BACKGROUND: It is known that 20% of childhood epilepsy is refractory to anticonvulsants therapy, Recently, a few new anticonvulsants has been introduced. One of these, gabapentin is known to effective in such refractory cases. This study has been done to estimate the effectiveness of gabapentin in refractory childhood as well as adult epilepsies. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 43 patients(male 25, female 18) has been selected among refractory epilepsies during the period of March, 1981 to Feb, 1996 diagnosed and treated at pediatric neurologic clinic School of Medicine, Yonsei University Those were already treated with various anticonvulsants and gabapentin was added to previous medication, and effectiveness of seizure frequency and the degree has been investigated over more than 3 month period as well as the side effect. RESULTS: 30 patients out of 43, showed seizure free or decreased frequency of seizure, those patients whose the seizure frequency was decreased over 50% was 11 cases, partial seizure 10 cases, generalized seizure 1 cases. 15 case out of 43 showed no changes or increased frequencies of seizure in 4 out of 27 in partial epilepsies, 1 out of 16 in generalized seizure, and 6 cases out of 43 manifested side effects such as behaviour change, abdominal pain and headache. CONCLUSION: Gabapentin was effective by add on therapy in refractory epilepsies and reducing the frequency of seizure over 50% was 25.6%. Most of these patients was partial seizure. We concluded that gabapentin as add on therapy is effective at least in 1/4 cases of refractory partial seizures.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Anticonvulsants ; Epilepsies, Partial ; Epilepsy ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Seizures*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans

No abstract available.

Even though closed treatment of Colles' fracture leads to satisfactory clinical results, many patients who have had such a fracture are found to have permanent disability and poor function of hand and wrist. Malunion occurs frequently following Colles' fracture and there is considerable disability, pain and deformity associated with this lesion. Such deformity of wrist can usually be prevented by proper treatment, but if deformity developes, better function and a normal appearing wrist can be restored by a corrective osteotomy. The authors experienced 6 cases of malunited Colles' fracture which had been treated by corrective osteotomy, Darrach resection, and osteoclasis, etc.
Colles' Fracture ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Hand ; Humans ; Osteotomy ; Wrist

The ankle is a complex, weight-bearing joint and has an important role in walking. The injuries to the ankle joint complex include not only injuries that cause disruption of the bony architecture of the ankle joint but often significant ligamentous and soft tissue components. The literature on ankle fractures have divergence of opinion on treatment. However, the method used to obtain a good end result of treatment is a matter of differing opinion. One hundred and seventy six patients with one hundred and eighty cases of ankle fractures treated at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine from Jan. 1971 to Dec. 1980 were analized in clinical and radiological aspect. The results obtained from this study were as followings: 1. Among the 176 patients, male was 126 patients and female 50 patients (M:F=2.5:1). The average age was 29. 2. Of the 180 cases, the main cause of fractures was traffic accident, 74 cases (41.1%) and the other causes were falling from a height (16.1%), slipping down (15.0%) and sports injuries (12.8%) in order. 3. The fractures were almost closed fractures (84.4%). 4. According to the classification of Lague-Mansen, the pronation-external rotation type (40.6%) was the commonest type. 5. One hundred and twelve cases (62.2%) were treated by open reduction and 68 cases (37.8%) by closed reduction. 6. The average period of the cast immoblization after the open reduction was 8 weeks but the closed reduction was 10 weeks. 7. According to clinical and radioiogical assessment of the result of the treatment, the open reduction was better than closed reduction. 8. The fibular fracture involving lateral malleolus and the diastasis of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis were very important in ankle stability and were treated by internal fixation for accurate anatomical reduction.
Accidental Falls ; Accidents, Traffic ; Ankle Fractures ; Ankle Joint ; Ankle ; Athletic Injuries ; Classification ; Clinical Study ; Female ; Fractures, Closed ; Humans ; Joints ; Ligaments ; Male ; Methods ; Walking ; Weight-Bearing

The term “ganglion” was given by Hippocrates to designate a knot of tissue filled with mucin. A ganglion may be defined as a cystic benign tumor filled with a mucoid material usually surrounded by a thin wall and occurring in the region of the capsule and connective tissue of joints and tendon sheaths. The regions of the wrist, ankle, and knee and the volar regions of the fingers and hand are most frequently affected. The authors experienced a case of ganglion which had occurred at anteromedial aspect of right hip joint and had been connected with hip joint by cord like band.
Ankle ; Connective Tissue ; Fingers ; Ganglion Cysts ; Hand ; Hip Joint ; Hip ; Joints ; Knee ; Mucins ; Tendons ; Wrist

No abstract available.
Korea* ; Moyamoya Disease*

PURPOSE: The penis has been attracted to everyone associated with various diseases and sexual activity. Lots of materials and instruments has been applied to the penis for sexual arousal. Furthermore, those ar e usually made and applied in inappropriate ways by non-medical personnel. This resulted in lots of complications in various degrees. So, we investigated the real problems concerning various procedures performed on the genitalia by non-medical personnel. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively medical records of 32 male and one female patients having complications which had been developed following some procedures on the genitalia by non-medical personnel from January 1995 to December 1999. These patients were analyzed according to characteristics of the patients, the methods, purposes, complications and treatments. RESULTS: Their age at first visit was various from 12 years to 70 years (mean, 35.8 years). At that time when procedures had been performed, their age were 12 years to 56 yeats (mean, 30.8 years) in 26 cases whose ages were identified. Among them 22cases (66.7%) were the married and 11 (33.3%) were the unmarried. Occupations were various and out-of-work were 10 (30.4%), commerce 8 (24.2%), firm worker 6(18.2%), student 5 (15.2%), and private job manager and the not-identified 2 (6.1%). according to the school career, the high school graduates were 18 (54.6%), the college graduates 7 (21.2%), middle school graduates 4 (12.1%), and 4 were under middle school. These procedures were performed for sexual satisfaction in 29 cases (87.9%) and for cheap and easy circumcision in 4 cases (12.1%), of which 26 cases (78.8%) had been performed by other person and 7 cases (21.2%) by himself. According to the materials used, 22 (66.7%) cases had been injected vaseline or paraffin in to the penis and one (3.0%) into the vulva, and one (3.0%) plicated his penile skin with rubber band using sewing needle, which 24 cases (72.7%) were for enlargement of the genitalia. 2 (6.0%) cases inserted plastic balls into the penile skin for sexual arousal of partner. 3 (9.1%) cases put a metallic ring, a ceramic ring, and a vacuum device over their penis for improving erection quality, respectively. 4(12.1%) cases had applied the commercially-maid self-circumcision devices over their prepuce, Complications were foreign body sensation, pain at erection, inflammation, skin necrosis, and septic condition, which were variable case by case. Treatments were removal of foreign materials and devices, necrotic tissue, and primary repair of defected skin, for that, in 2 (6.0%) cases, skin flap and graft were needed. CONCLUSIONS: Lots of complications, severe in some cases, had been developed on external genitalia following various procedures performed by medically unauthorized person. So, we have to strongly for their purpose and it would be rather harmful. At the same time, we have to strongly recommend the government to control strictly such materials and instruments not to be sold and used inappropriately.
Arousal ; Ceramics ; Circumcision, Male ; Commerce ; Female ; Foreign Bodies ; Genitalia ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Male ; Medical Records ; Necrosis ; Needles ; Occupations ; Paraffin ; Penis ; Petrolatum ; Plastics ; Retrospective Studies ; Rubber ; Sensation ; Sexual Behavior ; Single Person ; Skin ; Transplants ; Vacuum ; Vulva

No abstract available.
Humans ; Spinal Cord*

Electrocardiographic findings in 18 cases of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy(HOCM) were compared with those in 20 hypertensives with disproportinate septal hypertrophy(DSH) and in 20 normal controls. In conventional 12 leads electrocardiograms, abmormal Q waves were seen only in 6 cases of HOCM and none in the remadinder. The R waves were tallest in leads V4 in 6 cases(33%) of HOCM, 3(15%) hypertensives with DSH, and 4(20%) of the controls. The correlations of the QRS voltages with echocardiographically measured left ventricular dimension, interventricular septal thickness and left ventricular mass were significant in the hypertensives with DST and normal controls, but insignificant in patients with HOCM. We conclude that these electrocardiographic differences in patients with HOCM from the others would be caused by uneven distribution of hypertrophied muscle mass in the left ventricule and/or by the altered depolarization in hypertrophied cardiac muscles.
Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic* ; Electrocardiography* ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Myocardium