OBJECTIVES: The current literature gives confusing advice on the position of the elbow in ulnar nerve conduction study. The purpose of this study was to determine the appropriate position of elbow flexion for a segmental ulnar nerve conduction study and to attain the basic information for an evaluation of ulnar neuropathy. METHODS: Segmental ulnar motor and sensory nerve conduction studies were performed bilaterally on 40 healthy korean adults(20 men and 20 women) with the age range from 19 to 56 years(mean age : 29.86). The ulnar nerve was stimulated at 7 cm & 10 cm proximal to the active recording electrode respectively and 5 cm distal, and poximal to the medial epicondyle of the humerus for motor and sensory nerves at each elbow flexion position of 0o, 45o, 90o, and 135o. The segmental distances were measured in each position. RESULTS: The segmental nerve conduction velocity(NCV) of the elbow segment increased with the degree of elbow flexion, and it was faster than the forearm segment at 90o and 135o of elbow flexion. The NCV showed no statistical difference in each elbow position. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the degree of elbow flexion should be maintained 90o or above in an ulnar nerve conduction study.
Elbow* ; Electrodes ; Forearm ; Humans ; Humerus ; Male ; Neural Conduction ; Ulnar Nerve* ; Ulnar Neuropathies

Actinomycosis is a rare entity which presents some difficulties in establishing a correct preoperative diagnosis. Many actinomycotic pelvic infections in women are related to IUD use and the colonization rate appears to increase in accordance with the duration of IUD use. So, all women in IUD use are recommended to make cervicovaginal smear and pelvic infection associated with IUD use should be suspected to have actinomycoses. We report a case which presented painful mass on right upper and lower quadrant of abdomen of a 40-year-old women. We identified sulfur granules by histopathologic exam of surgically resected specimen. Eventually it proved to be pelvic and abdominal actinomycosis associated with the use of an intrauterine device. Because variable clinical pictures and infrequency of the disease make the diagnosis more difficult, increased alertness of clinicians and microbiologists to the presence of anaerobic organism as the cause of infection are needed to make an earlier and more correct diagnosis of actinomycoses and to further avoid any inappropriate treatment.
Abdomen ; Actinomycosis ; Adult ; Colon ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Intrauterine Devices ; Pelvic Infection ; Pelvis ; Sulfur

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been an alternative to conventional aortic valve replacement (AVR) in old and high risk patients. The goal of this study is to compare the early outcomes of conventional AVR vs. TAVI in high risk severe AS patients. METHODS: From January 2008 to July 2012, 44 high risk severe aortic stenosis patients underwent conventional AVR, and 15 patients underwent TAVI. We compared echocardiographic data, periprocedural complication, and survival. The mean follow-up duration was 14.5+/-10 months (AVR), and 6.8+/-3.5 months (TAVI), respectively. RESULTS: AVR group was younger (78.2+/-2.4 years vs. 82.2+/-3.0 years, p<0.001) and had lower operative risk (Euroscore: 9.4+/-2.7 vs. 11.0+/-2.0, p=0.044) than TAVI group. There was no significant difference in early mortality (11.4% vs. 13.3%, p=0.839), and 1 year survival (87.4%+/-5.3% vs. 83.1%+/-1.1%, p=0.805). There was no significant difference in postoperative functional class. There was no significant difference in periprocedural complication except vascular complication (0% [AVR] vs. 13.3% [TAVI], p=0.014). TAVI group had more moderate and severe paravalvular leakage. CONCLUSION: In this study, both groups had similar periprocedural morbidity, and mortality. However, TAVI group had more greater than moderate paravalvular leakage, which can influence long-term outcome. Since more patients are treated with TAVI even in moderate risk, careful selection of the patients and appropriate guideline need to be established.
Aortic Valve ; Aortic Valve Stenosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans

BACKGROUND: It is a trend that the average life span is prolonged in proportion to the advance of socio-economy and medical science. Consequently, the number of elderly patients with skin diseases is increasing. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to see the change of patterns of skin diseases in elderly patients. METHODS: One thousand four hundred and twenty elderly patients, over the age of 65, who visited the departments of dermatology and in five hospitals, from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 1997 were selected. We surveyed the frequeney of skin disease by types and the distributions by month, season and age.
Aged* ; Dermatology ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Humans ; Seasons ; Skin Diseases* ; Skin*

A case of symptomatic bilateral popliteal artery entrapment syndrome is reported. A twenty-one-year old male, a candidate of athlete, complained of coldness, weakness, pallor and cyanosis of right lower leg and intermittent claudication to both calves during walking or exercise for ten months. Studies revealed that the right popliteal artery was completely occluded, but the left popliteal artery was non-occlusive. An endarterectomy and onlay vein patch graft to the thrombosed and fibrotic right popliteal artery, and myotomies of bilateral medial heads of gastrocnemius muscle were done (May 20, 1998). Follow-up examinations for the last ten months showed a complete relief of symptoms with normal distal arterial flow. It is thought that even though the majority of patients present with unilateral calf claudication, the possiblity of bilateral problems need to be also considered.
Athletes ; Cyanosis ; Endarterectomy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Humans ; Inlays ; Intermittent Claudication ; Leg ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Pallor ; Popliteal Artery* ; Transplants ; Veins ; Walking

OBJECTIVE: To compare laparoscopic surgery with conventional abdominal surgery in patients with early stage endometrial cancer. METHODS: A retrospective review of 63 patients with early stage endometrial cancer managed between March 2003 and May 2005. Two groups were defined whether they had been treated by laparoscopy (case group: n=26) or by laparotomy (control group: n=37). We compared age, body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin change, operation time, number of pelvic lymph nodes, hospital stay, case with adjuvant treatment and recurrence between two groups. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in characteristics (age, BMI, nulliparity, previous abdominal surgery, FIGO stage, histologic grade). between case and control group. In addition, there was no statistical difference in operation data and outcomes between two groups. Hemoglobin changes were 1.1 g/dL (case group) vs 1.7 g/dL (control group) (p=0.072). Operation time was 131 min vs. 115 min. The numbers of lymph nodes obtained were 8.7 vs 7.7 (right) 9.2 vs. 7.6 (left). Hospital stays were 8.4 vs. 9.2 days. Adjuvant treatment cases were 7 vs. 15. Recurrent case was one in each group. Two patients initially evaluated by laparoscopy were converted to laparotomy due to bleeding and adhesion. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic surgery for treatment of early endometrial cancer is a safe and effective alternative to laparotomy . However, long-term survival and risk of recurrence have yet to be determined.
Body Mass Index ; Endometrial Neoplasms* ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Hysterectomy, Vaginal* ; Laparoscopy ; Laparotomy ; Length of Stay ; Lymph Nodes ; Parity ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: This study was to determine the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) in ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tissues. METHODS: TLR-4 expression was evaluated at the RNA level by real-time quantitative RT-PCR, in 24 fresh frozen ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tissues and 9 normal ovarian tissues. TLR-4 expression was also evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in each three ovarian carcinoma tissues and normal ovarian tissues. RESULTS: Positive immunoreactivity for TLR-4 was observed in the normal ovarian tissues but not in the ovarian carcinoma tissues. The staining was localized in the cytoplasm as well as on the cell surface. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR revealed that TLR-4 expression was significantly lower in tumors than in normal ovarian tissues (p=0.0003). There were no significant correlations between clinical parameters and the expression level of TLR-4 mRNA in ovarian serous adenocarcinomas. However, tumors without LN metastasis (p=0.068) and lower grade (p=0.075) showed trends of higher TLR-4 mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: TLR-4 expression was significantly lower in ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tissues than in normal ovarian tissues, and further studies on TLR-4 signaling pathway in ovarian carcinoma are needed.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cytoplasm ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger ; Toll-Like Receptor 4

OBJECTIVE: Adhesion barrier has been commonly used in gynecologic surgery. The objective of this study is to evaluate the outcome of applying adhesion barrier in preventing adhesion formation after laparoscopic surgery. METHODS: Between March 2000 and March 2010, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who performed laparoscopic surgery twice at Samsung Medical Center. The patients to whom adhesion barrier was applied at the end of the first laparoscopic surgery and had imaging files of pelvic cavity at second laparoscopic surgery were included. The patients with recurrent endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease which can make postoperative adhesion by itself due to the nature of the disease were excluded. RESULTS: Ten patients were eligible to be analyzed. Only 3 among 10 showed adhesion free and we could find de novo adhesion formation in 7 patients at second laparoscopic surgery. Eight patients used Intercede(R) (oxidized regenerated cellulose mesh; Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ, USA) and two patients used Guardix(R) (sodium hyaluronic acid solution and carboxymethylcellulose: Hanmi, Seoul, Korea). In six patients, adhesion formation was found at the operation site and one patient showed postoperative adhesion distant from operation site between omentum and anterior peritoneum of pelvic wall. CONCLUSION: We observed adhesion formation despite of prior use of adhesion barrier after laparoscopic gynecological surgery. These results suggest that the use of adhesion barrier alone after gynecologic laparoscopic surgery may not guarantee adhesion prevention.
Cellulose ; Endometriosis ; Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Laparoscopy ; Medical Records ; New Brunswick ; Omentum ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Peritoneum ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness and toxicity when levamisole was added to the adjuvant combination chemotherapy in patients with operable gastric cancer. METHODS: After en bloc resection of gastric cancer without gross or microscopic evidence of residual disease from April 1991 to December 1992, 100 patients were randomized to 6 months of 5-fluorouracil 1,000 mg/m2/day administered as continuous infusion for 5 days, cisplatin 60 mg/m2/day as intravenous infusion for 1 day with or without levamisole (50 mg every eight hours P.O for a period of three days every 2 weeks for 6 months). This chemotherapy treatment was begun within 2 to 4 weeks after the surgery. The chemotherapy consisted of discrete 5-day courses administered at 4-weeks intervals. All 100 patients are assessable. RESULTS: The fifty patients were assigned to each treatment group. There was no statistical difference and no bias in the distribution of characteristics of the 100 evaluable patients between the two groups. A total of 274 courses of treatment were given in the levamisole group and 260 courses of treatment in non-levamisole group. Eleven patients in each group did not finish planned 6 courses of treatment mainly due to non-compliance. At median follow up of 39 months, 32 patients relapsed 19 in the levamisole group and 13 in the non-levamisole group (p = 0.284). Twenty five patients died of relapsed diseases, 15 in the levamisole group and 10 in the non-levamisole group. The levamisole group tended to show more risk of overall death rate and recurrence than the non-levamisole group. However, this result was not statistically significant at 3 years. The treatment was well tolerated in both treatment groups. The grade 2-3 toxicities were nausea/ vomiting (levamisole, non-levamisole group; 31.7%, 29.3% of treatment courses respectively), diarrhea (7.6%, 8.4%), mucositis (11.6%, 12.3%), and leukopenia (9.8%, 9.6%). CONCLUSION: Levamisole had negative effects on disease-free survival and overall survival when added to adjuvant combination chemotherapy of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil in patients with operable gastric cancer. Both treatment arms were generally well tolerated and the toxicity profile was similar with or without levamisole.
Adjuvants, Immunologic/administration & dosage* ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents, Combined/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Agents, Combined/adverse effects ; Cisplatin/administration & dosage ; Comparative Study ; Female ; Fluorouracil/administration & dosage ; Human ; Levamisole/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Middle Age ; Stomach Neoplasms/mortality ; Stomach Neoplasms/drug therapy*

OBJECTIVE: This study was to investigate the status of hypermethylation and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in chromosome 3p tumor-suppressor gene for cervical carcinoma. METHODS: We examined the promoter methylation status of the chromosome 3p gene, fragile histidine triad (FHIT), in 37 samples of cervical squamous cell carcinoma and corresponding noncancerous tissues using a methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. We also analyzed the 37 paired samples for LOH at two loci on chromosome 3p. RESULTS: Promoter hypermethylation in FHIT was detected in 24% of tumors, whereas no hypermethylation was detected in the corresponding noncancerous tissues. LOH in the regions of FHIT was observed in 10% of informative cases. There were no correlations between LOH and promoter hypermethylation for the gene. FHIT hypermethylation was associated with small tumors and, when adjusted for tumor size, correlated significantly with more frequent lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSION: Promoter hypermethylation and LOH of FHIT gene may play a role in cervical carcinogenesis. In addition, hypermethylation of FHIT may be associated with the status (aggressiveness) of cervical carcinoma.
Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Histidine ; Loss of Heterozygosity* ; Lymph Nodes ; Methylation ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction