PURPOSE: We describe clinical assessment of visual internal urethrotomy (VIU) as primary treatment modality in 69 men who presented with complete or partial obstructed urethral stricture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 63 patients with partial obstructed urethral stricture were treated by typical VIU. The 6 men with complete obstructed urethral stricture were treated by VIU using sound passed through previously placed suprapubic tract as guide. RESULTS: The procedure was completed successfully in 57 of the 63 men with partial obstructed (90.5%) and 3 of 6 patients with complete obstructed urethral stricture (50%). CONCLUSIONS: VIU is a safe and effective as primary treatment plan when urethral stricture is partial obstructed and the impassable urethral segment is shorter than 1.0cm.
Humans ; Male ; Urethral Stricture*

No abstract available.
Family Practice* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Internship and Residency*

Infant Incubator is the most important equipment in a infant ICU. This maintain adequate temperature and humidity for survival of infants. The final object of this research is Web-based monitoring of several infant incubators in ICU. To realize these objects, we developed a temperature/humidity sensing module which is interfaced to Web server board via RS485 port. We used a small micro controller in each sensing module. So the size of this module is small enough to be attached to incubator. We can access each sensing module with RS485 port on Web server board via network. As a first trial, we networked 4 infant incubators. The operator can send alarms to each incubator and these alarms are indicated with sounds and lights on measurement module. Our system can increase the convenience by a intensive central monitoring, so instant handling to some kinds of accident is possible.
Humans ; Humidity ; Incubators ; Incubators, Infant* ; Infant*

OBJECTIVE: As the rapid progress of aged society, there must be solutions of preparation against unpredicted accidents for aged solitary people. The most important thing that we must consider is the unconstraint of daily life. So, we are to develop a system and algorithm which meet our objectives. METHODS: We have monitored the degree of activity of the aged solitary person. The CCD camera was used not to disturb the daily activity and we evaluated the degree of activity using image processing on personal computer. The activity monitoring during night was assumed by sleeping on the bed, so the major method was breath monitoring during sleeping. On the other hand, daily activity was monitored by wide viewing camera in the living room. To prevent the privacy trouble, the acquired image was converted to binary form and the degree of breath and moving factor was estimated. RESULTS: In this paper we propose a new processing algorithm to accurately measure breathing characteristics in sleep apnea sufferers. We improved the conventional center-of-mass method and further applied the projection-profile method. As a result, we have improved breath measurement accuracy. In a comparison with conventional polysomnography, our method was 92% effective in detecting apnea cases. CONCLUSION: As a result of this study, we can monitor sleep apnea more simply and with no sleep interference. In measuring the activity of daily life, these improved algorithms were applied. So, we established a monitoring method of no-constrained, quantitative measurement for the aged solitary people during the whole day.
Apnea ; Hand ; Humans ; Microcomputers ; Polysomnography ; Privacy ; Respiration ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes*

The omentum has been used over the years for a variety of clinical problems. Recently it has shown that placing the omemtum on the brain and spinal cord can lead to an extensive development of vascular connections at the omental/CNS interface. Success with omental transposition to the human brain has led to increasing intreast in placing the omentum onto the human spinal cord. One paraplegic patient was chosen to enter into a feasibility study to see if omental transposition to their spianl cord might result in clinical benefit. The length of time from injury was about 21 months respecively. This patient had little, if any, motor and sensory function below umbilicus level. The operation required surgical lengthening of the pedicled omentum followed by its placement into a subcutaneous tunnel created backward along the lateral chest wall up to T-10, 11 level. An extensive thoracic laminectomy was then performed followed bya wide opening of the dura. In our case the cord showed segmental shrinkage of the spinal cord consistent with previous trauma. The omentum was laid directly onto the underlying spinal cord. Our observation for five months has shown that placement of the omentum onto the chronically injured spinal cord allowed for subsequent improvement in neuroelectrical activity, as manifested by reproducible somatosensory evoked potentials, and, more importantly, in moter function. It is considered that placing the omentum directly upon the brain or spinal cord may have the effect of either improving local vascular perfusion or, possibly, exerting some biochemicals(neurotransmitter), or as yet unknown, influence. But further observation is warranted to determine whether this improvement will be continued and will be observed in another cases.
Brain ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory ; Feasibility Studies ; Humans* ; Laminectomy ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Omentum ; Perfusion ; Sensation ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Thoracic Wall ; Umbilicus

No abstract available.
Diagnosis, Differential*

PURPOSE: The aim of study was to review the results of open surgical repair (OSR) of chronic juxtarenal aortic occlusion (JRAO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the results of OSR performed in 47 patients (male, 92%; mean age, 59.9+/-9.3 years [range, 44-79]) with chronic JRAO during the past 21 years. In order to reduce intraoperative renal ischemic time (RIT), we excised a portion of the occluded segment of the infrarenal aorta without proximal aortic clamping. We then performed suprarenal aortic clamping with both renal arteries clamped, removed the proximal aortic thrombus cap, confirmed both renal artery orifices, and moved the suprarenal aortic clamp to the infrarenal aorta to allow renal perfusion and standard aortoiliac reconstruction. We investigated early (<30 days) postoperative surgical morbidity (particularly renal function), operative mortality, and longterm patient survival. We conducted risk factor analysis for postoperative renal insufficiency. RESULTS: The mean intraoperative RIT was 10.7+/-5.5 minutes (range, 3-25), including 6 patients who underwent concomitant pararenal aortic thromboendarterectomy. Postoperatively, five (11%) patients had transient renal insufficiency, one had pneumonia, and one patient had an acute myocardial infarction. However, there was no operative mortality or newly developed dialysis-dependent renal failure. Postoperative follow up was available in 36 (77%) patients for a mean period of 6.3 years (range, 1 month-17 years). Kaplan Meier calculations of patient survival at 5 and 10 years after surgery were 91.2% and 83.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: We have experienced short RIT, acceptable early postoperative results and long-term survival after OSR of chronic JRAO.
Aorta ; Constriction ; Endarterectomy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction ; Perfusion ; Pneumonia ; Renal Artery ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Thrombosis

No abstract available.
Urinary Bladder*

OBJECTIVE: Rapid increase in aged population and westernization of lifestyle have modified epidemiological status of stroke. The purpose of this study is to analyze changing trends of stroke epidemiology in South Korea. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively medical records of 1,124 cases diagnosed as stroke among 54,534 patients who visited the Emergency Medical Center at our hospital from January 1994 to December 1996 (Group A). Also, we evaluated 1,705 cases diagnosed as stroke among 55,381 patients who visited to the same hospital from January 2003 to December 2005 (Group B). The variable features of stroke, such as age, sex, seasonal variation and distribution of stroke subtypes were studied by comparing group A with B. RESULTS: In group A, hemorrhagic stroke (67.9%) was more prevalent than ischemic stroke (32.1%). However, group B showed that the ratio of hemorrhagic stroke (40.3%) to ischemic stroke (59.6%) has been reversed. The highest incidence of stroke was noted in their sixties and seventies of age in group B, which was older than that of group A. In group A, male ischemic stroke (IS) patients outnumbered female patients (1.26:1). Moreover, this gender disproportion became higher in group B (1.53:1). In group A, the number of male intracerebral hermorrhage (ICH) patients were similar to that of female patients (0.97:1). However, male ICH patients outnumbered female patients in group B (1.23:1). As for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), female patients outnumbered male patients more than two-fold in both groups. Both groups showed that the occurrence of ischemic stroke was highest in summer, but that of hemorrhagic stroke was the highest in winter. CONCLUSION: This study showed the changing trends of stroke in its distribution of subtypes. Multicenter prospective study using stroke registry would be required for the determination of national epidemiologic trends.
Aged ; Emergencies ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Life Style ; Male ; Medical Records ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons ; Stroke ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the treatment strategies for the poor grade patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH) with respect to the timing of surgery. METHODS: We have analyzed 51 patients of Hunt and Hess grade IV and V at admission among 140 SAH patients who were managed during recent three years. They were devided into two groups according to the interval between SAH and surgery: 30 early treatment group(operated within 3 days) and 21 delayed treatment group(6 delayed operation cases and 15 unoperated cases). RESULTS: Clinical outcome of early surgery group was favorable(Good or Fair) in 23 cases(76.7%) and unfavorable in 7 cases(23.3%, 2 Poor, 5 Dead). On the contrary, those of delayed surgery group or without surgery group was favorable in 4 cases(19.1%) and unfavorable in 17 cases(80.9%, 1 Poor, 16 Dead). Overall management outcome of poor grade SAH patients was favorable in 27 cases(52.9%), unfavorable in 24 cases(47.1%) and mortality rate was 41.2%. Unfavorable outcome in poor grade SAH patients was largely affected by the initial hemorrhage and subsequent development of intractable intracranial hypertension(Hunt and Hess grade IV: 5 cases, grade V: 8 cases), cerebral infarction(grade IV: 3 cases, grade V: 1), rebleeding(grade IV: 3 cases), and surgical complication(4 cases). CONCLUSION: An active treatment policy including early surgery might achieve a better outcome of poor grade SAH patients.
Aneurysm* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mortality ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage*