No abstract available.
Electrodes* ; Humans* ; Needles*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Ultrasonography*

A lipomatous tumor originating in the uterus is a rare benign neoplasm, and most reported cases have been of the mixed type. Authenticated cases of pure lipomas of the uterus are extremely rare. We report one such case in which the findings of magnetic resonance imaging provided the basis for preoperative diagnosis.
Diagnosis ; Lipoma* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Uterine Neoplasms ; Uterus

No abstract available.
Asia* ; Paraplegia*

Chronic progressive radiation myelopathy(CPRM) is a rare but serious complication of radiation therapy. It's exact cause is unknown and the diagnosis is usually made based on the exclusion of other causes of myelopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) with gadolinium- diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid(DTPA) enhancement seems to be useful for the diagnosis of CPRM. There is no known effective treatment and the complication is irreversible. We report a case of CPRM after radiation therapy for subglottic cancer which was not respond to high-dose steroid therapy with review of literature.
Diagnosis ; Spinal Cord Diseases*

Recently, botulinum toxin has been widely used for the management of spasticity. However it's mechanism of action in the skeletal muscle has not been well clarified. This study was performed to investigate the histopathologic changes in the skeletal muscle after botulinum toxin injection, and to determine the clinical standards of muscle fiber conduction study as an objective indicator for the changes of muscle fiber. As a study group, 35 Sprague Dawley rats were injected intra-muscularly with the botulinum toxin type A around two heads of right gastrocnemius muscle. After the injection of botulinum toxin, histopathologic studies and muscle fiber conduction studies were performed in 5 rats of the study group at 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 28th day respectively. Based on the morphologic studies, the mechanisms of paralysis following the botulinum toxin injection were found to be both myogenic and neurogenic, and the motor function recovered through the formation of new motor end-plate and proliferation of Schwann cells. The muscle fiber conduction study revealed that the mean latencies of study group at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14th day after the injection of botulinum toxin were significantly prolonged than those of the control group(p<0.05). The prolongation and slow recovery of latencies in a muscle fiber conduction study after the injection of botulinum toxin significantly reflect the morphologic changes of paralized skeletal muscles.
Animals ; Botulinum Toxins* ; Botulinum Toxins, Type A ; Head ; Motor Endplate ; Muscle Spasticity ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Paralysis ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Schwann Cells

PURPOSE: To assess changes in MR signal intensity in the pars interarticularis and adjacent structures in pa-tients with lumbar spondylolysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MR images of 36 patients with lumbar spondylolysis, confirmed by plain radiographs, were retrospectively analyzed. Using a 1.0T unit, we evaluated the signal intensity of a total of 216 parts interarticulares and adjacent structures from L3 to L5, as seen on sagittal images, and differences between areas with and without spondylolysis. The signal intensity of T1-and T2-weighted images was graded 0 (more hypointense than spinal body), 1(as isointense as spinal body), 2(more hyperintense than spinal body and more hypointense than epidural fat), or 3(as isointense as epidural fat). Signal intensity change in end-plates and degree of spondylolisthesis were analyzed, and the relationship between these factors was deter-mined. RESULTS: Spondylolysis was noted at L5 in 61 cases, at L4 in 22, and of L3 in no case. In three cases spondylolysis was unilateral, and in the remainder it was bilateral. The degree of signal intensity was the same on T1- and T2-weighted images, and no case was grade 0. Eighty-six of 133 areas without spondylolysis were grade 1, 43 were grade 2, and four were grade 3. In 42 of 47 cases, signal intensity change was localized at pedicles. Among 83 areas with spondylolysis, on the other hand, nine were grade 1, 48 were grade 2, and 26 were grade 3. Signal intensity change was most commonly observed at the pars interarticularis, pedicle, and lamina (50/74) (p<0.001). Signal intensity change at the pars interarticularis and adjacent structures was accompanied in most cases by degenerative endplate change(10/11) and spondylolisthesis(11/13) (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: In patients with spondylolysis, signal intensity was frequently higher at the pars interarticularis and adjacent structures, and is thought to have a close relationship with degenerative endplate change and spondylolisthesis. Increases in signal intensity at the pars interarticularis and adjacent structures can help diagnose spondylolysis in patients without spondylolisthesis.
Hand ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Retrospective Studies ; Spondylolisthesis ; Spondylolysis*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of BMD (bone mineral density), biochemical bone markers and lipid profiles after combination therapy of low dose estrogen (0.3 mg) and intermittent fluoride (monofluorophosphate) in postmenopausal osteopenia. METHOD: We studied 61 women with postmenopausal osteopenia from March 2002 to May 2005. Group I (n=30) was treated with low dose estrogen (0.3 mg), fluocalcic(R) (monofluorophosphate 100 mg+calcium 500 mg), and calcium (500 mg). Group II (n=31) was treated with standard dose estrogen (0.625 mg) and calcium (1,000 mg). BMD at the lumbar spine and femur, osteocalcin, deoxypyridinoline, and lipid profiles were measured at baseline and 2-year after treatment. RESULTS: 1) Average postmenopausal periods were 2.8 years and 3.1 years in Group I and II, respectively. 2) BMD increased significantly in two groups, and BMD in group I increased significantly more than that in group II. 3) Deoxypyridinoline decreased significantly in two groups, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. 4) Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol decreased significantly in two groups. CONCLUSION: Combination therapy with monofluorophosphate and low dose estrogen in postmenopausal osteopenia was more effective than standard dose estrogen therapy to prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Bone Density ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic* ; Calcium ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Femur ; Fluorides* ; Humans ; Osteocalcin ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal ; Postmenopause ; Spine