No abstract available.
Follow-Up Studies* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Radiculopathy*

Background & Objectives: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of radiculopathy in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients through electrodiagnostic tests, to assess associated radicular pain characteristics,and to investigate the relationship between pain and other clinical manifestations of PD. Methods: Electrodiagnostic testing including nerve conduction studies and needle electromyographywas performed to investigate comorbid peripheral neuropathy or radiculopathy. All patients were asked to complete aquality of life (QOL) measurement related to pain. Results: Thirty-two (39%) of 82 PD patients had radiculopathy based on electrodiagnostic testing. 46.9% with radiculopathy patients had involvement of multiple roots level. The most commonly involved root was L5 (83.3%). Patients with radiculopathy had longer PD durations (p=0.011) and higher posture-related axial scores on the UPDRS scale (p=0.017).There was a trend for pain in the leg and low back to occur more frequently in PD patients with radiculopathy. QOL is not significantly different according to the presence of radiculopathy in PD. Conclusions: This study demonstrates a high prevalence of radiculopathy, particularly multiple root involvement, and is correlated with pain complaints and with axial motor scores on UPDRS. These findings might be related to increased shear force at the intervertebral disc by axial rigidity and flexed posture in PD along with the duration and severity of PD disease course.
Parkinson Disease ; Radiculopathy

Two 4-day-old Thoroughbred foals with acute clinical signs of depression, elevated pulse and respiratory rates, anemia, and jaundice were referred to the equine hospital of Korea Racing Authority. The foals were seemingly normal at birth, but showed clinical signs such as abnormal behavior, jaundice and anemia suddenly after ingestion of the mare's colostrum, followed by death at 4 days after birth. According to the results of the hematology, serum chemistry analysis, jaundice foal agglutination test, and blood groups test, the foals were diagnosed as neonatal isoerythrolysis (NI) caused by the mare's antibodies. These results suggested that the pregnant mares have a potential for NI.
Agglutination Tests ; Anemia ; Antibodies ; Blood Group Antigens ; Colostrum ; Continental Population Groups ; Depression ; Eating ; Hematology ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Korea ; Parturition ; Respiratory Rate

BACKGROUND: The use of choledochoscopy has been increasing lately in open and laparoscopic surgery for bile duct stones. Intraoperative choledochoscopy is useful for assessing the biliary trees and stones and for assisting in the removal of bile duct stones. However, large or impacted bile duct stones are difficult to remove using choledochoscopy alone. Application of electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL) seems to be suited for these difficult cases. METHODS: Twenty-six (26) patients with bile duct stones were treated with intraoperative cho ledochoscopic EHL to remove stones which could not be retrieved using stone forceps, a basket, saline flushing, or a Fogarty catheter. We divided the 26 cases into two groups: 12 cases of laparoscopic surgery and 14 cases of open surgery. These cases were further divided into two groups: common bile duct stones and intrahepatic duct stones RESULTS: The indications of EHL in laparoscopic surgery for common bile duct stones were large stones in 2 cases and impacted stones in 4 cases. Eighteen (18) patients with intrahepatic duct stones were treated with EHL for impacted stones. Stone clearence rate was 88.5%, and complications occurred in 3 cases (11.5%). One case of a biliary fistula was managed conservatively, and two cases of mucosal bleeding of the bile duct were spontaneously controlled. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative choledochoscopic electrohydraulic lithotripsy is a safe and effective method for removing large or impacted bile duct stones.
Bile Ducts* ; Bile* ; Biliary Fistula ; Catheters ; Common Bile Duct ; Flushing ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Lithotripsy* ; Surgical Instruments

PURPOSE: Torus palatinus is a bony prominence at the middle of the hard palate. The size varies from barely discernible to very large, from flat to lobular. This oral exostosis is not a disease or a sign of disease, but if large, may be a problem. So, we present the clinical and histopathologic features and applied therapy and provide a comprehensive review of the rare case of the symptomatic exostoses. METHODS: A 37-year-old woman had slowly growing exophytic nodular mass of the bone that arises the midline suture of the hard palate. The patient was concerned about discomfort associated with movement of her tongue and about frequent irritation of the palatal mucosa during mastification of the hard food. The patient had a large, unilobulated torus palatinus. It extended from the area adjacent to the canine to a point beyond the junction with the soft palate. The mass was oblong in shape, measuring about 3cm long, 2cm wide, and 0.8cm in height. RESULTS: Before surgical intervention a CT was obtained for the sake of estimating the thickness of the bone between the exostoses and the maxillary antrum and floor of the nose. The surgical procedure was performed with the patient under general anesthesia. Removal of the exostosis was performed after midline mucoperiosteal incision with osteotome and diamond burr. Histologic finding revealed decalcified dense bony tissue, the presence of lacunae, and normal osteocytes. CONCLUSION: Surgical removal is recommended when one or more of the following condition exist: interference with the construction of prosthesis, interference with oral function, irritation or pathology of the overlying tissue, inability of the patient to maintain proper oral hygiene, and fear of malignancy or other psychologic trauma. We report a rare case of the torus arising in hard palate with symptoms.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; Diamond ; Exostoses ; Female ; Floors and Floorcoverings ; Humans ; Hyperostosis ; Maxillary Sinus ; Mucous Membrane ; Nose ; Oral Hygiene ; Osteocytes ; Palate ; Palate, Hard ; Palate, Soft ; Prostheses and Implants ; Sutures ; Tongue

A preduodenal portal vein is a rare anomaly. A left-sided gallbladder is also a rare anatomical variant that may be occasionally combined with a preduodenal portal vein. We report here a patient with multiple biliary stones whose preduodenal portal vein was discovered at operation. The anomaly was a preduodenal portal vein associated with a left-sided gallbladder, which is very rare. This is the first case reported in Korea. An abnormal location of the round ligament to the right side can make the gallbladder appear to be a left-sided gallbladder. Our case belongs to this category. This patient had multiple biliary stones in the intrahepatic duct, the common bile duct, and the gallbladder. We treated him with a cholecystec tomy, choledochotomy, and choledochoscopic stone extraction using a basket, and electrohydraulic lithotripter. All procedures were done using a laparoscopic method. The patient was treated well with no complication.
Common Bile Duct ; Gallbladder* ; Humans ; Korea ; Portal Vein* ; Round Ligament of Uterus ; Round Ligaments

Botulism is a rare neuroparalytic disease caused by neurotoxins of Clostridium species. A ten-year-old girl and her mother were admitted to a hospital with symptoms of progressive dizziness, blurred vision, slurred speech, constipation and difficulty in swallowing. These characteristic manifestations and clinical course prompted an examination of the possibility of botulism. Mouse bioassay performed with mother's stool demonstrated type A botulinum toxin and culture of the mother's stool was positive for Clostridium botulinum type A. This is the first case of botulism in Korea.
Animals ; Biological Assay ; Botulinum Toxins ; Botulism* ; Clostridium ; Clostridium botulinum ; Clostridium botulinum type A ; Constipation ; Deglutition ; Dizziness ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mice ; Mothers ; Neurotoxins

Central neurocytoma, a cerebral intraventricular tumor, is usually benign. It frequently develops in the area of the foramen of Monro, and is usually attached to the septum pellucidum. Mild to moderate contrast enhancement is common. We encountered a case of central neurocytoma in a 60-year-old woman; the tumor arose from the atrium of the lateral ventricle, and extraventricular extension and malignant transformation were apparent. CT and MRI revealed a well-defined, slightly heterogeneous mass measuring 2.5x3x5cm with surrounding edema. There was strong contrast enhancement of the mass.
Cerebral Ventricles ; Edema ; Female ; Humans ; Lateral Ventricles ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Neurocytoma* ; Septum Pellucidum

We report an extremely rare case of a diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis without extrahepatic involvement in an adult. The imaging findings of this tumor were similar to those of a hepatic hemangioma and included contrast enhancement with a centripetal filling pattern of the entire hepatic tumor on the delayed phase of a dynamic CT and inhomogeneous diffuse uptake of the entire tumor on blood-pool images obtained five hours later on a 99mTc-labeled red blood cell scan. Despite its rarity, diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis can be suggested in adult patients with diffusely involved hepatic tumors showing the radiological findings of a hepatic hemangioma.
Adult ; Female ; Gated Blood-Pool Imaging ; Hemangioma/*diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of whole body bone mineral densitometry in the diagnosis of frequent osteopenia of preterm infants by comparison with the wrist radiographs and biochemical parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1995 to January 1996, we obtained whole body bone mineral density(BMD) studies using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry(DXA) and wrist radiographs of 39 preterm infants. They were divided into three groups according to birth weight, under 1500g, 1501g to 2000g and above 2000g, and four grades of skeletal change, as seen on wrist radiography, according to the scoring method of Koo et al. Groups of birth weight and grades of skeletal change were then correlated with whole body BMD and biochemical parameters. For comparison, normal data were obtained from 13 infants born at full term. Data were analyzed by one way analysis of variation(ANOVA) and correlation and regression analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESUTLS: Whole body BMDs were significantly lower in the more premature and smaller birth weight infants(r=0.77, p=0.0000), and in the higher grade of skeletal change (r=-0.5276, p=0.0000). Aggravated skeletal changes were found in infants with lower birth weight(r=-0.3822, p=0.01). Interobserver variation in grading skeletal change was 42.9%, and intraobserver variation was 18.4%. Biochemical parameters such as serum calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, parathromone, calcitonin and 25-hydroxy-vitamine D did not vary significantly according to either birth weight or skeletal change (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Premature osteopenia is more effectively diagnosed by measuring whole body BMD using DXA than by grading radiographical skeletal change or by biochemical parameters.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Birth Weight ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic* ; Calcitonin ; Calcium ; Densitometry* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Observer Variation ; Parturition ; Radiography* ; Research Design ; Rickets ; Wrist*