Many people want to receive facial rejuvenation with surgical treatment, but the post operative result is not always satisfying following classic soft tissue surgery. The reasons for dissatisfaction are many. We were particularly interested in the skeletal disharmony which is frequent in orientals. Since many orientals have flat and quadrangular facial contours, they often don't obtain the harmony of the facial skeleton and soft tissue despite successful surgery. So, to correct facial contour, mandibular angle contouring can be performed at the time of face lift. Seven patients had mandibular angle resection performed during facial rhytidectomy from October of 1996 to October of 1998 at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, and they were followed from 4 months to 24 months. At the time of face lift, we tried the retromandibular approach for mandibular angle resection when it was indicated, instead of the intraoral approach which does not leave a noticeable scar and does not have the risk of facial nerve injury. Because of a restricted operative field, the intraoral approach has the disadvantages of a long operation time and a high risk of complications. The retromandibular approach with rhytidectomy incision showed neither noticeable scar nor developed a facial nerve injury. In conclusion, we found that mandibular angle contouring by retromandibular approach is easy and the result is more normal with a shorter recovery time. There were no complications and aesthetic results were quite satisfactory.
Cicatrix ; Facial Nerve Injuries ; Humans ; Rejuvenation ; Rhytidoplasty* ; Skeleton

We retrospectively studied 53 cases of thymic tumors diagnosed after thymectomy to clearfied the pathologic difference of thymic tumor associated with myasthenia gravis and without myasthenia gravis. Among them, there are 23 cases with myasthenia gravis; 19 among 36 thymomas(52.8%), 3 of 4 thymolipoma (75%) and 1 squamous cell carcinoma. Lymphoma and teratoma are not associated with myasthenia gravis. There is no significant difference in the prevalence of myasthenia gravis between types of the old traditional classification of thymoma. But according to the new Muller-Hermelink classification, about two-thirds of myasthenia gravis have the thymoma with cortical cell origin. The prevalence of myasthenia gavis were relatively low in the patients with thymoma of medullary or mixed type. The frequent association of myasthenia gravis was suggesting that the thymolipoma might be a variant of thymoma, cortical type.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Classification ; Humans ; Lymphoma ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Teratoma ; Thymectomy ; Thymoma ; Thymus Gland* ; Thymus Neoplasms

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Burns* ; Hand* ; Humans ; Infant*

From an aesthetic surgical point of view, rhinoplasty is one of most important field. The nose of asian is characterized by thin and weak nasal septal cartilage, wide and small alar cartilage, bulbous nasal tip due to excessive fibrous tissue and thick skin. Conventional rhinoplasty is not enough to get a satisfactory result. In order to produce optimal nasal shape, it is extremely important to augment the tip along with nasal dorsum in most of the patients. From March of 1997 to June of 1999, total 162 patient underwent open rhinoplasty with various nasal implants. Surgical approach was done through the transcolumella incision and alar rim incision. The nasal dorsum was augmented with silicone implant, and columella shape was controlled by 0.85-mm thickness porous high-density polyethylene sheet(Medpor). Porous high-density polyethylene sheet was 4mm width and was placed between the medial crura. The nasal tip was corrected by Polytetrafluoroethylene(Gore-Tex) implant. Reverse pyramidal shaped onlay graft of Polytetrafluoroethylene(Gore-Tex"") implant was not palpable on nasal tip skin. We obtained harmonious nasal shape and high patient satisfaction. There was two infection and one exposure of Polytetra- fluoroethylene(Gore-Tex) implant, but there was no other major complications. We believe that this method is stable, reliable, predictable, valuable technique for rhinoplasty, but we think that further follow up and study are needed.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cartilage ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Inlays ; Nose ; Patient Satisfaction ; Polyethylene ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Rhinoplasty* ; Silicones ; Skin ; Transplants

Capsaicin is the principal pungent component of Capsicum fruits. Biological effect of capsaicin is various and complicated. This study was undertaken to define the effect of topical application of capsaicin on flap survival in rat. Fourty Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups. With ten rats in each group, group A was only flap elevation group, as the control, group B was applied 0.025% capsaicin ointment for 7 days after skin flap elevation, group C was applied 0.075% capsaicin ointment for 7 days after skin flap elevation, group D was elevated two skin flap and one flap was control, the other flap was applied 0.075% capsaicin ointment for 7 days. Group A demonstrate 46.2+ 2.5% flap survival rate. Group B demonstrate 48.8+/-7.8% of flap survival rate, group C demonstrate 53.3+/-7.0% of flap survival rate. Control flap on group D demonstrate 43.5+/-3.5% of flap survival rate, 0.075% capsaicin applied flap demonstrate 52.9+/-7.2% of flap survival rate. Compared to the control group, increase in survival rate in group B was not statistically significant. The mean flap survival rate in group C was significantly increased than control group (p < 0.05). Compared to the control flap in group D, 0.075% capsaicin applied flap showed significantly higher flap survival rate. Based upon this data, local application of 0.075% capsaicin ointment demonstrate significantly increased value of survival area and survival rate on skin flap in rat (p < 0.05). And further studies may be needed for the evaluation of correct action mechanisms of capsaicin.
Animals ; Capsaicin* ; Capsicum ; Fruit ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin ; Survival Rate

The anterior clinoid process, the medial end of the lesser wing of the sphenoid bone, may be pneumatized by sphenoid sinus as part of normal development. The cases of sphenoid mucocele described in literature are sparse, especially located in anterior clinoid that is a bone structure seldom presenting pneumatization. Therefore generally showing no anatomic substrate justifying the development and the growth of a mucocele, have to be considered really exceptional. We present three cases of anterior clinoid process mucocele which were managed by a endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal approach.
Mucocele* ; Sphenoid Bone ; Sphenoid Sinus

PURPOSE: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) known as an angiogenic factor is a potent inducer of pathologic neovascularization. The purpose of this study is identifying the relationship between serum PSA, invasiveness and VEGF expression in prostatic cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ex-vivo study with immunohistochemical stain analysis for VEGF expression was performed on 18 paraffin embedded specimens of prostatic cancer patients who were treated with radical prostatectomy. VEGF expressions were classified by three groups (1+ , 2+ , 3+ ) according to the degree of staining of cancer cell. Biochemical failure and recurrence were determined by Takayama's IMx PSA assay criterion (>0.1ng/ml) following radical prostatectomy. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that each group contained 1, 2, 8 patients in advanced disease (n=11), and 3, 2, 2 patients in localized disease (n=7), respectively. All cases in strong positive (3+ ) group had Gleason sum higher than 7 and nadir PSA values were lower than 0.1ng/ml except one case. We found no correlation between initial PSA and VEGF expression (p=0.361). Three biochemical recurrent patients were identified as strong positive VEGF expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that patients with advanced stage and higher Gleason sum have a trend with more VEGF expression than patients with localized disease. Identifying the angiogenesis factors especially, VEGF involved in prostatic cancer growth and understanding their regulation will lead to the developement of anti-angiogenic strategies useful for diagnostic studies and therapeutic interventions.
Angiogenesis Inducing Agents ; Humans* ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; Paraffin ; Prostate-Specific Antigen* ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Recurrence ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

OBJECTIVES: To assess the availability of the glycophorin A (GPA) assay to detect the biological effect of ionizing radiation in workers exposed to low-doses of radiation. METHODS: Information on confounding factors, such as age and cigarette smoking was obtained on 144 nuclear power plant workers and 32 hospital workers, by a self-administered questionnaire. Information on physical exposure levels was obtained from the registries of radiation exposure monitoring and control at each facility. The GPA mutant assay was performed using the BR6 method with modification by using a FACScan flow cytometer. RESULTS: As confounders, age and cigarette smoking habits showed increasing trends with GPA variants, but these were of no statistical significance. Hospital workers showed a higher frequency of the GPA variant than nuclear power plant workers in terms of the NO variant. Significant dose-response relationships were obtained from in simple and multiple linear regression models. The slope of the regression equation for nuclear power plant workers was much smaller than that of hospital workers. These findings suggest that there may be apparent dose-rate effects. CONCLUSION: In population exposed to chronic low-dose radiation, the GPA assay has a potential to be used as an effective biologic marker for assessing the bone marrow cumulative exposure dose.
Biomarkers* ; Bone Marrow ; Glycophorin* ; Linear Models ; Nuclear Power Plants ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Registries ; Smoking

For the past two years, nephropexy using PCN was underwent in 9 cases of nephroptosis (8 patients) with variable degrees of flank pain. All were female and 6 on right, 1 on left and 1 on bilateral. All patients had a very mobile kidney and exact distance of movement measured on the film was greater than 6cm (6 to 15 cm). After this operation, 14-20 Fr. nephrostomy catheter was indwelled for about two weeks. All patients were followed at least 3 months(3 to 32, median 17 months). We followed the patients with symptom relief and IVP after 3 months. Nephropexy was regarded as success if she remained asymptomatic for more than 3 months. Five cases were successful and four cases felt recurrent flank pain within 1 month after the surgery. Among four cases of recurrence, one had repeated PCN and got successful result, another had open nephropexy and the others have been followed so far So overall success rate was 67% (6/9). In conclusion, nephropexy using PCN is less invasive, needs shorter period of admission and leaves ignorable scars postoperatively. Furthermore it can be repeated even in the case of failure or recurrence, which would make this new technique available as the first step for the surgical treatment of nephroptosis. And the success rate could be increased if the nephrostomy tract is dilated upto 30 Fr. and the PCN catheter is placed about 4 weeks.
Catheters ; Cicatrix ; Female ; Flank Pain ; Humans ; Kidney ; Nephrostomy, Percutaneous* ; Pregnenolone Carbonitrile ; Recurrence