BACKGROUND: Headache is a common complaint in patients presenting to the emergency department(ED). Many patients suffered sustained headache even after presenting to the ED. This study investigate whether the patients were received analgesics and timely adequate. METHOD: We analyzed 131 adolescent and adult patients with non-traumatic headache without any neurologic deficit in two emergency department during 6 months period retrospectively. RESULTS: The positive and negative predictive value according to primary impression were 47% and 74% respectively. The mean time to take brain computed tomography(CT) after ED presentation was 120 minutes. The patients with primary impression of intracranial hemorrhage(mainly SAH) were the most fast(mean time 88+/- 70 minutes). 28(21%) patients were received analgesics before taking brain CT(after ED presentation), and 70(53%) patients after CT, 27(54%) patients after cerebrospinal fluid examination. The mean time interval were 43, 126 and 149 minutes on each group being received the analgesics. CONCLUSION: According to this study many patients suffered sustained headache before being classified to certain type of disorder. It may due to the reasons that there were no definite guidelines treating headache, the pain itself, or the physician treats patients as physician's way.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Analgesics ; Brain ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Headache* ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Retrospective Studies

Succinylcholine chloride is the most commonly used muscle relaxant. Its rapid onset of action and relatively brief duration are unique Despite its wide use, certain pharmacologic aspects of auccinylcholine chloride are not as widely appreciated as they should be. There is marked variation in the responses of patients to clinically used doses. Large doses demonstrate that recovery from succinylcholine chloride is slower than is generally appreciated in man. The dose related neuromuscular blocking effect of succinylcholine chloride in cats was investigated using a cat common peroneal nerve anterior tibial muscle preparation. All experimental cats tracheas were intubated through a tracheostomy under general anesthesia with Nembutal 40 mg/kg intravenously. Respiration was controlled by a Harvard animal respirator. The body temperature was kept at 35~37 degrees C by a thermoblanket. The degree of neuromuscular block following intravenous succinylcholine chloride, 0.5 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg, were measured by single twitch response. The common peroneal nerve was stimulated supramaximally by a single stimulus with square waves, 0. 2 msec duration and at a frequency of 0.1 Hz. The ratio of the twitch height was calculated. The results were as follows: 1) The time of neuromuscular blokade to 100% depression was 30.7 sec and to l00% spontaneous recovery was 1,260 sec (21 min.) in the succinylcholine chloride 0.5 mg/kg intravenous group. The recovery index was 258. 5 sec (4. 3 min.). 2) The time of neuromuscular blockade to 100% depression was 30 sec and to 100% spontaneous recovery was 2,004 sec (33. 4 min.) in the succinylcholine chloride I mg/kg intravenous group. No significant time difference was observed in neuromuscular depression in both groups but spontaneous recovery time was markedly prolonged to 744 sec (59% prolongation). The recovery index was also prolonged to 474 sec (83% prolongation).
Anesthesia, General ; Animals ; Body Temperature ; Cats* ; Depression ; Humans ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Neuromuscular Blockade* ; Pentobarbital ; Peroneal Nerve ; Respiration ; Succinylcholine* ; Trachea ; Tracheostomy ; Ventilators, Mechanical

The infantile polycystic kidney disease is rare fetal urinary tract anomaly. It is inherited with an autosomal recessive pattern and recurrence rate is 25%. The gene locus is on chromosome 6p. The pathogenesis of infantile polycystic kidney is the primary defect of the collecting ducts. The ultrasonographic finding of infantile polycystic kidney is oligohydramnios, bilaterally symmetrical enlarged kidneys with maintenance of their reinform shape. The differential diagnosis with adult polycystic kidney disease is important. The massive enlargement of the kidneys is rarely seen in adult polycystic kidney disease and the examination of the parents and other members of the family is helpful to confirm the adult polycystic kidney disease. If there is severe renal involvements, stillbirth or neonatal death secondary to pulmonary hypoplasia would be developed. If it were diagnosed before viability, termination of pregnancy is recommended. In a fetus at risk, diagnosed after viability, pregnancy termination is also recommended since this condition is uniformly fatal. We present a case of infantile polycystic kidney.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Kidney ; Oligohydramnios ; Parents ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases* ; Polycystic Kidney, Autosomal Dominant ; Pregnancy ; Recurrence ; Stillbirth ; Urinary Tract

No abstract available.

The increasing use of intravenous polyethylene catheters has led to a growing incidence of accidental catheter breakage and migration of fragments into the central vascular system usually in the inferior vena cave, the right atrium, of the pulmonary artery. The most common complications were formation of a thrombus in the area of the foreign body, infection with endocarditis, and perforation of the heart. And so obviously the polyethylene catheter must be removed. In 1967, Massumi and Ross et al have been successful in removing a catheter fragment from the right atrum percutaneously with a snare device. With some modification as suggested by Curry, method of retrieving fragments of polyethylene catheters from the heart without chest surgery utilize wire snares or endoscopic forceps. This report describe the technique and its use in successfully managing these complications in four consecutive cases.
Catheters* ; Endocarditis ; Foreign Bodies ; Heart Atria ; Heart* ; Incidence ; Polyethylene ; Pulmonary Artery ; SNARE Proteins ; Surgical Instruments ; Thorax ; Thrombosis

No abstract available.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

OBJECTIVES: To determine if hysterectomy with or without ovarian preservation is asso-ciated with obesity in premenopausal women. METHODS: 581 women for routine check up from Jan. 1985 to Dec. 1995 in the depart-m ent of Gynecology at Korea Veterans Hospital were included. The obesity was evaluated by BMI(body mass index) scores. 80% of hysterectomy were confirmed from the hospital records. The age, weight, height, blood pressure, menstr- ual history, history of DM and hypertension, social history of alcohol and smoking and other cardiovascular risk factors such as cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides were checked. The 248 women with natural postmenopausal status before hysterectomy, taking hormonal replacement therapy after hysterectomy and having performed hysterectomy due to malign- ancy were excluded. RESULTS: All women performed hysterectomy were in premenopausal status in this study. Therefore, the final numbers of subjects included in the analysis was 333. Hysterectomy wit- hout ovarian preservation were performed in 58 cases and hysterectomy with ovarian pres- ervation were in 57 cases. The 218 premenopausal cases which did not performed hystere- ctomy were considered control group. BMI scores were higher in cases without ovarian pres- ervation than with ovarian preservation. And BMI score was associated with the postoper- ative duration in hysterectomy with ovarian preservation. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that hysterectomy without ovarian preservation in premeno- paussal women were associated with increased obesity, especially BMI scores.
Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Female ; Gynecology ; Hospital Records ; Hospitals, Veterans ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hysterectomy* ; Korea ; Obesity* ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides

The antinuclear antbody (ANA) test have been used to screen the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune diseases. We had retrospectively reviewed the 263 records of pediatric patients with doing ANA tests who admitted at Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University Hospital, from January 1988 to May 1993. The following results were obtained. 1) The positive rate of ANA test in patients with connective tissue diseases is 16 out of 40(40%).In patients with SLE, the positive rate of ANA test is 9 out of 11 (82%). 2) The positive predictivity for SLE is 9 out 36 (25%). 3) The positive predictivity for connective tissue disease and possible immune disease is 28 out of 36 (78%). 4) The false positive rate is 8 0ut of 36 (22%), Thus, the pediatric patients with positive ANA test should be applicable for diagnosis with prudence. 5) The positive anti-dsDNA in patients with the positive ANA is shown in 4 cases and these patients are all SLE. In conclusion, the patients who had repeated positive ANA should be tested Anti-dsDNA antibody, and further clinical and diagnostic evaluation of other ANA associated diseases.
Autoimmune Diseases ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Immune System Diseases ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Pediatrics ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Urinalysis is a useful laboratory test in the diagnosis of various diseases. In sampling for the urinalysis, there is much concern about contamination that can lead to misdiagnosis in the mid-stream urine sampling method. We conducted this study to determine, in terms of concordance of results and contamination in culture, whether there was any superiority in mid-stream sampling methods with or without disinfection measures compared to the catheterization method. MATERIALS AND EMTHODS: We used three kinds of urine sampling methods sequentially, mid-stream non-clean catch, mid-stream clean catch, and catheterization, for ambulatory, non-pregnant, non-menstruating female patients who visited NHIC Ilsan Hospital emergency department during a one-week period in September 2001. Each sample was electrophotometrically analyzed for leukocyte esterase, nitrite, and blood by using a reagent strip and was cultured immediately or after overnight refrigeration. RESULTS: Of the 41 patients, 9 had culture-proven urinary tract infections. The concordance rates(kappa) for nitrite, blood, and leukocyte esterase were 0.875, 0.403, and 0.406 between non-clean catch and catheterized samples and 0.875, 0.481, and 0.560 between clean catch and catheterized samples, respectively. The contamination rate of the non-clean catch, the clean catch, and the catheterized samples were statistically different: 51.2%, 29.3% and 0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: We found that cleaning with disinfectant was effective for reducing the contamination rate, even though the best urine sampling method for zero contamination was catheterization. We recommend considering cost, patients' comfort, an acceptable threshold for contamination, and the necessity for a culture before choosing a urine sampling method for women who visit the emergency department.
Catheterization ; Catheters ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Errors ; Disinfection ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Female ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Reagent Strips ; Refrigeration ; Urinalysis ; Urinary Tract Infections

BACKGROUND: Because the maxillary sinus is anatomically located adjacent to the orbit and skull base, it is difficult to remove the tumor completely with tumor-free margin in advanced maxillary cancer. Local recurrence is by far the most common cause of treatment failure and long-term survival rates are low. OBJECTIVES: By analyzing clinical status, treatment methods and results about squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus, the authors investigated local recurrences and survival rates by treatment and got helps from these evaluation and treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-nine cases with squamous cell carcinomas of the maxillary sinus diagnosed at Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Korea Cancer Center Hospital from January 1989 to December 1995 were studied by chart review, telephone interview and letters retrospectively. RESULTS: The T-stages at presentation were T2 11.6%, T3 24.6%, T4 63.8% respectively, and overall neck node metastases were 8.7%. Thirty nine cases were treated with surgery at first choice of treatment and almost all cases were followed by adjunctive radiotherapy. Thirty cases were treated with radiotherapy at first choice of treatment. Overall recurrence rates were 75.4% and local recurrence rates were 72.4%. The sites of local recurrence treated by surgery were substantially higher in posterior wall of maxillary sinus, orbital floor, skull base and palate. The five-year survival rate by Kaplan-Meier method was 44.0% for surgery with radiotherapy and 16.8% for radiotherapy alone. CONCLUSION: Local recurrence was the major cause of treatment failure and the survival rates were poor. Therefore, early detection, aggressive local treatment and close follow up are desirable.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Interviews as Topic ; Korea ; Maxillary Sinus* ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Orbit ; Palate ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Skull Base ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Failure