21-64 years old). We used ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, parathyroid scan and 18F-FDG positron emission tomograph (PET) to identify the location of parathyroid gland neoplasm. RESULTS: All patients received proper surgical management. Three patients were diagnosed as parathyroid carcinoma, three as parathyroid adenoma and one patient as cavernous hemangioma. Two patients were found as recurrent tumor, Parathyroid carcinoma recurred in one patient, and parathyroid hyperplasia occurred in patient who was previously diagnosed as parathyroid adenoma. CONCLUSION: The results would he a useful guideline for better diagnostic strategies, proper surgical management and follow-up study for recurrence in the parathyroid gland tumor.
Electrons ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemangioma, Cavernous ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Korea ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Parathyroid Glands* ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: There are two theories in the development of colon cancer. One is the adenoma-carcinoma sequence theory and the other is the de novo cancer theory. Western countries believe in the adenoma-carcinoma sequence theory, however there are many recent reports from Japan about cancers developing from small adenomas. METHODS: The present study analyzed 408 polyps from 508 cases that were taken by colonoscopic polypectomy at the Departmant of Internal Medicine, Yeung-Nam University Hospital. RESULTS: The percentage of patients who have polyp was 41.3%(210cases out of 526cases) and the peak incidence was noted in patients in their 50's and 60's. There was no difference between the sexes, but we noted significant increase in the incidence of polyps in patients over age of thirty. We found 395 polyps below 1cm and 13 polyps above 1cm. Among 408 polyps, 5 cases cancerous polyps and 3 cases showed polyp size of less than 1cm each. The first case was a polyp of 0.4cm in size with elevated mucosa at the ascending colon. The second was 0.5cm in size with round elevation and hyperemic mucosa in the rectum. The third polyp was 0.6cm in size with tubular elevation at the hepatic flexure. CONCLUSIONS: colon polyp is common disease in Koreans. even small polyps can have cancer tissue, which should be removed if discovered during colonoscopy. We believe that not all colon cancer originates in the manner described by the adenoma-carcinoma sequence theory. However further studies with a larger sample population are needed to determine the exact role colon polyps plays in the development of colon cancer.
Adenoma ; Colon* ; Colon, Ascending ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colonoscopy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Internal Medicine ; Japan ; Mucous Membrane ; Polyps* ; Rectum

Sarcoma is rare malignant tumor originated from mesenchymal stem cells that can differentiate to soft tissue and bone. Therefore sarcoma can be arised from any regions in human body. However, the incidence of bile duct sarcoma is extremely rare in adults. Obstructive jaundice is the most common presentation in the patients, but there're no specific symptoms or signs. Also it can be misdiagnosed with other tumors or benign lesions in computed tomography or ultrasonography. For these reasons, it is hard to diagnose and manage. We present a case of intrahepatic bile duct sarcoma misdiagnosed with liver abscess in 70 year-old female with literature review.
Adult ; Bile Ducts ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic* ; Female ; Human Body ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; Liver Abscess* ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Sarcoma* ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Cerebral Infarction* ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Intestines*

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus(PMME) is an extremely rare but aggressive disease that composes less than 0.1% of all primary malignant neoplasm of the esophagus. PMME was first reported in 1906 and nearly 180 cases of primary esophageal malignant melanoma have been published in the medical literature. Symptoms of the primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus mimic that of any malignant obstructing lesion of the esophagus and the metastatic spread by lymphatics and vascular routes are common. Resection of the tumor with an anastomotic procedure seems to be the treatment of choice, however prognosis is poor. At present, chemotherapy and immunotherapy have no major role in treatment. We report a case of 67-year-old man with primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus originated from esophageal melanosis with a review of the literature.
Aged ; Drug Therapy ; Esophagus ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Melanoma* ; Melanosis* ; Prognosis