As public awareness of the various warning signs of malignancy increases, so does the concern evoked by the self identified finding of mass in the head and neck area. Not all the palpable masses are always significantly abnormal, but any nontender mass especially to the adult is significant enough to warrant further full investigation and follow up, the object of which should be to determine the possibility of malignancy and urgency of treatment. Approach to the diagnosis of the neck mass is so important in that it affects decision regarding further evaluation would lead to the determination of the most efficacious mode of therapy, eventually to the good prognosis. So, it should be emphasized that approach to the diagnosis of neck mass should be planned, systematic and thorough, this begins with the taking careful history following performance of complete examination of the head and neck especially to the nasopharynx, tongue base, pyriform sinus, palatine tonsil and larynx. Then a number of laboratory and radiologic studies are available, following triple endoscopy under general anesthesia and blind biopsy if needed. The most important rule to keep is that any biopsy procedures should be delayed to the last modality of effort to the diagnosis and if it should be done, under the plan of radical neck dissection.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Humans ; Larynx ; Nasopharynx ; Neck Dissection ; Neck* ; Palatine Tonsil ; Prognosis ; Pyriform Sinus ; Tongue

PURPOSE: We evaluated the importance of redistribution and 24 hour reinjection images in Tl-201 SPECT assessment of myocardial viability after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed dipyridamole stress-4 hour redistribution-24 hour reinjection Tl-201 SPECT in 43 patients with recent AMI (4-16 days). The myocardium was divided into 16 segments and perfusion grade was measured visually with 4 point score from 0 to 3 (absent uptake to normal uptake). A perfusion defect with stress score 2 was considered moderate. A defect was considered severe if the stress score was 0 or l (absent uptake or severe perfusion decrease). Moderate defect on stress image were considered viable and segments with severe defect were considered viable if they showed improvement of 1 score or more on redistribution or reinjection images. We compared the results of viability assess-ment in stress-redistribution and stress-reinjection images. RESULTS: On visual analysis, 344 of 688 segments (50%) had abnormal perfusion. Fifty two (15%) had moderate perfusion defects and 292 (85%) had severe perfusion defects on stress image. Of 292 severe stress defects, 53 were irreversible on redistribution and reversible on reinjection images, and 15 were reversible on redistribution and irreversible on reinjection images. Two hundred twenty four of 292 segments (76.7%) showed concordant results on stress-redistribution and stress-reinjection images. Therefore 24 hour reinjection image changed viability status from necrotic to viable in 53 segments of 292 severe stress defect (18%). However, myocardial viability was underestimated in only 5% (15/292) of severe defects by 24 hour reinjection. CONCLUSION: The 24 hour reinjection imaging is useful in the assessment of rnyocardial viability. It is more sensitive than 4 hour redistribution imaging. However, both redistribution and reinjection images are needed since they complement each other.
Complement System Proteins ; Dipyridamole ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardium ; Perfusion ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Hydroa vacciniforme is a very rare photosensitivity disorder. The primary skin lesion is a vesicle or bulla which then heals with vacciniform scarring. We report a case of hydroa vacciniforme recurred after 3 years period of quiescence in a 20 year-old man who had had history of the disease from the age of two. The duplication of the natural lesion, clinically and histologically, was successfully made by artificial UV-A irradiation on the patient's back.
Cicatrix ; Hydroa Vacciniforme* ; Photosensitivity Disorders ; Skin

No abstract available.
Stomach Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety, feasibility and effectiveness of an endoluminally-placed bifurcated stent-graft (Vanguard) for the treatment of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). METHODS: Transluminal endovascular stent-graft placements were attempted in 29 patients (28 male, mean age 69+/-7 years) with AAAs involving the common iliac arteries from Aug. 1997 to Jan. 1999. Endovascular therapy was performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory with epidural anesthesia. One side of the femoral artery was opened by surgical cutdown for the bifurcated stent-graft entry and the other side was punctured percutaneously for the straight stent-graft. Computed tomography and/or intraarterial angiography were performed during an average follow-up of 10 months (2-18 months). RESULTS: Primary success rate was 75.9% (22 of 29 patients) and the overall success rate was 79.3% with successful correction of one perigraft leak. Twenty patients (69.0%) had significant coronary artery disease. There were two technical failure cases, the one was tortuous iliac vessel with spasm, the other was disconnection of the stent-graft connecting portion. Complications related to procedure occurred in 13.8% of patients (4 of 29 patients) and two of these four patients had procedure-related mortality because of acute renal failure following contrast overdose and sepsis after operation. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular treatment of infrarenal AAA with bifurcated stent-graft (Vanguard<0A397>) is effective, feasible and relatively safe. However, further investigation for the outcome, complication and long-term follow-up are needed.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Anesthesia, Epidural ; Angiography ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Endoleak ; Femoral Artery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Iliac Artery ; Male ; Mortality ; Sepsis ; Spasm

To evaluate the possibility of Dacron patch for artificial sclera. Dacron(polyethylene terephthalate) which is readily available, biocompatable, safe, and inert synthetic material was implanted in the area of full-thickness scleral defect in rabbits. The histopathologic examinations showed that fibrovascular tissue invested into all interstices of Dacron filaments and fibroconnective tissue encapsulation around Dacron patch had strong connection with collagen fibers of recipient sclera at 4 weeks after graft There were no adverse reactions such as retinal detachment and fibrous proliferation into the vitreous cavity except mild inflammatory response of surrounding tissue at the early postoperative stage. As a result, Dacron graft showed successful firm adhesion to the recipient sclera without serious complications. Thus, We think that Dacron could possibly be used, instead of donor sclera, as artificial scleral graft material for the surgical treatment of perforating scleral diseases.
Collagen ; Humans ; Polyethylene Terephthalates* ; Rabbits* ; Retinal Detachment ; Sclera ; Scleral Diseases ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants*

Although there had been many studies for evaluating an usefulness of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene(Gore-Tex(R)) as a temporary treatment of corneal perforation and a supporting skirt of keratoprosthesis, complications and instability of graft had limited the clinical applications. To find histopathologic factors that can contribute to the instability of graft and to try to modify the surgical methods with models of graft, serial examinations including biomicroscopy and histopathology were performed. According to the results, we were able to divide the causes of instability into two categories as a function of time. Epithelial down growth into the interface between graft and cornea with absence of epithelial coverage over the graft may cause leakage from anterior chamber in early period. Absence of fibrovascular invasion into Gore-Tex(R) resulting no cohesion between graft and cornea might be a factor of instability in late period. Based on these results, modification of surgical techniique and models of graft are needed. Several methods of modificiation are suggested in this report.
Anterior Chamber ; Cornea ; Corneal Perforation* ; Keratoplasty, Penetrating* ; Rabbits* ; Transplants

Small cell osteosarcoma is a rare form of osteosarcoma and the histological differential diagnosis from other small round cell tumors (SRCTs) is difficult. The immunohistochemical stain for MIC2 has been considered an useful diagnostic marker for Ewing's sarcoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumors but recently, other SRCTs such as malignant lymphoma and embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma also showed positive reaction. Therefore, the usefulness of MIC2 must still be proven. We experienced a case of small cell osteosarcoma of the mandible in a 25-year-old man. Histologically, the tumor consisted of small round cells that resembled those of Ewing's sarcoma. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells expressed diffuse strong positive reaction for MIC2 gene products. However, the scanty foci of lacy osteoid material between the tumor cells seemed to be diagnostic of osteosarcoma. The histologic and immunohistochemical findings of this case suggest close relationship between small cell osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma.
Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Lymphoma ; Mandible ; Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive ; Osteosarcoma* ; Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal ; Sarcoma, Ewing*

Thirty three cases with agenesis of the corpus callosum were reviewed from the base of brain CT findings for last 7 years. Clinical features, associated clinical anomalies and CT findings were also analysed and the embryological basis for agenesis of the corpus callosum were reviewed from the literature.
Agenesis of Corpus Callosum* ; Brain ; Corpus Callosum ; Embryology

Four children with medically refractory multiform seizures were submitted for section of the corpus callosum for last 3 years. These patients had medically intractable generalized seizures diagnosed preoperatively as the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome characterized by a combination of seizure patterns, most frequently drop attack with generalized tonic-clonic, generalized tonic and atonic seizure. Guided by pre- and intra-operative electroencephalographic monitoring, the section was carried out in the anterior 2/3 or 4/5 part of callosum. Five to 28 months' postoperative follow-up suggests good results:Three patient showed no more drop attack except intermittent focal myoclonic seizures in 1 case and one patient had generalized seizures less in frequency than preoperative state. Corpus callosotomy seems to be an effective surgical approach for the intractable epilepsy with drop attack of multifocal origin, but longer follow-up is needed.
Child* ; Corpus Callosum ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Seizures ; Syncope