The rare 'burned out' phenomenon in germ cell tumors is known as the presence of an extragonadal germ cell tumor with a spontaneously regressed testicular tumor found in common metastatic sites, including the retroperitoneal, mediastinal, supraclavicular, cervical, and axillary lymph nodes; lung; and liver. We report a patient who presented with a retroperitoneal extragonadal germ cell tumor with a spontaneously regressed testicular tumor.
Humans ; Liver ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Retroperitoneal Neoplasms ; Seminoma ; Testicular Neoplasms ; Testis

The rare 'burned out' phenomenon in germ cell tumors is known as the presence of an extragonadal germ cell tumor with a spontaneously regressed testicular tumor found in common metastatic sites, including the retroperitoneal, mediastinal, supraclavicular, cervical, and axillary lymph nodes; lung; and liver. We report a patient who presented with a retroperitoneal extragonadal germ cell tumor with a spontaneously regressed testicular tumor.
Humans ; Liver ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Retroperitoneal Neoplasms ; Seminoma ; Testicular Neoplasms ; Testis

PURPOSE: To determine the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in patients with traumatic thoracic aortic injury and to assess the usefulness of MRI for the diagnosis of aortic injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between May 1990 and June 2000, sixteen patients with blunt thoracic aortic injury underwent MRI. The findings were evaluated with regard to the type of aortic injury, aortic circumference, the size, direction and shape of the pseudoaneurysm, the intimal flap, and pseudocoarctation. Six patients underwent follow-up MRI, and any changes in the findings were assessed. RESULTS: MRI indicated that traumatic thoracic aortic injury comprised localized pseudoaneurysm in 15 patients and extensive aortic dissection in one. The aortic circumference was partially involved in all cases. Pseudoaneurysms were located at the aortic isthmus in 16 cases and the descending thoracic aorta in one. Two patients each had two lesions: two pseudoaneurysms in one, and aortic dissection and pseudoaneurysm in the other. The mean diameter and length of the pseudoaneurysms was 2.8+/-0.8 cm (mean+/-SD) and 3.3+/-1.0 cm (mean+/-SD), respectively. Their direction was anteromedial or anterolateral in 15 cases and posterolateral in two. All were saccular shaped. An intimal flap was present in seven cases and pseudocoarctation was demonstrated in ten. Follow-up MRI revealed changes in the size of a pseudoaneurysm or the length of an aortic dissection. CONCLUSION: The most common finding demonstrated by MRI in patients with traumatic thoracic aortic injury was an anteromedially-directed saccular pseudoaneurysm in the aortic isthmus. This modality was considered useful for evaluation of the entire aorta in cases of multiple pseudoaneurysms or aortic dissection.
Aneurysm, False ; Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cholesteatoma in children has a more aggressive growth pattern than observedin adults and often involves the entire mastoid and tympanic cavity, which necessitates early surgical treatment. The rapid tissue growth, the greater degree of infection and inflammation brought on by the Eustachian tube, and well pneumatized mastoid are the major contributing factors for cholesteatoma being so extensive in children. In this study, we evaluated the result of epitympanoplasty and mastoid obliteration in cholesteatoma of children. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The operation was performed in 28 children patients under the age of 15 from May 11, 1995 to August 13, 2003. They were 3 congenital and 25 acquired cholesteatoma cases, which were accompanied by 4 cases of adhesive otitis media, 1 case of external auditory canal cholesteatoma, and 1 case of congential aural atresia that developed after two operations of canaloplasty. RESULTS: Of the 28 cases, 6 underwent one-staged operation and 8 underwent second-look operations, respectively. In 3 of the 8 cases that underwent second look operation, there was residual cholesteatoma in the tympanic cavity, and cholesteatoma was removed. After operation, there was no recurrent cholesteatoma. Among the 13 cases of ossiculoplasty, 9 could have the test of pure tone audiogram, and 5 cases could preserve postoperative air-bone gap within 30 dB. CONCLUSION: It is expected that epitympanoplasty with the mastoid obliteration technique reduces the air-burden of E-tube in children of cholesteatoma, and the technique probably can prevent the formation of retraction pocket and recurrence of cholesteatoma.
Adhesives ; Adult ; Child* ; Cholesteatoma* ; Ear Canal ; Ear, Middle ; Eustachian Tube ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Mastoid* ; Otitis Media ; Recurrence

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to investigate the incidence and clinical implication of osteitis in patients with chronic paranasal sinusitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty three patients diagnosed as chronic paranasal sinusitis were examined with 99mTc-MDP bone SPECT preoperatively and underwent endoscopic operation, and 6 volunteers were recruited and examined as a control group. Each SPECT image was semiquantitatively assigned one of three grades of 0, 1, 2 according to intensities of isotope uptake. Quantitative analysis of the uptake of the isotope was performed by computer. The incidence of osteitis was analyzed. The correlation between semiquantitative grades and quantitative uptake indices was evaluated, and degree of isotope uptake and the severity of mucosal pathology on CT was correlated. The degree of isotope uptake between the patients who had recurrence and had not was compared. RESULTS: Quantitative evaluation of uptake indices were significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group. Marked uptakes of isotope on the sinus areas, suggesting the presence of osteitis, were shown in the patient group by 53.5%. The semiquantitative grades and quantitative indices showed positive correlation, and SPECT and CT scan findings also showed significant correlation. The uptake indices of patients who had recurrence were significantly higher than those of patients who showed no recurrence in both ethmoid sinus areas. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that significant proportion of patients with chronic paranasal sinusitis have osteitis, and patients with more severe osteitis represent poorer postoperative courses.
Ethmoid Sinus ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Humans ; Incidence ; Osteitis* ; Pathology ; Recurrence ; Sinusitis* ; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Mastoid obliteration surgery is a modern trend for otitis media either with or without cholesteatoma. The aim of our study is to evaluate histologic changes and effectiveness over time resulting from different obliterating materials and the existence of mucosa in the temporal dorsal bullae in rats. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Rats were divided into two groups. One group had the mucosa removed and was treated with trichloroacetic acid (TCA). The other group with mucosa remaining was untreated. The temporal dorsal bullae of the two groups of rats were obliterated with Mimix(R) (hydroxyapatite cement), Regenafil(R) (demineralized bone matrix), cartilage chip, and bone chip. Three months and again six months after the implantation, 5 animals in each group were examined. A histological study was performed to evaluate inflammation, new bone formation, and mucocele formation within the bullae. RESULTS: The group that had Mimix(R) implanted had a high inflammatory reaction, low implanted material resorption and cyst formation. The group with Regenafil(R) implanted had high cyst formation and more cyst formation with the passage of time. The group with bone chip implanted had high new bone formation, but also high cyst formation. The group that had cartilage chip implanted had high new bone formation, low implanted material resorption and low cyst formation. CONCLUSION: Cartilage chip is the only material that should be used in the air cell with mucosa remaining. Demineralized bone matrix and bone chip should not be used in the air cell with mucosa remaining. Hydroxyapatite cement should not be used due to severe inflammation.
Animals ; Blister ; Bone Matrix ; Cartilage ; Cholesteatoma ; Durapatite ; Hydroxyapatites ; Inflammation ; Mastoid ; Mucocele ; Mucous Membrane ; Osteogenesis ; Otitis Media ; Rats ; Trichloroacetic Acid

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There have been heated controversies over the choice of the canal wall down mastoidectomy and canal wall up mastoidectomy, which are operational methods used to eliminate the lesion of chronic otitis media including cholesteatoma. Combining the advantages of both methods, we devised a new operational method in 1994. This study reports the surgical results of the epitympanoplasty employing the mastoid obliteration technique after a follow-up 38 months in 283 cases. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A retrospective review was made of 283 cases (273 patients) on which this technique was performed by the first author between Dec. of 1994 to Mar. of 2004. The follow-up period varied from 8 to 104 months, with the average period of 38 months. We analyzed postoperative complications including cavity problems, the recurrent cholesteatoma, residual cholesteatoma cases in the mastoid cavity, residual cholesteatoma in the tympanic cavity and postoperative otorrhea and hearing results. RESULTS: The overall incidence of postoperative complications was 21.9%. The results of postoperative complications in the above listed order were 0%, 0%, 1.0%, 4.3% and 5.7%, respectively. Air-bone gap (ABG) closure was 4.73 dB HL and the statistical analysis revealed that the postoperative ABG was significantly lower than the preoperative ABG (p=0.0023). CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that this procedure prevents the cavity problem, helps reduce recurrence and effectively manages the residual cholesteatoma. Also, this procedure achieves good audiologic results.
Cholesteatoma ; Ear, Middle ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Hearing ; Hot Temperature ; Incidence ; Methods ; Otitis Media ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance has been identified as one of the risk factor of atherosclerosis. Hypertension, obesity, glucose intolerance and dyslipidemia could induce atherosclerosis through mechanism of insulin resistance. And there are some reports that hyperinsulinemia itself could induce coronary artery disease(CAD). Then we planed to investigate relationship between CAD and insulin resistance. And smoking is also known as one major risk factor of CAD. So we also investigated the relationship between smoking and insulin resistance in the CAD patients. METHODS: Among 36 subjects in whom coronary angiography was done, we grouped 25 subjects who had stenotic coronary artery as a CAD group and 11 subjects without stenosis as control group. We compared insulin and glucose response to oral glucose load(75g), serum lipid concentrations, blood pressure, and degree of obesity between two groups. We also divided CAD group into smoking and nonsmoking subgroups, compared the above parameters. RESULTS: 1) There were no significant difference in body mass index, blood pressure, creatinine, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, between the CAD group and the control group. There were significantly higher incidence of smokers in CAD group. 2) Insulin concentration at 120 minutes after glucose load were significantly higher in the CAD group than the control group. 3) In the CAD group, fasting plasma insulin concentration insulin area, peak plasma insulin concentration and insulin concentration at 60,90,120 minutes after glucose load were significantly higher in non-smoking group. CONCLUSION: Enhanced insulin reponse such as higher insulin concentration 60 minutes after glucose load in the CAD group suggests that insulin resistance is a risk factor of CAD. And insulin response was more pronounced in the non-smoker subgroup than smoker subgroup in the CAD patients. Thus role of insulin resistance in provoking coronary artery disease is more important in the non-smoker.
Atherosclerosis ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Creatinine ; Dyslipidemias ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Glucose Intolerance ; Humans ; Hyperinsulinism ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin* ; Obesity ; Plasma ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease that can extend to extra-pancreatic tissues and distant organs. Detecting the underlying cause is important because it helps provide an appropriate treatment plan and improve prognosis. An underlying cause cannot be identified after initial evaluation in 10-30% of patients with acute pancreatitis, and they are diagnosed with idiopathic acute pancreatitis. Here, we report a case of a 77-year-old woman with acute recurrent pancreatitis caused by a branch duct-type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and an ampulla of Vater adenoma. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed only IPMN. However, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography revealed a mucosal abnormality of the ampulla of Vater. The mucosal abnormality was documented to be an ampulla of Vater adenoma with high-grade dysplasia.
Adenoma* ; Aged ; Ampulla of Vater* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance ; Female ; Humans ; Mucins ; Pancreatitis* ; Prognosis

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease that can extend to extra-pancreatic tissues and distant organs. Detecting the underlying cause is important because it helps provide an appropriate treatment plan and improve prognosis. An underlying cause cannot be identified after initial evaluation in 10-30% of patients with acute pancreatitis, and they are diagnosed with idiopathic acute pancreatitis. Here, we report a case of a 77-year-old woman with acute recurrent pancreatitis caused by a branch duct-type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and an ampulla of Vater adenoma. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed only IPMN. However, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography revealed a mucosal abnormality of the ampulla of Vater. The mucosal abnormality was documented to be an ampulla of Vater adenoma with high-grade dysplasia.
Adenoma* ; Aged ; Ampulla of Vater* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance ; Female ; Humans ; Mucins ; Pancreatitis* ; Prognosis