The study was performed retrospectively to compare the results of anterior chamber IOL(Intraocular Lens) implantation and posterior chamber IOL implantation by scleral fixation in cases of inadequate zonular or capsular support during the extracapsular cataract extraction. A total of 27 cases were reviewed of which 11 cases had anterior chamber IOL implantation and 16 cases had posterior chamber IOL implantation by scleral fixation. The follow-up period ranged from two to twenty-four months. Nine of eleven in anterior chamber IOL group and thirteen of sixteen in posterior chamber IOL group had the final corrected vision of 0.5 or better. Vision-threatening complications included two cases of cystoid macular edema in anterior chamber IOL group, whose visual acuity was 0.1 and 0.5, and three cases of vitreous hemorrhage in posterior chamber IOL group, which had little effect on visual outcome The final visual acuity didn't show statistically significant difference between the two groups.
Anterior Chamber* ; Cataract Extraction ; Follow-Up Studies ; Lenses, Intraocular* ; Macular Edema ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity ; Vitreous Hemorrhage

No abstract available.
External Fixators* ; Foot Deformities* ; Foot*

For young children with scoliosis before growth spurt, suhcutaneous lengthening without fusion was designed by Harrington and modified by Moe and Luque. However, many problems including spontaneous fusion, rod breakage, and hook disloclgement have been ohserved. CotrelDubousset(CD) instrumentation was sometimes used, but it usually resulted in failure due to soft tissue adhesion around the rough surface of ordinary CD rod. We tried to use the smooth CD rod, transvcrse-pedicle clawing on the upper part, and pedicle screw inscrtion on upper and lower part of the curve to reduce the hardware failures. Among 8 patients in whom suhcutaneous lengthening with smooth CD rod was carried out hetween October l992 and Suly 1996. 4 cases perfomed with final spinal fusion were analysed. There were I central core disease, 1 multicore disease and 2 idiopathic scoliosis(infantile and juvenile type). Mean age at the first operation was l0.0(8.8-11.8) years, and the Risser sign was all grade 0 except one with grade 1. Suhcutaneous lengthening was performed every 5 or 6 months Mean lengthening duration was 22(9-39) months and mean age at spinal fusion was 11.7(9.6-13.8) years. Mean Cobb angle decreased from 7ldegrees (55degrees-88degrees) at preoperative stage to 32 (10degrees-59degrees) at the last follow-up. There were 5 complications during 21 operations, and three hardware failures comprised 2 hook dislodgcment and 1 screw pull-out. Crankshaft phenomenon happened in I case who had had a posterior fusion in young age(9.6 years) due to laminar fracture. The suhcutaneous lengthening with smooth CD rod can he another option of treatment for young children with severe scoliosis. prescrving the powth potential of involved vertebrae with few complications.
Animals ; Child* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hoof and Claw ; Humans ; Myopathy, Central Core ; Scoliosis* ; Spinal Fusion ; Spine ; Tissue Adhesions

PURPOSE: This retrospective study is conducted to evaluate the local response rate, survival rate, median survival times and complication of hyperthermic treatment combined with radiotherapy/chemotherapy in locally advanced inoperable gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and twenty-seven patients treated with hyperthermia from April, 1992 to December, 1994 were enrolled. Among 127 patients, 13(10.2%) were treated with thermo-radiotherapy(Group I), 4(3.1%) were treated with thermo-radio-chemotherapy(Group II) and 110(86.6%) were treated with thermo-chemotherapy (Group III). Hyperfractionated radiotherapy(135 cGy/fr., 2 times/day) using 6-MV X-ray Linac was delivered with total doses of 40.5~67.5 Gy(median: 45 Gy). Chemotherapy by FI(5-FU+ Interferon) or EAP(Etoposide+ Adriamycin+ Cisplatin) regimens was administered. Hyperthermia using 8-MHz RF(radiofrequency) capacitive heating eqiupment (CANCERMIA GHT-8) was applied with interval of 2 times/week, 40~60 minutes /session within 10~15 minutes following radiation, and was simultaneously done with chemotherapy. The estimation of local response was used computed tomography and endoscopy, and was divided into complete response(CR), partial response(PR), and no response(NR). The survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Overall local response rate(CR+ PR) was 68.5% with 6.3% in CR and 62.2% in PR. The local response rates by treatment modality were 92.3% (CR: 15.4%, PR: 76.9%) in Group I, 100%(CR: 75.0%, PR: 25.0%) in Group II and 64.5%(CR: 2.7%, PR: 61.8%) in Group III. There was statistically significant difference(p=0.0001). The overall 1 and 2 years survival rates with median survival time(MST) were 20.5%, 7.1% with 9 months, respectively. The overall 1 and 2 years survival rates(with MST) by treatment modality were 7.7%, 0%(7 months) in Group I, 50.0%, 0%(9 months) in Group II and 20.9%, 8.2%(6 months) in Group III. There was no statistically significant difference. The incidence of side effect by heating was 3.1%(4 patients) and the most serious side effect was subcutaneous fat necrosis in anterior abdominal wall. CONCLUSION: From this study we concluded that hyperthermic treatment combined with radiotherapy/chemotherapy may increase the local response rate in locally advanced inoperable gastric cancer.
Abdominal Wall ; Drug Therapy ; Endoscopy ; Fever ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Incidence ; Necrosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: Clostridium difficile (C. difficile)-associated colitis, a known complication of colon and rectal surgery, can increase perioperative morbidity and mortality, leading to increased hospital stay and costs. Several contributing factors, including advanced age, mechanical bowel preparation, and antibiotics, have been implicated in this condition. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical features of and factors responsible for C. difficile-associated colitis after colorectal cancer surgery. METHODS: The medical records of patients who had undergone elective resection for colorectal cancer from January 2008 to April 2010 were reviewed. Cases that involved procedures such as transanal excision, stoma creation, or emergency operation were excluded from the analysis. RESULTS: Resection with primary anastomosis was performed in 219 patients with colorectal cancer. The rate of postoperative C. difficile-associated colitis was 6.8% in the entire study population. Preoperative metallic stent insertion (P = 0.017) and aged sixty and older (> or = 60, P = 0.025) were identified as risk factors for postoperative C. difficile-associated colitis. There were no significant differences in variables such as preoperative oral non-absorbable antibiotics, site of operation, operation procedure, and duration of prophylactic antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Among the potential causative factors of postoperative C. difficile-associated colitis, preoperative metallic stent insertion and aged sixty and older were identified as risk factors on the basis of our data. Strategies to prevent C. difficile infection should be carried out in patients who have undergone preoperative insertion of a metallic stent and are aged sixty and older years.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Clostridium ; Clostridium difficile ; Colitis ; Colon ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Medical Records ; Risk Factors ; Stents

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to investigate trends in admission to the emergency department and the use of invasive or surgical procedures during hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Korea. METHODS: The National Health Insurance (NHI) claims database between 2007 and 2011 was used. We identified all admission claims that included codes from the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases beginning with I21 as the primary or secondary diagnosis. Information about the admission route, admission date, discharge date, and whether coronary artery angiography, angioplasty, or bypass surgery was performed was also obtained from the NHI database. RESULTS: Of the 513,886 relevant admission claims over the five years encompassed by this study, 295,001 discrete episodes of admission for AMI were identified by analyzing the date and length of each admission and the interval between admissions. The number of AMI admissions gradually decreased from 66,883 in 2007 to 47,656 in 2011. The number and proportion of admissions through the emergency department also decreased from 38,118 (57.0%) in 2007 to 24,001 (50.4%) in 2011. However, during the same period, admissions in which invasive or surgical procedures were performed increased from 15,342 (22.9%) to 17,505 (36.7%). CONCLUSIONS: The reported numbers of emergency department visits and admissions for AMI decreased from 2007 to 2011. However, only a small portion of the patients underwent invasive or surgical procedures during hospitalization, although the number of admissions involving invasive or surgical procedures has increased. These findings suggest that simply counting the number of admission claims cannot provide valid information on trends in AMI occurrence.
Angiography ; Angioplasty ; Coronary Vessels ; Diagnosis ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hospitalization* ; Humans ; International Classification of Diseases ; Korea ; Myocardial Infarction* ; National Health Programs* ; Vascular Surgical Procedures

STUDY DESIGN: A biomechanical study using the porcine spine. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy of direct anterior vertebroplasty [Polymethylmetacrylic acid (PMMA) augmentation] with anterior vertebral screw fixation. SUMMARY AND LITERATURE REVIEW: We are not aware of any previous reports that described this technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty out of 35 fresh porcine lumbar vertebral bodies (L1-5) were instrumented with single anteriorvertebral screws using different augmentation methods. In group 1 (n=10), the non-augmented group, each vertebral body was pre-drilled and an anterior vertebral screw was inserted unicortically at 90 degrees laterally. In groups 2 (n=10) and 3 (n=10), after the unicortical pre-drilling, 2 ml of PMMA were injected through an 11-gauge bone biopsy needle. The screw was inserted immediately after the cement injection in group 2, and after complete consolidation of the cement in group 3. Axial pullout loads to loosen the screws were measured. Conventional vertebroplasties via bilateral pedicles were performed in the other 5 vertebral bodies, the cement distribution areas of which were compared with the 5 specimens of groups 2 and 3, respectively, using radiomorphometry. The data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: The mean pullout loads were 459+/-111N in group 1, 1510+/-165N in group 2, and 1241+/-189N in group 3. The PMMA augmented anterior vertebral screws (groups 2 and 3) provided more than 100% of an increase in pullout strength compared with non-augmented screws (group 1) (P < 0.001). Among the augmented screws, the screws that were inserted during the consolidation of PMMA (group 2) had a greater resistance against pullout loads than did those that were inserted after complete consolidation (group 3) (P < 0.01). The cement distribution areas after the direct anterior vertebroplasties (groups 2 and 3) was no different than that after conventional posterior vertebroplasties (P > 0.05) CONCLUSIONS: Direct anterior vertebroplasty is another effective augmentation method for anterior vertebral screw fixation. With this technique, we avoided an unnecessary posterior procedure and achieved a more rigid fixation because we could insert the screws during the consolidation of PMMA.
Biopsy ; Needles ; Polymethyl Methacrylate ; Spine ; Vertebroplasty*

Differences in the characteristics of the culture conditions can influence the multiplication rate of Plasmodium falciparum. The Petri dish method is one of the most popular methods of cultivating this parasite. In many previous studies, ideal culture conditions of the Petri dish method were achieved by using erythrocytes collected from blood that had been stored for at least 2 weeks, with daily changes of the medium. In the present study, we studied the multiplication rate of P. falciparum in cultures containing erythrocytes of various ages together with changing the medium at various intervals of time. Our results strongly suggest that the rate of in vitro multiplication of P. falciparum was higher in freshly collected erythrocytes than in aged erythrocytes regardless of the anticoagulant and that when the parasitemia is lower than 8% with a hematocrit of 5%, the medium change interval can be as long as 48 hr without a great reduction in the rate of multiplication.
Animals ; Blood Specimen Collection ; Cell Aging ; Culture Media ; Erythrocytes/*parasitology ; Plasmodium falciparum/*growth & development ; Time Factors

STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed the diagnostic values of two simple tests for adequate needle positioning in vertebroplasty. OBJECTIVES: We wanted to suggest performing the aspiration test and patency test, which can replace some of the roles of intraosseous venography (IOV) in vertebroplasty, and we also wanted to analyze the two tests' diagnostic values. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Intra-osseous venography is an existing safety test for vertebroplasty, but it is less frequently performed nowadays because of its drawbacks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The aspiration test is defined as positive if blood is easily aspirated through a vertebroplasty needle, and a positive aspiration test means that the needle tip is communicating with the venous system. This and IOV were carried out on a total of 114 sides of 61 vertebrae of 40 consecutive patients. Agreement between the two tests was evaluated with using Cohen's kappa coefficient, and the diagnostic values of the aspiration test, with using IOV as the gold standard, were also evaluated. The patency test is done in the intra-vertebral vacuum cleft cases. After bipedicular insertion of needles, saline is injected into one needle. If the saline gushes out of the other needle, the test is positive, and it means that both needles are inserted in the vacuum cleft. The patency test was performed in 25 vertebrae, and the positive rate and causes of the negative result were investigated. RESULTS: Cohen's kappa coefficient between the aspiration test and IOV was 0.88. The sensitivity of the aspiration test was 88%, the specificity was 99%, the positive predictive value was 97%, and the negative predictive value was 93%. The patency test was positive in 88% of the vacuum clefts. In all the positive cases, both needles were located within the vacuum cleft. In all the negative cases, one of the two needles was located outside the cleft. CONCLUSIONS: The aspiration test is a simple and reliable test that has high agreement with IOV. The patency test can be a better choice than IOV for the vacuum cleft cases because it does not leave contrast media in the clefts.
Contrast Media ; Humans ; Needles* ; Phlebography ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spine ; Vacuum ; Vertebroplasty*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic use of endoscopic ultrasonograpy (EUS) in detecting the cause of common bile duct (CBD) dilatation in patients in whom abdominal ultrasonography or abdominal CT scan could not identify the cause of dilatation. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients (23 men, 14 women, mean age 62.2 years) with uncertain causes of CBD dilatation on abdominal sonogram and CT scan between October 1999 and November 2003 were enrolled. All patients were evaluated by EUS and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Final diagnosis were determined by ERCP, surgical exploration and clinical follow-up. RESULTS: The following diagnosis were made by EUS: choledocholithiasis in 11 patients, CBD dilatation only in 12, benign stricture of distal CBD in 8, periampullary tumor in 6. The definitive diagnosis of choledocholithiasis (n=11), benign stricture of distal CBD (n=10), ampullary tumor (n= 5) were determined by ERCP with or without sphincterotomy and surgical exploration. EUS provided the accurate explanation for CBD dilatation in 32 of the 37 patients (86%). CONCLUSIONS: When the diagnosis of biliary obstruction remains obscure on abdominal sonography or CT scan, EUS may be useful.
Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Choledocholithiasis ; Common Bile Duct* ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation* ; Endosonography* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography