Brachytherapy was developed to treat prostate cancer 50 years ago. Current advanced techniques using transrectal ultrasonography were established 25 years ago. Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) has enabled the prostate to be viewed with improved resolution with the use of modern ultrasound machines. Moreover, the development of software that can provide images captured in real time has improved treatment outcomes. Other new radiologic imaging technologies or a combination of magnetic resonance and TRUS could be applied to brachytherapy in the future. The therapeutic value of brachytherapy for early-stage prostate cancer is comparable to that of radical prostatectomy in long-term follow-up. Nevertheless, widespread application of brachytherapy cannot be achieved for several reasons. The treatment outcome of brachytherapy varies according to the skill of the operator and differences in patient selection. Currently, only three radioactive isotopes are available for use in low dose rate prostate brachytherapy: I-125, Pd-103, and Cs-131; therefore, more isotopes should be developed. High dose rate brachytherapy using Ir-192 combined with external beam radiation, which is needed to verify the long-term effects, has been widely applied in high-risk patient groups. Recently, tumor-selective therapy or focal therapy using brachytherapy, which is not possible by surgical extraction, has been developed to maintain the quality of life in selected cases. However, this new application for prostate cancer treatment should be performed cautiously because we do not know the oncological outcome, and it would be an interim treatment method. This technique might evolve into a hybrid of whole-gland treatment and focal therapy.
Brachytherapy ; Chimera ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Isotopes ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Patient Selection ; Prostate ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Quality of Life ; Radioisotopes ; Treatment Outcome

Brachytherapy was developed to treat prostate cancer 50 years ago. Current advanced techniques using transrectal ultrasonography were established 25 years ago. Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) has enabled the prostate to be viewed with improved resolution with the use of modern ultrasound machines. Moreover, the development of software that can provide images captured in real time has improved treatment outcomes. Other new radiologic imaging technologies or a combination of magnetic resonance and TRUS could be applied to brachytherapy in the future. The therapeutic value of brachytherapy for early-stage prostate cancer is comparable to that of radical prostatectomy in long-term follow-up. Nevertheless, widespread application of brachytherapy cannot be achieved for several reasons. The treatment outcome of brachytherapy varies according to the skill of the operator and differences in patient selection. Currently, only three radioactive isotopes are available for use in low dose rate prostate brachytherapy: I-125, Pd-103, and Cs-131; therefore, more isotopes should be developed. High dose rate brachytherapy using Ir-192 combined with external beam radiation, which is needed to verify the long-term effects, has been widely applied in high-risk patient groups. Recently, tumor-selective therapy or focal therapy using brachytherapy, which is not possible by surgical extraction, has been developed to maintain the quality of life in selected cases. However, this new application for prostate cancer treatment should be performed cautiously because we do not know the oncological outcome, and it would be an interim treatment method. This technique might evolve into a hybrid of whole-gland treatment and focal therapy.
Brachytherapy ; Chimera ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Isotopes ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Patient Selection ; Prostate ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Quality of Life ; Radioisotopes ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Epithelium* ; Humans ; Severe Combined Immunodeficiency*

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Pulmonary Embolism*

STUDY DESIGN: A case report. OBJECTIVES: This case report presents a child who was treated conservatively after having being diagnosed with cervical intervertebral disc calcification. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Cervical intervertebral disc calcification is considered as a degenerative change of spine. It is common in adults and in most cases, no symptoms are observed. In children, by contrast, it is a rare condition and frequently accompanies symptoms such as severe neck pain and dysphagia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 7-year-old male patient who suffered from neck pain and torticollis without trauma had been diagnosed with cervical intervertebral disc calcification and was treated conservatively. He was discharged after symptom relief, and has been followed up and observed in our outpatient department. RESULTS: The improvements of symptom and radiographic findings were found in the month follow up. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical intervertebral disc calcification shows similar symptoms to laryngopharyngeal abscess, traumatic injury and infective spondylitis, but through careful physical examination and radiologic evaluation, differential diagnosis is possible. After diagnosis, conservative treatment alone is sufficient. Antibiotic usage and surgical treatment are avoidable.
Abscess ; Adult ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Male ; Neck Pain ; Outpatients ; Physical Examination ; Spine ; Spondylitis ; Torticollis

Ureteroscopic lithotripsy using Swiss Lithoclast was performed in 411 cases from January 1996 to September 2007 in a single hospital. Medical records of 341 cases, in which Swiss Lithoclast was successfully applied, were available for this retrospective study. We used 9.5Fr and 10Fr Storz rigid ureteroscopes. A success was defined as being free of stone-related symptoms and residual stones larger than 2 mm. Sixty one stones were located in the upper ureter, 49 stones were in the mid ureter, and 231 stones were in the lower ureter. The overall success rate was 93.5%. The success rate of upper ureter stone (80.3%) was significantly lower compared with those of mid (93.8%) and lower (96.9%) ureter stones (P=0.001). The higher the calculi was located within the ureter, the more chance of upward migration there was (P<0.001). The success rate in male patients was lower than in female patients without a statistical significance (P=0.068). The success rate decreased as the size of the stone increased (P<0.001), and as the degree of hydronephrosis increased (P=0.03). Perforation rates were 4.9%, 4.1%, and 2.6% from upper to lower ureter stone group. Ureteroscopic lithotripsy using Swiss Lithoclast is a safe and useful treatment modality for ureteral calculi.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; *Lithotripsy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Ureteral Calculi/complications/*therapy ; Ureteroscopy

PURPOSE: To investigate the difference in rectal complications rate following prostate low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy based on prostate-rectum distance and prostate longitudinal length among early prostate cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2008 to February 2013, 245 prostate cancer patients with a Gleason score < or =7 were treated with 125-I LDR brachytherapy. Among them, 178 patients with prostate volume 20-35 mL and a follow-up period > or =6 months were evaluated for radiation proctitis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed for a prebrachytherapy evaluation, and prostate-rectum distance and prostate longitudinal length were measured. The radiation proctitis was confirmed and graded via colonoscopy based on the radiation therapy oncology group (RTOG) toxicity criteria. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients received a colonoscopy for proctitis evaluation, and 12 were identified as grade 1 on the RTOG scale. Nine patients were diagnosed as grade 2 and 2 patients were grade 3. No patient developed grade 4 proctitis. The rectal-complication group had a mean prostate-rectum distance of 2.51+/-0.16 mm, while non-rectal-complication control group had 3.32+/-0.31 mm. The grade 1 proctitis patients had a mean prostate-rectum distance of 2.80+/-0.15 mm, which was significantly longer than 2.12+/-0.31 mm of grades 2 and 3 patient groups (p=0.045). All 11 patients of grades 2 and 3 had a prostate longitudinal length of 35.22+/-2.50 mm, which was longer than group 1, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.214). CONCLUSIONS: As the prostate-rectum distance increased, fewer postimplantation rectal symptoms were observed. Patients with a shorter prostate-rectum distance in MRI should receive modified implantation techniques or radical prostatectomy.
Aged ; Brachytherapy/*adverse effects ; Carcinoma/*radiotherapy ; Colonoscopy ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Organ Size ; Proctitis/diagnosis/*etiology ; Prostate/*pathology ; Prostatic Neoplasms/*radiotherapy ; Radiation Injuries/diagnosis/*etiology ; Severity of Illness Index

PURPOSE: We evaluated indications for chorionic villus sampling (CVS), the positive predictive value of CVS for fetal chromosomal abnormalities, and the fetal loss rate after CVS at CHA Medical Center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 511 cases of CVS performed between 67 and 120 days of gestation for prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis from April 2000 to April 2010. Fetal karyotypes were obtained by direct and indirect culture methods. RESULTS: The most common indications for CVS were abnormal ultrasonic findings including increased nuchal translucency (294/635, 46.3%). The positive predictive value of abnormal karyotyping according to indication for CVS was highest in cases with abnormal parental karyotypes (14/21, 66.7%). Mosaicism revealed by CVS comprised 3.1% of the sample (16/509). Amniocentesis revealed two cases of true mosaicism and 11 cases of confined placental mosaicism. The fetal loss rate within 4 weeks of the procedure was 1.2% (6/511). CONCLUSION: If CVS is performed by an expert clinician, it is a feasible and reliable procedure for prenatal genetic diagnosis. When CVS indicates mosaicism, the finding should be confirmed by amniocentesis to distinguish true mosaicism from confined placental mosaicism.
Amniocentesis ; Chorion ; Chorionic Villi ; Chorionic Villi Sampling ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Cytogenetics ; Female ; Humans ; Karyotype ; Karyotyping ; Medical Records ; Mosaicism ; Nuchal Translucency Measurement ; Parents ; Pregnancy ; Ultrasonics

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of maternal age with occurrence of fetal chromosomal abnormalities in Korean pregnant women of advanced maternal age (AMA). METHODS: A retrospective review of the amniocentesis or chorionic villous sampling (CVS) database at Gangnam and Bundang CHA Medical Centers, between January 2001 and February 2012, was conducted. This study analyzed the incidence of fetal chromosomal abnormalities according to maternal age and the correlation between maternal age and fetal chromosomal abnormalities in Korean pregnant women > or =35 years of age. In addition, we compared the prevalence of fetal chromosomal abnormalities between women of AMA only and the others as the indication for amniocentesis or CVS. RESULTS: A total of 15,381 pregnant women were selected for this study. The incidence of aneuploidies increased exponentially with maternal age (P<0.0001). In particular, the risk of trisomy 21 (standard error [SE], 0.0378; odds ratio, 1.177; P<0.001) and trisomy 18 (SE, 0.0583; odds ratio, 1.182; P=0.0040) showed significant correlation with maternal age. Comparison between women of AMA only and the others as the indication for amniocentesis or CVS showed a significantly lower rate of fetal chromosomal abnormalities only in the AMA group, compared with the others (P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that AMA is no longer used as a threshold for determination of who is offered prenatal diagnosis, but is a common risk factor for fetal chromosomal abnormalities.
Amniocentesis ; Aneuploidy ; Chorion ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Down Syndrome ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Maternal Age ; Odds Ratio ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Trisomy

Anticardiolipin antibodies(ACA) were assayed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 68 patients with Behçet's disease. Twenty seven (39.7 %) patients showed levels of ACA five standard deviations above the value of the control group. The frequency of ACA isotype IgM was found to be significantly increased in these patients. However, ACA was not found to have a significant association with clinical activity, thrombosis, positive Venereal Disease Research Laboratory(VDRL) test or antinuclear antibodies (ANA).
Antibodies, Anticardiolipin* ; Antibodies, Antinuclear ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases ; Thrombosis