OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluated the characteristics and natural history of stroke patients. METHOD: Seven hundred and sixty seven consecutive patients admitted through acute care facility were reviewed. All medical records including age, case fatality, risk factors and radiological findings including CT or MRI were reviewed. To investigate the activities of daily living (ADL) of stroke patients, follow-up study was done in 303 patients through telephone interview or direct contact. Stroke was subdivided into cerebral infarct, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). RESULTS: The proportion of stroke subtypes were infarct (45.9%), ICH (34.7%) and SAH (19.4%). The recurrence rate of stroke was higher in the infarct patient. Higher percentage of fatality was noted in the SAH patient. Higher incidence of hemorrhage was still observed compared to western country. Hypertension is the major risk factors for all stroke subtypes. But among hypertensive individuals, only 29% patients controlled the hypertension. Fifty-eight percent of stroke patients regained independent ADL. CONCLUSION: The result of this study shows the clinical pictures of stroke patients. Further research was needed to investigate the trends of stroke and control of risk factors and attention must be paid to the patients who is dependent in ADL.
Activities of Daily Living ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Interviews as Topic ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Medical Records ; Natural History ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Stroke* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

A 69-year-old man presented with annular lichen planus involving both forearms, hand dorsa, wrists, inner sides of the thighs, knees and ankles. He was treated initially with systemic corticosteroids and etretinate, but rernission and recurr ence of the skin lesions were observed. During the follow-up, we found erythrasma on all his toewebs and both soles. After administration of erythromycin for the treatment of erythrasma, lesions of the lichen planus rapidly improved. Five months later, some lesions of lihen planus and erythrasma had recurred. After administration of erythromycin, the lesions of lichen planus improved again. No recurrence was observed for the following 8 months. We suspect that eradication of the chronic focus of infection and the anti-inflammatory effect, of erythromycin may lead to supression of abnormal immunological reactions and resolution of lichen planus.
Acitretin ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Aged ; Ankle ; Erythrasma ; Erythromycin* ; Etretinate ; Follow-Up Studies ; Forearm ; Hand ; Humans ; Knee ; Lichen Planus* ; Lichens* ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Thigh ; Wrist

No abstract available.
Appendicitis* ; Child* ; Humans

We report a case of the top of the basilar syndrome with peduncular hallucinosis in a 58 year old man who showed visual, oculomotor, and behaviorai symptoms and signs. Angiography revealed atherosclerotic stenosis at the junction of vertebral and basilar arteries. Mri showed high-signal lesions in various vertebrobasilar territories including thaiamus and midbrain.
Angiography ; Basilar Artery ; Brain Stem Infarctions ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mesencephalon ; Middle Aged

We report a 60 year-old right-handed woman with left anterior cerebral artery territory infarction who showed the alien hand sign. The patient exhibited a severe disturbance of the right arm motor control characterized by forced grasping. Motor perseveration. And the presence of intermanual conflict that at times the right hand interfered with tasks performed by the left hand. Also, features of a transcortical motor aphasia signs of callosal interruption, urinary incontinence, and weakness of right leg were noted. MRI showed high signal areas in the left medial frontal cortex and anterior corpus callosum.
Anterior Cerebral Artery ; Aphasia, Broca ; Arm ; Corpus Callosum ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Female ; Hand Strength ; Hand* ; Humans ; Infarction ; Leg ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Urinary Incontinence

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of five different recording electrodes on the various parameters of sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs). METHOD: Median sensory nerve conduction study was performed in 50 normal subjects using different five types of recording electrodes-disc electrode, ring electrode, bar electrode and two kinds of felt-tip bar electrodes (type 1 and 2). The interelectrode distances between active and reference electrodes were set at 4 cm for the disc and ring electrodes. The bar electrode, felt-tip electrodes type 1 and 2 were fixed at interelectrode distances of 3 cm, 3.7 cm and 2.3 cm, respectively. Onset and peak latency, onset to peak amplitude, peak to peak amplitude and duration of negative spike of SNAPs were measured. These parameters were compared using ANOVA test. RESULTS: Onset and peak latencies of SNAPs recorded from five different electrodes were not different (p>0.05). Onset to peak and peak to peak amplitudes of SNAPs recorded from felt-tip type 2 electrode were significantly reduced compared to other electrodes (p<0.05). Onset to peak amplitude of SNAPs was also reduced when the ring electrode was used (p<0.05). The negative spike durations of SNAPs recorded from felt-tip type 2 and bar electrodes were shorter than other electrodes recording (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Onset and peak latencies of SNAPs were not affected by the types of electrodes used. Shortening of interelectrode distance may be a main cause of reduction of peak to peak amplitude and negative spike duration of SNAPs.
Action Potentials* ; Electrodes* ; Neural Conduction

OBJECTIVE: Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome are often refered for electrophysiologic evaluation of postoperative residual symptoms. We performed this prospective study to assess changes of the electrophysiological parameters after carpal tunnel release. METHOD: Fifty-four hands of 29 patients with electrodiagnostically confirmed carpal tunnel syndrome underwent surgical release of the transverse carpal ligament. Serial electrophysiological evaluation of the median nerve performed at 2 weeks, and 1, 3, 6 months after surgery in all patients. All the tests were performed by one electromyographer using Dantec Counterpoint machine. Median motor and sensory responses were obtained from abductor pollicis brevis and 3rd digit respectively. Repeated measure ANOVA test was done to observe the changes in each parameter on serial examination. RESULTS: The median motor latency (ML), motor amplitude (MA), sensory latency (SL) and sensory amplitude (SA) were as follows: preoperative ML (6.1 0.2 ms), MA (7.3 0.5 mV), SL (5.1 0.2 ms), SA (6.8 1.0 uV); postoperative week 2, ML (5.5 0.2 ms), MA (6.9 0.5 mV), SL (4.5 0.2 ms), SA (11.4 1.3 uV); postoperative month 1, ML (5.1 0.2 ms), MA (7.1 0.5 mV), SL (4.1 0.2 ms), SA (13.0 1.3 uV); month 3, ML (4.6 0.1 ms), MA (7.2 0.1 mV), SL (3.8 0.2 ms), SA (15.4 1.4 uV); month 6, ML (4.6 0.2 ms), MA (7.4 0.5 mV), SL (3.5 0.1 ms), SA (16.5 1.4 uV). CONCLUSION: Improvement was gradually seen up to the postoperative 3 months. However, the least amount of improvement was observed in the postoperative 3 to 6 month period.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ; Hand ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Median Nerve ; Prospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of different recording electrodes on motor nerve conduction latencies. METHOD: Median motor conduction study was performed in 10 healthy subjects. Motor conduction latency was determined by placing different recording electrodes (surface disc, monopolar needle and concentric needle) at the motor point of the left abductor pollicis brevis muscle, and reference electrodes on the proximal interphalangeal joint of the thumb. Motor nerve conduction recording was performed by using a surface disc, monopolar needle, and concentric needle. For the intramuscular recordings, needles were inserted both superficially and deep. The stimulus electrodes were secured 8 cm proximal to the recording electrodes, and the same intensity was applied throughout the tests. RESULTS: Deep intramuscular monopolar and concentric needle electrodes recorded the shorter latencies, 3.0+/-0.4 ms and 3.0+/-0.3 ms, respectively. Superficial concentric needle electrode recorded the longest latency of 3.4+/-0.3 ms. Motor nerve conduction latencies using a surface disc and superficial monopolar electrode were 3.2+/-0.3 ms and 3.2+/-0.3 ms, respectively. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the distal motor nerve conduction latency is variable depending on the type of recording electrodes.
Electrodes* ; Joints ; Needles ; Neural Conduction* ; Thumb

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usability of near-nerve needle recording techniques in cases of unrecordable sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs) with a surface electrode and to determine a proper alternative value of the missing latencies. METHOD: Twenty six hands of 23 patients with a carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and an unobtainable median SNAP by surface electrode were evaluated by the near-nerve needle recording of median SNAPs. Using the nerve conduction data of 113 patients with CTS, we have established 3 alternative values: maximal, 95 percentile and predictive latencies. The alternative values were compared with the mean onset latencies by the near-nerve needle recordings of median SNAPs. RESULTS: Median SNAPs were obtainable in the 22 out of 26 hands by the near-nerve recording technique. The mean onset latency was 5.51+/-0.36 ms. The alternative values from 113 patients with CTS were as follows: maximum latency, 6.9 ms; 95 percentile latency, 5.6 ms; and predictive latency, 5.52 ms (Y = 0.123x X 5.52491; Y, onset latency; X, amplitude; r2=0.564; p=0.00). The Predictive latency was nearest to the mean onset latency. CONCLUSION: To minimize the selection bias and statistical errors, the near nerve recording techniques proved to be a valuable method in cases of unrecordable SNAPs with surface electrode. For compensation of missing data, a proper alternative value can be obtained by the predictive latency calculated from a linear regression.
Action Potentials ; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ; Compensation and Redress ; Electrodes ; Hand ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Needles ; Neural Conduction ; Selection Bias

OBJECTIVE: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a common entrapment neuropathy of the median nerve at the wrist, can be diagnosed clinically and electrophysiologically and treated successfully. The purpose of this study was to determine an association between clinical findings and the electrodiagnostic severity of this syndrome. METHOD: Medical records of 313 patients with CTS which was confirmed based on clinical and electrophysiological findings were reviewed. Clinical symptoms and signs (thenar atrophy, sensory change, positive Tinel sign and Phalen test) and electrodiagnostic values were recorded. CTS severity was determined according to the modified Stevens' criteria. The relationship between electrodiagnostic severity and clinical findings was investigated and statistically analyzed using the ANOVA and chi square tests. RESULTS: The median motor and sensory latencies became prolonged and amplitudes decreased with worsening electrophysiological severity of CTS, and the differences between severity groups were statistically significant. The frequency of symptoms and signs obtained was significantly greater in the more severe CTS groups. CONCLUSION: A positive correlation exists between the frequency of clinical findings and electrophysiological severity of CTS.
Atrophy ; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome* ; Electrodiagnosis ; Humans ; Median Nerve ; Medical Records ; Wrist