No abstract available.
Amniotic Fluid* ; Female ; Meconium*

Free vascularized tissue transfer to preserve upper extremity amputation level is uncommon but very useful procedure. To cover the below-elbow amputee stump and restore the function of the elbow, we have used a free flap as a spare part concept from the contralateral hand which was so severely damaged that amputation was inevitable.
Amputation ; Amputees* ; Elbow* ; Forearm* ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Hand ; Humans ; Upper Extremity

Spondylolysis, also known as stress injury of pars interarticularis, is a common cause of back pain in athletes, particularly children and young adults. Repeated minor traumas during flexion and extension of the spine are thought to result in bony failure due to excessive bone resorption. These lesions are common in the low back, with the majority found at the L5 vertebra. In the majority of cases of spondylolysis, non-operative treatments are recommended, such as NSAIDs, physiotherapy and bracing. Only if symptoms do not respond to conservative treatments should surgical intervention be considered. Recently, pars interarticularis injections for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes have been found to allow significant pain relief from spondylolysis for long periods. Here, the case of a 57-year-old man with spondylolysis, who suffered from back pain, which was not relieved by an epidural steroid injection, but in whom pars interarticularis injections of local anesthetic and steroid induced complete transient pain relief, following by moderate long-term relief, is presented.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; Athletes ; Back Pain ; Bone Resorption ; Braces ; Child ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Spine ; Spondylolysis* ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: To analyze the clinical features of peripheral neuropathy in Korean children. METHODS: A total of 62 children with acute flaccid paralysis, longstanding weakness of extremities, or abnormal electrophysiological studies, suggestive of peripheral neuropathy, were evaluated retrospectively from the hospital records. The subjects were recruited at the pediatric neurology and endocrine clinic, Kyungpook National University Hospital from 2000 to 2002 and they all went through neurological examination and electrophysiological studies with or without nerve biopsy. RESULTS: Thirty nine children(Male 24:Female 15; Mean age 7.6+/-4.3 years) were found to have clinical peripheral neuropathy. Inflammatory neuropathy(5 children with Guillain Barre syndrome, 1 children with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, 12 children with Bell's palsy; 46%) was the most common, followed by hereditary neuropathy(4 children, 10%), Chemotherapy induced neuropathy(3 children, 8%), metachromatic leukodystrophy(2 children, 5%), trauma(2 children, 5%), diabetic neuropathy(1 children, 3%) and so on. Thirty two children had motor neuropathy(82%), six children had combined motor and sensory neuropathy(15%), two had pure sensory(5%), but nobody had autonomic neuropathy. With respect to the type of involvement, polyneuropathies constitute 59%(23 children), mononeuropathy simplex accounted for 38%(15 children), mononeuropathy multiplex was found in 3%(1 child). Based on electrophysiological studies and biopsy results, demyelinating neuropathy was seen in 22 children(56%), axonal neuropathy in 12 children(31%), combined neuropathy in 5 children(13%). Eighteen children(46%) were completely or almost completely recovered from the illness. CONCLUSION: Inflammatory neuropathy was the most common among the acquired neuropathies and hereditary motor sensory neuropathy was the most common among the genetic neuropathies. Treatable neuropathies took up 46%. Potentially preventable neuropathies accounted for 36%. Early diagnosis and early intervention may have significant impacts on the prognosis of peripheral neuropathy in children.
Axons ; Bell Palsy ; Biopsy ; Child* ; Drug Therapy ; Early Diagnosis ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Extremities ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Hospital Records ; Humans ; Mononeuropathies ; Neurologic Examination ; Neurology ; Paralysis ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases* ; Polyneuropathies ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Airway management is important during general anesthesia. Difficulties with a direct laryngoscopy can be managed successfully in a routine manner using a laryngeal mask airway. A 65-year-old woman was scheduled to undergo gynecologic surgery. After injecting the intravenous induction agents and muscle relaxants, intubation was attempted with a direct laryngoscope. However, the vocal cords could not be observed with only the epiglottis being slightly visible. Although intubation was re-attempted by another anesthesiologist, it failed. Intubation was successfully performed via an intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA) after additional 100% oxygen mask ventilation. We report a case of vocal cord palsy subsequent to tracheal extubation after endotracheal intubation via ILMA.
Aged ; Airway Extubation ; Airway Management ; Anesthesia, General ; Epiglottis ; Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngeal Masks ; Laryngoscopes ; Laryngoscopy ; Masks ; Muscles ; Oxygen ; Ventilation ; Vocal Cord Paralysis ; Vocal Cords

Subglottic stenosis can be caused by various etiology such as idiopathic, infectious disease, trauma from previous prolonged intubation, airway surgery, external blunt trauma, radiaton, or inhalation burn. Although extremely rare, subglottic stenosis may be present in pregnancy and engender a complex and technically challenging dilemma for anesthesiologist as how to evaluate and best manage these patients. A 36-year-old parturient was scheduled for Cesarean section. When most of the vocal cords were exposed clearly by laryngoscopy after injection of thiopental sodium & succinylcholine, the 7.0 mm internal diameter (ID) endotracheal tube could not be advanced below the level of the vocal cords because of resistance. So, intubation was re-attempted several times after oxygenation by mask with smaller tubes. Finally, a 6.0 mm ID cuffed tube was passed successfully through the vocal cords, and secured in place. because of the unexpected difficulties in intubation, an otolaryngologist was consulted to examine the larynx with a microscope. We present an unexpected case of the difficult endotracheal intubation caused by a unrecognized subglottic stenosis in a preeclamptic who underwent the induction of general anesthesia for Cesarean section.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; Burns, Inhalation ; Cesarean Section ; Communicable Diseases ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Female ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngoscopy ; Larynx ; Masks ; Oxygen ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Succinylcholine ; Thiopental ; Vocal Cords

Placenta accreta is a rare complication of pregnancy with high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality.It is usually discovered when removal of the placenta after delivery is difficult or there is substantial postpartum bleeding.Placenta accreta can be complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and this increases maternal morbidity and mortality.DIC is characterized by the widespread activation of coagulation, which results in the intravascular formation of fibrin and ultimately thrombotic occlusion of small and midsize vessel.We report a 24-year-old woman with DIC, who developed severe pre- and intraoperative bleeding and massive transfusion during emergent cesarean section.
Dacarbazine ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Female ; Fibrin ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Placenta ; Placenta Accreta ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Young Adult

Placenta accreta is a rare complication of pregnancy with high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality.It is usually discovered when removal of the placenta after delivery is difficult or there is substantial postpartum bleeding.Placenta accreta can be complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and this increases maternal morbidity and mortality.DIC is characterized by the widespread activation of coagulation, which results in the intravascular formation of fibrin and ultimately thrombotic occlusion of small and midsize vessel.We report a 24-year-old woman with DIC, who developed severe pre- and intraoperative bleeding and massive transfusion during emergent cesarean section.
Dacarbazine ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Female ; Fibrin ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Placenta ; Placenta Accreta ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Methotrexate (MTX) is an antifolate antagonist that is widely used for treating various malignancies and non-malignant diseases. MTX levels should be monitored when used in high concentration to determine when to start leucovorin rescue. In this study, we evaluated the analytical performance of the EMIT Methotrexate Assay on a 200FR NEO Chemistry Analyzer (Toshiba Medical System Co., Japan) and compared it with Viva-E Drug Testing System (Siemens Healthcare, Germany). METHODS: According to the Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute (CLSI) Evaluation Protocol (EP) 5-A2, three concentrations of the Liquichek Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Control (Bio-Rad Laboratories, USA) were analyzed twice a day for 20 days to monitor assay precision. The 200FR NEO and Viva-E instruments were compared using 40 patients' sera, according to CLSI EP9-A2. The linearity and carry-over rate were also evaluated. RESULTS: Between-run CVs for low-, medium-, and high-level controls were 4.9%, 0.9%, and 2.0%, respectively, whereas between-day CVs for low-, medium-, and high-level controls were 8.1%, 1.3%, and 3.5%, respectively. In the linearity test, the coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.98 (0.06-1.92 micromol/L). In the comparison study, R2 was 0.955, showing good correlation between the 200FR NEO and Viva-E instruments. The carry-over rate was 0.9%. CONCLUSIONS: The EMIT assay showed good precision, linearity, and carry-over rate on the Toshiba 200FR. An excellent correlation was observed when comparing results obtained using the Toshiba and Viva-E instruments. In conclusion, the Syva EMIT MTX assay can be readily used for MTX monitoring on the Toshiba 200FR NEO.
Chemistry ; Delivery of Health Care ; Drug Monitoring ; Leucovorin ; Methotrexate*

No abstract available.
Polymerase Chain Reaction*