BACKGROUND: To find out characteristics and classification of toxic agents by clinical analysis of pediatric poisoning and to determine the clinical availability of grading by using MSPC score. METHOD: Subjects were patients under 15 years exposed to toxic agents, who visited Ajou university hospital emergency center from June, 1994 to October, 1997. The study was performed retrospectively. RESULTS: The subjects were 126 cases and male to female sex ratio was 1.2:1. Mean age was 29+/-30 months old. The most common route of exposure was ingestion, following contact, inhalation and bite. The most common reason was mistake by the patient, following mistake by caregiver, suicide attempt and accident. The MSPC score distribution of symptomatic patient was as follows; 1 point: 26 cases(63.4%), 2 point: 12 cases(29.2%), 3 point: 1 case(2.4%), 4 point: 2 cases(4.8%). The classification of exposed poison was as follows; therapeutic drugs: 29 cases(23.0%), non-therapeutic drugs: 97 cases(73.0%). The most common exposed poison was household products: 23 patients(18.3%) were admitted to hospital. CONCLUSION: There was statistically significant difference in the classification of poison, MSPC score, treatment modality at hospital, first follow up period after discharge between admitted group and non-admitted group. There was statistically significant difference in the reason of exposure, route of exposure, MSPC score, admission period according to patient's age. severity grading according to MSPC score is regarded as an available method to determine the modality of management.
Caregivers ; Classification ; Eating ; Emergencies ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Household Products ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Male ; Poisoning* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Ratio ; Suicide

PURPOSE: To assess the role of blood vessels in the formation of peritumoral abnormal signal intensity which exaggerates the size of malignant tumor on MR images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed MR-microangiographic-pathologic correlation using implanted VX-2 carcinoma in 16 rabbit thighs 1-28 days after tumor implantation. The shape and distribution of abnormal vessels were analyzed on microangiography and on histologic examination in correlation with peritumoral abnormal signal intensity on MR images. RESULTS: Dilated peritumoral blood vessels gave rise to irregular, tortuous tumor vessels penetrated into the tumor. With the tumor growth, hypervascular tumor vessels in peritumoral area and central avascular areas were increased. These hypervascular areas on microangiography were corresponded with abnormal signal intensity on MR images. CONCLUSION: Hypervascularity could be a cause of peritumoral abnormal signal intensity which exaggerates the size of experimentally induced malignant musculoskeletal tumors on MR images.
Blood Vessels* ; Thigh

Elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase(ALT),and bilirubin levels was noted incidentally in patients who received laparoscopic cholecystectomy(LC). This study was attempted to investigate the elevation of liver enzymes and bilirubin levels after LC and its clinical significance. Twenty patients who showed normal levels of preoperative liver function test were entered into this study, and blood was collected at 24hours, 72hours and 7days after operation for measurement of AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase(ALP), and bilirubin levels. In AST, a mean 2.76-fold postoperative increase was observed in 18 patients(90%) and 12 patients(60%) showed an elevation rise above normal limits. In ALT, a mean 2.14-fold postoperative increase was observed in 16 patients(80%) and 10 patients(50%) showed an elevation rise above normal limits. A mean 1.42-fold and a mean 2.12-fold increase were observed in total and direct bilirubin level respectively and elevation above normal limits occured in 7 patients(35%) and 4 patients (20%) respectively. The patients with an elevation of AST, ALT and bilirubin levels did not show any related clinical problem, and the elevations were transitory and returned to normal value within several days without any specific treatment.. Although the exact causes of these elevations need further investigation, theys appear to have no obvious clinical significance.
Alanine ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Bilirubin* ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic* ; Humans ; Liver Function Tests ; Liver* ; Reference Values

The authors analysed statically 420 Cases of the ocular trauma among 35,460 patients who visited to the emergency department, from Jul. 1995 to Jun. 1996. Ocular trauma is one of the commonest causes of eye diseases and blindness, but its patterns and incidences are variable according to the environment. A large number of patients can be readily treated in the emergency department. Prevention is, of course, the best management, but when an ocular injury occurs, proper emergency treatment can often prevent permanent damage.
Blindness ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Emergency Treatment ; Eye Diseases ; Humans ; Incidence

BACKGROUND: Although numerous previous studies on the subject have been performed, the correlations between various pathologic findings on magnetic resonance imaging and pain reproduction by provoked discography have not been fully explained. A higher sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of the high intensity zone (HIZ) for predicting concordant pain was reported. Moreover, although the apparent validity of this sign has been corroborated by some investigators, it has been questioned by others. The validity of this sign awaits confirmation. The various pathologic parameters seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with discogenic lumbar pain was assessed and correlated with observations on discography. METHODS: There were 18 patients enrolled, ranging in age from 28 to 64 years with an average age of 48.8 +/- 10.2 (mean +/- SD) years. Five men (28%) and thirteen women (72%) participated in the study. All patients underwent provocation discography by a standard technique, as mentioned previously. The lumbar discs examined were L3-L4;(2), L4-L5;(14) and L5-S1;(10). The relationship between discogenic lumbar pain and disc morphology was investigated by using MRI and provocation discography. RESULTS: Of the 26 discs being studied, 16 proved to be concordantly painful at discography relative to clinical back, buttock, hip, groin, and proximal leg pain complaints. Fourteen of the 16 painful and concordant pain discs exhibit grade 2, 3 with annular tears, and four with free leakage of contrast into the epidural space. Using chi-square analysis, we observed a significant correlation (P < 0.05) between the annular disruption grade and the provoked pain response. We were not able to demonstrate that the HIZ was associated with any particular grade of disc disruption. Similarly, there was no significant correlation (P > 0.05) between a concordant pain response and the presence of an HIZ regardless of the level and grade of disc disruption. CONCLUSIONS: The presence or lack of the HIZ does not exclude the disc as a source of pain and should not replace provocation discography as a means of evaluating low back pain with or without sciatica.
Buttocks ; Epidural Space ; Female ; Groin ; Hip ; Humans ; Leg ; Low Back Pain ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Male ; Reproduction ; Research Personnel ; Sciatica

No abstract available.
Animals ; Macrophages ; Macrophages, Peritoneal* ; Mice* ; Signal Transduction*

Liposarcoma is one of the most common soft tissue sarcomas in adults and its incidence rate is above 10% of all soft tissue sarcoma. The two common sites of liposarcoma are the extremities, particularly the thigh, and the retroperitoneum, but it developes rarely in spermatic cord, testis, chest wall and breast, mediastinum, omentum and mesentery. Primary solid tumors of omentum are exceedingly rare. Most of them are of mesenchymal origin and about one-half of them are malignant. Primary liposarcoma occurring in the omentum has been reported rarely, and especially round cell type liposarcoma, one of the histologic subtype of liposarcoma, has been known to be extremely rare. Recently, we experienced a patient with round cell liposarcoma arising primarily in the omentum. Herein, we report the clinical case with a consideration of the cytopathologic and ultrastructural features and a review of the literature.
Adult ; Breast ; Extremities ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liposarcoma* ; Mediastinum ; Mesentery ; Omentum* ; Sarcoma ; Spermatic Cord ; Testis ; Thigh ; Thoracic Wall

It is uncommon for Fabry's disease (FD) patient to present with an isolated ischemic stroke without other typical symptoms or signs of FD. A 48-year-old woman presented with recurrent limb weakness and her brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple ischemic brain lesions. Ten years ago, the patient had been diagnosed with heterozygote FD by the genetic test, but she had not shown any typical symptoms or sign of FD so far. Isolated organ involvement could occur in heterozygote FD.
Brain ; Brain Ischemia ; Extremities ; Fabry Disease ; Female ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Stroke

Primary lymphoma of the spleen is a relatively rare disease entity and is usually defined, although it is still controversial and hard to define, as the lymphoma which involved primarily the spleen and splenic hilar lymph nodes without involvement in any other site, particularly in the liver and in the mesenteric or para-aortic lymph nodes. In laparotomy of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, splenic involvements are found in 30 to 50% of patients as part of a diffuse pattern of the disease, but primary lymphoma of the spleen accounts for less than 1 % of all lymphoma cases. And it is often difficult to determine during laparotomy whether splenic involvement with lymphoma is primary or the result of a spread from another site. We herein report on a case of primary lymphoma of the spleen which was detected incidentally during evaluation of the cause of right upper quadrant abdominal pain. During the operation, a splenic tumor was found without the evidence of involvement in other sites, and it was confirmed pathologically to be a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the spleen. She lives well now without evidence of recurrence 14 months after the operation.
Abdominal Pain ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence ; Spleen*

Spontaneous pneumothorax is rarely occurred as an initial sign of primary lung cancer. As a lot of these cases have already advanced, even then surgical resection is performed, the prognosis is often undesirable. We happened to find a ruptured cavity on a 65-year-old male patient who had suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis in the past, while performing VATS bullectomy for simple spontaneous pneumothorax. Then, as a result of frozen biopsy, it was diagnosed as squamous cell cancer. Because the tumor was infiltrated from the upper lobe into the lower lobe passing by fissure, we should remove by pneumonectomy and the pathologic stage was found stage I (T2N0M0). When we made an follow-up observation for one year and a half, there was neither relapse nor complication. When there appears spontaneous pneumothorax to the high risk group for lung cancer who were smokers over forty-year old, with chronic bronchitis or pulmonary emphysema, it needs to have a closer observation on a base lung disease such as lung cancer through chest CT, and it is also necessary to make more active approach by performing the surgical operation through a thoracoscopy when there is a continued air release.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Bronchitis, Chronic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Male ; Neoplasms, Squamous Cell ; Pneumonectomy ; Pneumothorax* ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Emphysema ; Recurrence ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted ; Thoracoscopy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary