No abstract available

PURPOSE: To compare standard laparoscopy-assisted Billroth I gastrectomies including standard lymph node dissection (LABIG) with hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery with the HandPort system (HALS) for the removal of early gastric cancers (EGC). METHODS: A prospective study was performed on 26 patients of EGC at Ewha Womans University Mok-Dong Hospital from July 1999 to August 2001. Seventeen patients (Group L) received LABIG using conventional laparoscopy-assisted methods and 9 patients received LABIG using HALS (Group H). We used staplers for the anastomosis, and a standard D2 lymph node dissection was done with ultrasonic shears or electrocautery. RESULTS: In group L, pathologic reports revealed 14 EGC (stage IA 14 cases), and 3 pm cancers (stage IB 1 case, II 2 cases). In group H, there were 9 early gastric cancers (stage IA 8 cases, IB 1 case). Significant differences (P<0.05) were present between group L and H in regards to the number of harvested lymph nodes (30.8 vs 18.9), estimated blood loss (462.1 vs 286.7 ml) and postoperative transfusion amounts (0.59 vs 0 unit). There were no differences in the mean operating time, distance from the lesion to the resection margin, postoperative leukocyte count, frequencies for pain control, wound size, time to diet, weight loss, serum protein, and postoperative hospital stay. Complications were present in 1 case in group L (enterocutaneous fistula) and 1 case in group H (gastric atony). There was one conversion to open surgery in group H. CONCLUSION: LABIG including standard lymph node dissections with both standard laparoscopic surgery and HALS were performed with equal outcome. The choice of surgical method depends on the characteristics of the lesion and the patient's physical factors.
Conversion to Open Surgery ; Diet, Reducing ; Electrocoagulation ; Female ; Gastrectomy* ; Gastroenterostomy* ; Hand-Assisted Laparoscopy* ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Leukocyte Count ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Prospective Studies* ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Ultrasonics ; Wounds and Injuries

No abstract available.
Jaw, Edentulous*

No abstract available.
Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; Incheon* ; Osteoporosis* ; Physicians, Primary Care* ; Primary Health Care*

Three-types of expandable metallic stents were constructed to evaluate the differences between the stents : one, formed in a cylindrical zigzag pattern with stainless steel wire (Gianturco stent), another, made by coating the Gianturco stent with silicone rubber(Silicone stent), the third, made by coating the Gianturco stent with 24 carat gold(God stent) for tissue acceptance. A total of 69 stents(each 23 stents of Glanturco, Silicone, and Gold stents) of 8-12 mm in diameter and 20 mm long were placed into normal abdominal aorta, inferior vena cava and iliac artery of nine adult dogs for 2 weeks to 11 months. It was more difficult to introcuce Silicone stent into an introducing sheath than Gianturco or Gold stent due to the thickness of silicone rubber, Four Gianturco stents and three Silicone stents showed migration but Gold stent did not. Luminal narrowing or occlusion was noted in 3 Silicone stents, in 2 Gianturco stents, and in 1 Gold stent. Neointimal proliferation over the stent wires was more rapid and even in God stent than Silicone or Gianturco stent. Although further study is needed, Gold stent seems to be better than Gianturco or Silicone stent as an endovascular graft material.
Adult ; Animals ; Aorta, Abdominal ; Dogs* ; Humans ; Iliac Artery ; Phenobarbital ; Silicon ; Silicone Elastomers ; Silicones ; Stainless Steel ; Stents* ; Transplants ; Vena Cava, Inferior

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Periotest. and OsstellTM were known as the most objective and quantitative mobility tests available for evaluating stability of implant in vivo. Although a correlation between PTV widely used and ISQ recently introduced exist, a PTV was corresponded to various ISQ. A correct evaluation of implant stability could be obtained only after one has a thorough understanding of the limitations of devices and factors that affect measurements. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes of variables in the values obtained with these two tests. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A total of 333 implants: 134 Bra.nemark, 5 Silhouette and 194 ITI implants were investigated. Result: 1. There was a correlation between PTV and ISQ (Spearman correlation =0.39, p<0.0001) 2. The factors that affected ISQ were diameter of implant fixture, location of implant and implant system (submerged type vs non-submerged type). 3. The factors that affected PTV were diameter of implant fixture, location of implant, and elapsed time after implant placement. 4. There was no significant difference between different surface treatments of RBM, smooth surface and ti-unite on PTV and ISQ. 5. In radiographic finding, no saucerization or bone resorption has been detected in implants with ISQ values that were above the average level of each PTV. These higher values had higher bone densities around the implant fixture. Saucerization was observed in the most impants with ISQ values that were below the average level of each PTV. CONCLUSION: There was a correlation between ISQ and PTV. However, each measuring methods had factors influencing the measured values. PTV were less sensitive to marginal bone resorption and influenced with the striking point on an implant to the level of bone. With ISQ, the height of implant from bone level to transducer should be considered.
Bone Density ; Bone Resorption ; Strikes, Employee ; Transducers

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Periotest. and OsstellTM were known as the most objective and quantitative mobility tests available for evaluating stability of implant in vivo. Although a correlation between PTV widely used and ISQ recently introduced exist, a PTV was corresponded to various ISQ. A correct evaluation of implant stability could be obtained only after one has a thorough understanding of the limitations of devices and factors that affect measurements. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes of variables in the values obtained with these two tests. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A total of 333 implants: 134 Bra.nemark, 5 Silhouette and 194 ITI implants were investigated. Result: 1. There was a correlation between PTV and ISQ (Spearman correlation =0.39, p<0.0001) 2. The factors that affected ISQ were diameter of implant fixture, location of implant and implant system (submerged type vs non-submerged type). 3. The factors that affected PTV were diameter of implant fixture, location of implant, and elapsed time after implant placement. 4. There was no significant difference between different surface treatments of RBM, smooth surface and ti-unite on PTV and ISQ. 5. In radiographic finding, no saucerization or bone resorption has been detected in implants with ISQ values that were above the average level of each PTV. These higher values had higher bone densities around the implant fixture. Saucerization was observed in the most impants with ISQ values that were below the average level of each PTV. CONCLUSION: There was a correlation between ISQ and PTV. However, each measuring methods had factors influencing the measured values. PTV were less sensitive to marginal bone resorption and influenced with the striking point on an implant to the level of bone. With ISQ, the height of implant from bone level to transducer should be considered.
Bone Density ; Bone Resorption ; Strikes, Employee ; Transducers

The authors presented a family whose 4 siblings had been suffered from oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy of autoscmal recessive trend, with symptoms of progressive ptosis, external ophthalmoplegia, dysarthria, dysphagia and facial muscle atrophy, and we performed HLA study on these 9 family members which showed no interrelationship between oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy and HLA Haplotypes.
Atrophy ; Deglutition Disorders ; Dysarthria ; Facial Muscles ; Haplotypes ; Histocompatibility Testing* ; Humans ; Muscular Dystrophy, Oculopharyngeal* ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Siblings

OBJECTIVES: Decreased pain sensitivity to the external stimuli was sought by measuring the pressure pain thresholds in patients with schizophrenia. In the case of the pain insensitivity(PI) being confirmed, the relationship between psychiatric symptoms and PI was to evaluated. METHODS: 21 schizophrenic and 23 healthy controls were enrolled. Pressure pain thresholds(PPT) were measured by pressure algometer on initial and recovered phase, and positive and negative symptoms by PANSS(Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale)(Stanley et al. 1991) were obtained in patient group. The confounding factor induced by antipsychotics to the PPT was controlled for. Comparisons of PPT between two groups, and correlations of PPT and psychiatric symptoms in patient group were tested. RESULTS: 1) Schizophrenic patients with active psychotic symptoms showed higher PPT compared to healthy controls. 2) When psychiatric symptoms were improved, PPT was decreased to the level of healthy controls. 3) Only the subscale of delusion in PANSS was closely correlated with PPT in patients with schizophrenia. 4) The dose of antipsychotics did not influence the PPT of the patient group. CONCLUSIONS: A part of patients with schizophrenia revealed they had higher pressure pain thresholds, which suggested PI in active symptom phase. However, PPT were restored almost to the level of normal controls when psychotic symptoms were improved. Thus, PI seemed to be a transient phenomenon rather than a persistent one. Changes of pain sensitivity to the external stimuli in schizophrenics would be associated with severity of delusion based upon reversible changes of brain function. Decreased attention due to delusion or lack of motivation seemed to be causal factors of PI. Clinicians should give attention to PI in schizophrenic patients to prevent physical illness and serious injuries in them.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Brain ; Delusions ; Humans ; Motivation ; Pain Threshold* ; Schizophrenia*

Higt energy electron beam therapy is a method which is used for the treatment of superficial tumors (less than 5 cm deep) with a characteristically sharp drop-off in dose beyond the tumor. This method offers distinct advantages in dose uniformity and in minimizing the dose to deeper tissues. We report herein three cases of epithelial skin cancer treated with high energy electron beam. The first patient was a 79-year-old male who had primary basal cell carcinoma(BCC) on the right lateral canthus. The second patient was a 67-year-old male who had recurreiit BCC on the right cheek. Both of them received electron beam therapy on the lesion and there were no clinical relapse signs over 1 year. The third patient was a 46-year-old male who had squamous cells, carcinoma on the lower lip. He also received electron beam therapy on the lesion, but it recurred.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cheek ; Humans ; Lip ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Skin Neoplasms* ; Skin*