BACKGROUND: Positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) ventilation is well established as an integral part of the management of patients with the acute lung injury. PEEP is a key element in the treatment of hypoxemia resulting from pulmonary edema. Pulmonary capillary pressure (Pcap) is the most important factor influencing lung edema formation, and an understanding of how Pcap is altered by variations of PEEP or pulmonary arterial occlusion pressure (PAOP) is important to improve the treatment of acute lung injury patients. This study was performed to evaluate the effects of PEEP on the pulmonary capillary pressure in acute lung injury patients. METHODS: This was a prospective study of 11 acute lung injury patients. The effect of PEEP on pulmonary circulation at four different levels (0,4,8, and 12cm H2O) was analyzed. Pcap was estimated visually at bed side with Swan Ganz catheters. The pulmonary vasculature was analyzed by calculating the pressure difference at the arterial and venous parts of the circulation. RESULTS: As PEEP increased from 0 to 12 cm H2O, the mean puhnonary arterial pressure (PAP) and Pcap increased respectively from 22.7 ± 7.4 to 25.3 ± 7.3 mmHg and 15.3 ± 3.3 to 17.8 ±3.2 mmHg (p<0.05). Similarly, PAOP increased from 9.8 ± 2.1 to 12.8 ± 2.1 mmHg and the central venous pressure increased from 6.1 ± 1.6 to 9.3 1: 2.3 mmHg(p<0.05). However, the pressure gradient at the arterial (PAP-Pcap) and venous (Pcap-Pcwp) part of pulmonary circulation remained unchanged at all evaluated PEEP levels. CONCLUSION: Although Pcap increasoo gradually with increased PEEP, the pressure gradient at the arterial and venous part of the pulmonary vasculature remained unchanged at all evaluated PEEP levels in acute lung injury patients.
Acute Lung Injury* ; Anoxia ; Arterial Pressure ; Capillaries* ; Catheters ; Central Venous Pressure ; Edema ; Humans ; Lung ; Positive-Pressure Respiration* ; Prospective Studies ; Pulmonary Circulation ; Pulmonary Edema ; Ventilation

We report herein a case of lymphomatoid papulosis showing atypical clinical manifestations. A 54- year-old man had had recurrent erythematous necrotic papules and nodues, numbering more than 200 lesions at the most aggravated time, on the trunk, extremities, buttok, and face for the last twenty years. Recently, he complained of tender swelling on the neck, axillae, and inguinal lymph nodes accompanied by mild fever and gerneral weakness. We had performed thorough examinations including biopsy from the skin lesions, lymph node, and bone marrow to detect some evidences of transforming to malignant lymphoma, but found no evidence of malignant lymphoma except aneuploidy on DNA histogram. The patients showed proinpt response to methotrexate 10-30mg par week wit,hout showing distinct side reactions to the accurvulated dose of 780mg for the last 16 months.
Aneuploidy ; Axilla ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; DNA ; Extremities ; Fever ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma ; Lymphomatoid Papulosis* ; Methotrexate ; Neck ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Lymphocytopenia is a common finding in critically ill patients while lymphocyte depletion in critically ill patients is presumed to have little clinical significance. However, a total lymphocyte count has been reported to provide prognostic information in surgical patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of a total lymphocyte count (TLC) with a prognostic criterion in critically ill patients. METHODS: The patients were divided into three groups according to their TLC on admission to intensive care unit (ICU) (Group 1: TLC > 1.0 x 10(9)/L, Group 2: 0.7 x 10(9)/L < TLC < 1.0 x 10(9)/L, and Group 3: TLC <0.7 x 10(9)/L). Outcomes examined were patients' in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay and incidence of infection. RESULTS: Patients with a TLC less than 0.7 x 10(9)/L (Group 3) had an infection twice (32% VS 15%) as often as those with a TLC more than 0.7 109/L (Group 1 2). But, in the hospital stay and mortality, there was no significant difference among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: TLC is very useful indicator in critically ill patients with a high risk of hospital infection on ICU admission.
Critical Illness* ; Cross Infection* ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Lymphocyte Count* ; Lymphocyte Depletion ; Lymphopenia ; Mortality

BACKGROUND: Photodynamic therapy(PDT) is a kind of non-invasive photochemotherapy, which is designed to kill the target cells through photodynamic reaction. It has been reported that PDT is very effective in superficial lesions, including extramammary Paget's disease. Yet, there has been no clinical trial for the treatment of extramammary Paget's disease using PDT in Korea. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of PDT in treating extramammary Paget's disease METHOD: Seven patients with anogenital extramammary Paget's disease were treated repeatedly with local PDT using topical ALA 20% and intralesional injection of hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD), and systemic PDT using HpD. Fluences of 125-200J/cm2 and intensities of 50-100mW/cm2 were used. RESULT: The clinical outcomes were disappointing. All the patients experienced only partial responses despite repeated treatments. But side effects were minimal. CONCLUSION: PDT is not effective enough for the treatment of extramammary Paget's disease to be used as a primary therapy. It would be better to use as an adjuvant to other treatment methods. Photodynamic sensitization, also known as photodynamic diagnosis, might help us define a more reliable border of the extent involved and the surgical margin to be excised.
Diagnosis ; Hematoporphyrin Derivative ; Humans ; Injections, Intralesional ; Korea ; Paget Disease, Extramammary* ; Photochemotherapy*

BACKGROUND: Photodynamic therapy(PDT) is a kind of non-invasive photochemotherapy, which is designed to kill the target cells through photodynamic reaction. It has been reported that PDT is very effective in superficial lesions, including extramammary Paget's disease. Yet, there has been no clinical trial for the treatment of extramammary Paget's disease using PDT in Korea. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of PDT in treating extramammary Paget's disease METHOD: Seven patients with anogenital extramammary Paget's disease were treated repeatedly with local PDT using topical ALA 20% and intralesional injection of hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD), and systemic PDT using HpD. Fluences of 125-200J/cm2 and intensities of 50-100mW/cm2 were used. RESULT: The clinical outcomes were disappointing. All the patients experienced only partial responses despite repeated treatments. But side effects were minimal. CONCLUSION: PDT is not effective enough for the treatment of extramammary Paget's disease to be used as a primary therapy. It would be better to use as an adjuvant to other treatment methods. Photodynamic sensitization, also known as photodynamic diagnosis, might help us define a more reliable border of the extent involved and the surgical margin to be excised.
Diagnosis ; Hematoporphyrin Derivative ; Humans ; Injections, Intralesional ; Korea ; Paget Disease, Extramammary* ; Photochemotherapy*

Piebaldism is a rare, autosomal dominant inherited disorder, characterized by inborn hypopigmented skin and hair. It is characterized by stable leukoderma with white forelock and vitiligo like amelanotic macules usually containing hyperpigmented macules at the periphery. As the leukodermic lesions in piebaldism are unresponsive to any form of topical or systemic medical treatment, several methods for autologous transplantation of melanocytes and epidermal transplantation methods have been developed and there are no specific treatment methods for hyperpigmented patch in piebaldism. A 12-year-old female had piebaldism from birth. Suction blister epidermal graft was tried at hypopigmented patches on the posterior aspects of both lower legs and the Q-switched Alexandrite laser was used at the site of the hyperpigmented patches. Combination therapy with suction blister epidermal graft and a Q-switched Alexandrite laser on piebaldism may be effective method.
Autografts ; Blister* ; Child ; Female ; Hair ; Humans ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Leg ; Melanocytes ; Parturition ; Piebaldism* ; Skin ; Suction* ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Transplants* ; Vitiligo

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to investigate the preoperative diagnosis, indication for operation, postoperative complication, postoperative medical treatment and recurrence rate in patients with Crohn's disease who were treated with operation. METHODS: Forty patients with Crohn's diseases had been operated on at the Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine during the period from Jan 1986 to May 1999 and they were reviewed retrospectively. We studies symptoms, surgical indications, preoperative and postoperative treatments, involvement sites, types of operation and recurrence rate in Crohn's disease. RESULTS: The male to female ratio was 1.5: 1, and age distribution was from 8 to 69 years old with mean age of 33 years old. The duration of symptoms varies from within 1 day to above 10 years and most of them had within 1 month as 17 cases (42.5%). Symptoms are abdominal pain, hematochezia, anorexia, abdominal mass and diarrhea. The most frequent symptom was the abdominal pain as 85%. Crohn's disease was diagnosed only 45% before operation, less than what we expected. In another hand it surprised us find out that tuberculosis enteritis was diagnosed as much as 20%. The most common indication of operation was medical treatment failure as 13 cases, and fistula was 7 cases, intestinal obstruction with stenosis and tumor were 6 cases each other. The involvement of small bowel was most common as 40%, and the most common operative findings were ulceration and fistula for 17 cases and 12 cases respectively. Small bowel cases were treated with segmental resection and anastomosis in all 16 cases. Large bowel cases were performed right hemicolectomy in 10 cases and total colectomy in 1 case. Both small and large bowel involvement cases, right hemicolectomy was done in 4 cases, right hemicolectomy and segmental resection of small bowel was done in 6 cases. The recurrence rate of postoperative medical treatment was 16% and 28% for 5 years and 10 years respectively. The recurrence rate with no postoperative medical treatment was 13% and 26% for each 5 years and 10 years. There was no significantly difference in both groups. CONCLUSION: The major surgical indications for Crohn's disease were medical treatment failure, fistula and intestinal obstruction. Specially in Korea, differential diagnosis with tuberculosis enteritis was very important. Postoperative complication and recurrence rate has relatively low incidence. Our study suggest that postoperative medical treatment was controversial.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Anorexia ; Colectomy ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Crohn Disease* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diarrhea ; Enteritis ; Female ; Fistula ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Korea ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Failure ; Tuberculosis ; Ulcer

Extramammary Paget's disease is a rare malignancy occuring mainly in apocrine gland- bearing areas such as vulva, scrotum, perianal area, and axilla. Histopathologically, the Paget's cells are usually confined within the epidermis and may be associated with underlying adenocarcinoma. Although surgical excision is the treatment of choice, the clinical demarcation of the lesion is still a frequent problem in the treatment of extramammary Paget's disease. We tried photodynamic diagnosis to determine the surgical margin of extramammary Paget's disease and with surgical excision guided by photodynamic diagnosis successfully treated two cases.
Adenocarcinoma ; Axilla ; Diagnosis* ; Epidermis ; Paget Disease, Extramammary* ; Scrotum ; Vulva

PURPOSE: Colonic diverticulitis is an uncommon disease in Korea, but the incidence of the disease is increasing. The right colon is the more preferred site for diverticulitis in Korea, but the incidence of left diverticulitis is increasing. Therefore, comparing the clinical features and treatments for right diverticulitis with those for left diverticulitis may help us to treat the disease more properly. METHODS: This study was performed retrospectively by reviewing the medical records of 96 patients with colonic diverticulitis, in whom either conservative or operative treatments were performed. RESULTS: Eighty-six patients had right diverticulitis (RD), and 10 patients had left diverticulitis (LD). The mean age of the patients was older for LD. Sixteen patients (18.6%) with RD had complications, and 7 patients (8.1%) underwent operations. On the other hand, 4 patients (40%) with LD had complications, and 3 patients (30%) underwent operations. The rates of complications and operations among old-aged patients were higher. The operations for 7 patients with RD who underwent surgery were 6 ileocecectomies and 1 diverticulectomy. On the other hand, the operations for the 3 patients with LD who underwent surgery were 2 resections and anastomoses and 1 diverticulectomy. The reasons for the operations were abscess formation, recurrence, perforation, and development of generalized peritonitis without response to conservative treatment. CONCLUSION: The incidence of LD is lower than that of RD in Korea, but the rate of complications and operations seems higher in LD. Therefore, patients who complain of left lower abdominal pain need to be thoroughly examined for LD.
Abdominal Pain ; Abscess ; Colon ; Diverticulitis ; Diverticulitis, Colonic ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Peritonitis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder is uncommon and it has rarely been reported. The presence of increased numbers of eosinophils in the biopsy specimens of the gastrointestinal tract, the infiltration of eosionophils in intestinal crypts and gastric glands, the absence of involvement of other organs and the exclusion of other causes of eosinophilia support the diagnosis of eosinophilic gastroenteritis. This is characterized by infiltration of eosinophils in the gastrointestinal wall, and it's associated with protein-losing enteropathy, hypoalbuminemia, motility abnormalities and ascites. Although it is an idiopathic disorder, allergic and immunologic etiologies have been suggested. Steroid is the treatment of choice, but an operation is necessary in case of a surgical abdomen or if the patient is refractory to steroid therapy. Recently, authors experience 2 cases of eosinophilic gastroenteritis causing gastro-intestinal obstruction, and report here with clinical evaluation and literature review.
Abdomen ; Ascites ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils* ; Gastric Mucosa ; Gastroenteritis* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Intestinal Obstruction* ; Protein-Losing Enteropathies