Primary hyperparathyroidism is a rare endocrine disease in children. It involves bone and joint, urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system. The main cause of these involvement is high level of PTH in serum, resulting in hypercalcemia.An 11 years old male patient who had complained of limping gait since last 18 months, showed typical laboratory and radiological findings of primary hyperparathyroidism. At the ultrasonography, computed tomography and radionuclide scanning, a well defined mass(10 X 15mm) was found on the posterior aspect of the right thyroid lobe. The mass was confirmed histologically as adenoma of parathyroid gland. The patient was successfully treated with subtotal parathyroidectomy and temporal administration of calcium and vitamin D.We report this case of primary hyperparathyroidism with brief review of the literatures.
Adenoma ; Calcium ; Cardiovascular System ; Child ; Endocrine System Diseases ; Gait ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary ; Joints ; Male ; Parathyroid Glands ; Parathyroidectomy ; Thyroid Gland ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Tract ; Vitamins

Clear cell sarcoma of tendon and aponeurosis is a rare malignant tumor. It occurs chiefly in young adults, predominates in women and is most common in the regions of the foot and ankle. We report a case of clear cell sarcoma of tendon and aponeurosis in s 22-year-old man. he pstient had had a asymptomatic, normal skin colored, relativerly hard, dome shsped nodule on the anterior chest for 6 months. Histopsthologic findings revealed uniform pattern composed of compact nests of round or fusiform cells which had clear cytoplasm and were surrounded by delicate framework of fibrocollagenous tissue, and the individual tumor cell had a fairly regular appearance of possessing round to avoid vesicular nucleus with prominent basophilic nucleolus. One year after surgical excision and post operative radiotherapy, there was no recurrence.
Ankle ; Basophils ; Cytoplasm ; Female ; Foot ; Humans ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Sarcoma, Clear Cell* ; Skin ; Tendons ; Thorax* ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Ropivacaine is an amide local anesthetic structurally related to bupivacaine. A randomized, double-blind study was performed to compare the clinical effectiveness of ropivacaine and bupivacaine in patients undergoing lower-extremity surgery. METHODS: Forty-nine patients (ASA I-II) were randomized to receive 15 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine or bupivacaine. Twenty patients received 15 ml of ropivacaine and 20 patients received 15 ml of bupivacaine at the L3,4 or L4,5 interspace. Parameters measured were the onset time, duration and spread of sensory block, the onset time, duration and degree of motor block, the quality of anesthesia and the heart rate and blood pressure profile during the block onset. RESULTS: Demographic characteristics were similar among the groups. Seven patients were excluded from the study due to technical failure of the block, two patients were excluded due to insufficient data. The onset and duration of analgesia at T10 dermatome (mean SD) was 18.9 7.0 minutes and 187.5 34.6 minutes respectively for ropivacaine, and was 15.2 8.8 minutes and 187.8 40.0 minutes respectively for bupivacaine. Maximum block height (mean SD) was T6.5 2.0 for ropivacaine and T6.4 2.0 for bupivacaine. The incidence of complete motor block (Bromage scale 3) was low in the ropivacaine group, being 3/20 for ropivacaine and 12/20 for bupivacaine. CONCLUSIONS: The sensory blockade profile of ropivacaine, administered epidurally, is similar to that obtained with an equal dose of bupivacaine. However motor blockade with ropivacaine is less intense, less frequent, and of shorter duration than with bupivacaine.
Analgesia ; Anesthesia ; Blood Pressure ; Bupivacaine* ; Double-Blind Method ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lower Extremity*

BACKGROUND: Ropivacaine is an amide local anesthetic structurally related to bupivacaine. A randomized, double-blind study was performed to compare the clinical effectiveness of ropivacaine and bupivacaine in patients undergoing lower-extremity surgery. METHODS: Forty-nine patients (ASA I-II) were randomized to receive 15 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine or bupivacaine. Twenty patients received 15 ml of ropivacaine and 20 patients received 15 ml of bupivacaine at the L3,4 or L4,5 interspace. Parameters measured were the onset time, duration and spread of sensory block, the onset time, duration and degree of motor block, the quality of anesthesia and the heart rate and blood pressure profile during the block onset. RESULTS: Demographic characteristics were similar among the groups. Seven patients were excluded from the study due to technical failure of the block, two patients were excluded due to insufficient data. The onset and duration of analgesia at T10 dermatome (mean SD) was 18.9 7.0 minutes and 187.5 34.6 minutes respectively for ropivacaine, and was 15.2 8.8 minutes and 187.8 40.0 minutes respectively for bupivacaine. Maximum block height (mean SD) was T6.5 2.0 for ropivacaine and T6.4 2.0 for bupivacaine. The incidence of complete motor block (Bromage scale 3) was low in the ropivacaine group, being 3/20 for ropivacaine and 12/20 for bupivacaine. CONCLUSIONS: The sensory blockade profile of ropivacaine, administered epidurally, is similar to that obtained with an equal dose of bupivacaine. However motor blockade with ropivacaine is less intense, less frequent, and of shorter duration than with bupivacaine.
Analgesia ; Anesthesia ; Blood Pressure ; Bupivacaine* ; Double-Blind Method ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lower Extremity*

OBJECTIVE: Analyses of the 24 items of the Mini-Memory Test (MiMeT) using the item response theory. METHODS: Item difficulty and item discrimination of all items were evaluated with the 2-parametric logistic model in elderly psychiatric patients with memory impairment (n=332, 48.4%) and without (n=354, 51.6%). The BILOG 3 for Windows was employed for the analysis. RESULTS: The mean item difficulty (+/-SD) was -0.878 (+/-1.176), with range of -3.299~0.902. The mean item discrimination (+/-SD) was -1.051(+/-0.392), ranging from 0.346 to 1.848. Discriminations of 19 items were above appropriate level and the delayed recall of short story items of the long-term memory had the highest discrimination. CONCLUSION: All the MiMeT items were thought as having no problems as memory screening test in terms of difficulty and discrimination at the level of p<0.01.
Aged* ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening ; Memory ; Memory, Long-Term

BACKGROUND: It was frequently noticed in the course of performing a two-needle sympathectomy, that satisfactory spread of contrast solution could be produced by injection through only one of the needles. This led to a closer examination of the merits of single-needle technique. METHODS: Forty patients were randomized into two groups. Patients in the single-needle group (n = 20) were injected at the second or third lumbar sympathetic ganglia, while patients in the two-needle group (n = 20) were injected at the second and third lumbar sympathetic ganglia. Lumbar sympathetic blocks were performed using 3 ml of alcohol and the spread of injectate was verified with C-arm fluoroscopy. The indicators of a successful sympathetic block are increasing skin temperature, decreasing pain, and anhidrosis in the distal extremity. RESULTS: The duration of anhidrosis was 12.2 2.6 months (mean SD) in the single-needle group versus 13.6 3.6 months (mean SD) in the two-needle group. CONCLUSIONS: As these results were not significantly different from those obtained in patients having a two-needle sympathectomy, blockade of the single-needle technique under C-arm fluoroscopy is considered to be effective for a neurolytic lumbar sympathectomy.
Extremities ; Fluoroscopy ; Ganglia, Sympathetic ; Humans ; Hypohidrosis ; Needles ; Skin Temperature ; Sympathectomy

BACKGROUND: It was frequently noticed in the course of performing a two-needle sympathectomy, that satisfactory spread of contrast solution could be produced by injection through only one of the needles. This led to a closer examination of the merits of single-needle technique. METHODS: Forty patients were randomized into two groups. Patients in the single-needle group (n = 20) were injected at the second or third lumbar sympathetic ganglia, while patients in the two-needle group (n = 20) were injected at the second and third lumbar sympathetic ganglia. Lumbar sympathetic blocks were performed using 3 ml of alcohol and the spread of injectate was verified with C-arm fluoroscopy. The indicators of a successful sympathetic block are increasing skin temperature, decreasing pain, and anhidrosis in the distal extremity. RESULTS: The duration of anhidrosis was 12.2 2.6 months (mean SD) in the single-needle group versus 13.6 3.6 months (mean SD) in the two-needle group. CONCLUSIONS: As these results were not significantly different from those obtained in patients having a two-needle sympathectomy, blockade of the single-needle technique under C-arm fluoroscopy is considered to be effective for a neurolytic lumbar sympathectomy.
Extremities ; Fluoroscopy ; Ganglia, Sympathetic ; Humans ; Hypohidrosis ; Needles ; Skin Temperature ; Sympathectomy

Recently, a combination of a partial mastectomy, axillary dissection, and radiation has been accepted as therapy for early-stage breast cancer because various significant trials have demonstrated that the combination therapy and the radical mastectomy produce comparable actuarial survival rates. The authors reviewed the cases of 62 patients who were treated for stage I and II breast cancer, 22 with breast-preserving surgery (quadrantectomy, axillary dissection and latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap) and 40 with a modified radical mastectomy at Pusan National University Hospital during the period of 2.5 years from January 1994 to June 1996. The results are as follows: 1) The mean age of the breast-preserving group was 44.8 years, and that of the modified radical mastectmy group was 51.2 years. 2) The mean size of tumor mass was 2.1 cm and 2.5 cm, respectively. The most frequent site was the upper outer quadrant in both groups. 3) According to TNM classification, 8 patients (36.4%) had stage I tumors and 12 patients (54.5%) had stage II tumors in the breast-preserving group. The respective numbers of patients were 8 (20.0%) and 31 (77.5%) in the modified radical mastectomy group. 4) In the breast-preserving group, the number of axillary lymph-node metastasis was 0 in 16 cases (72.7%), 1~3 in 5 cases (22.7%), and 4 in 1 case (4.6%). In the modified radical mastectomy group, the number was 0 in 23 cases (57.5%), 1~3 in 13 cases (32.5%), and 4 in 4 cases (10.0%). 5) In the breast-preserving group, a local recurrence developed in one case at 12 months after the operation, and a salvage mastectomy was done. In the modified radical mastectomy group, a local recurrence developed in two cases, one at 14 months and the other at 16 months after the operation, and a wide excision was done. 6) Complications associated with axillary dissection were impaired arm mobility, arm edema, seroma, and skin necrosis. However, complications were well treated with no difficulty. 7) The overall subjective cosmetic results in the breast-preserving group were excellent in 7 cases (31.8%), good in 12 cases (54.1%), fair in 3 cases (13.7%), and poor in 0 cases. Postoperative asymmetry of the nipple is a problem to be solved. 8) The fear of recurrence was observed in 10 cases (45.5%) in the breast-preserving group and in 18 cases (45.0%) in the modified radical mastectomy group. 9) The complications associated with radiotherapy in the breast-preserving group were transient radiation dermatitis, breast fibrosis, radiation pneumonitis, and limited motion of shoulder. Our review shows a high loco-regional control rate (95.5%) and a satisfactory cosmetic result (86.3%) in the breast-preserving group for early-stage breast cancer. Thus breast-preserving procedures seem to be acceptable alternatives to a modified radical mastectomy in highly selective group of patients with early-stage breast cancer.
Arm ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Busan ; Classification ; Dermatitis ; Edema ; Humans ; Mastectomy ; Mastectomy, Modified Radical* ; Mastectomy, Radical ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Necrosis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Nipples ; Pneumonia ; Radiation Pneumonitis ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Seroma ; Shoulder ; Skin ; Superficial Back Muscles ; Survival Rate

Actinomycosis is a chronic, granulomatous suppurative disease caused by Actinomyces species. Actinomyces is an anaerobic, gram positive organism that requires special techniques for culture and isolation. Actinomycosis is characterized by formation of multiple abscesses, draining sinuses, abundant granulations (sulfur granule) and dense fibrous tissue. The three major clinical presentations include the cervicofacial, thoracic, and abdominal regions. Since A. israelii is a normal inhabitant of the oral cavity, to make a definitive diagnosis it must be recovered from closed tissue spaces, draining sinuses, or abscesses, or it must be shown to be invasive in histopathologic sections. The drug of choice is penicillin. Because of the dense fibrous tissue surrounding the colonies of organisms and the concentration of organisms in clusters, high doses of pharmacologic agents must be used for long periods, and radical surgical excision should accompany antibiotic therapy if possible. We report three cases of abdominal actinomycosis, preoperatively impressed as appendicitis and pelvic abscess, which was diagnosed by a histological study of operative specimens. The possible pathogenic mechanisms causing clinical symptoms are discussed.
Abscess ; Actinomyces ; Actinomycosis* ; Appendicitis ; Diagnosis ; Mouth ; Penicillins

Sparganum is a parasite infesting principally in the cats or dogs, but human infestation was also not uncommonly reported. In Korea, the reported cases of sparganosis are over 70. We experienced a case of sparganosis in scrotum. This patient, 47 year-old man, had had episodes of intake raw snakes for 6 years as a tonic since 12 years before. The removed larvae of the parasite revealed milkish-white color, flat, and glistening appearance. Life cycle and route of infection of sparganum mansoni are discussed with review of the literatures.
Animals ; Cats ; Dogs ; Humans ; Korea ; Larva ; Life Cycle Stages ; Middle Aged ; Parasites ; Scrotum* ; Snakes ; Sparganosis* ; Sparganum