The serum creatinine level, excretory urogram, endogenous creatinine clearance value, urine culture and method of drainage of urine of 116 patients with spinal cord injury were examined and compared. The serum creatinine value was found to be poor indicators of renal deterioration in these patients. Combination of bilateral reflux and suprapubic drainage resulted in a greater degree of renal damage, but no reflux with intermittent catheterization group had a good result.
Catheterization ; Catheters ; Creatinine ; Drainage ; Humans ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

Nostril stenosis is a rare disease causing cosmetic problem and nasal airway obstruction. Various etiologies including iatrogenic cause the stenosis. Usually the shortage of internal lining of vestibule initiates secondary intention healing where granulation and contracture results in the stenosis. Many surgical techniques have been used to correct the stenosis. The objective of this article is to present a case of iatrogenic unilateral nostril stenosis which was successfully repaired with the use of auricular composite graft.
Constriction, Pathologic* ; Contracture ; Intention ; Nasal Obstruction ; Rare Diseases ; Transplants*

No abstract available.
Colonoscopy* ; Humans ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory* ; Peritonitis*

Xanthogranulnmatous pyelonephritis is an unusual chronic renal infection associated with renal calculi, urinary tract infection or obstruction in many cases. It is characterized by orange-yellow nodules of inflamed parenchymal tissue macroscopically and foamy lipid-laden histiocyte microscopically. We report a case of Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in a 74 years old male.
Aged ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Kidney Calculi ; Male ; Pyelonephritis ; Pyelonephritis, Xanthogranulomatous* ; Urinary Tract Infections

Traditionally, the repair of displaced anterior wall fractures of the frontal sinus has involved open reduction and internal fixation. Recent development of instrument and techniques for endoscopic brow-lifting has allowed access to anterior wall fractures of the frontal sinus without the need for a coronal incision. A 32-year-old man presented with a depressed anterior wall of the frontal sinus and underwent endoscopic reduction of the fracture. Through two small incisions above the hairline, an endoscope and instruments were inserted after the elevation of the forehead skin over the depressed anterior wall. Depressed bone fragments were successfully reduced with a bone hook inserted through a small incision over the forehead. The authors report this case with a brief literature review focusing on the endoscopic reduction of the anterior wall fracture of the frontal sinus.
Adult ; Endoscopes ; Forehead ; Frontal Sinus ; Humans ; Skin

Abscess ; Drainage ; Exophthalmos ; Headache ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Molar ; Orbit ; Periodontal Diseases ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Toothache ; Visual Acuity

A hand-arm vibration syndrome, local vibration illness, occurs in some workers who use hand held vibration tools. It consists of white fingers, diffusely distributed finger neuropathy, pain in the hand and arm, and a small excess risk of osteoarthritis. This study is aimed to identify effective methods to confirm local vibration illness among various health exams, which are mentioned in worker's special health exam regulation. In addition, this study is aimed to quantitatively assess the daily vibration exposure level as a major determinant of vibration illness. The subjects, 46 vibration workers, were selected according to the results of the first special health exam about vibration hazards at shipbuilding industry in 1997. They all had experiences of work related blanching of fingers. Fifteen controls, who had no vibration exposure at all, were also recruited to compare their test results with the results of vibration workers. We adopted 1 subjective and 6 objective tests to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility for confirming local vibration illness. These tests were history taking of subjective symptoms according to the Stockholm classification, checking blood pressure of finger, checking grasp power, checking finger skin temperature, nail-bed pressing test, vibration perceptional threshold test, and skin prick test for pain perception. Among these, checking skin temperature, nail-bed pressing test, and vibration perception test included cold water provocations. We also estimated some vibration exposure levels of hand held vibration tools by using previously published data from one automobile company. In conclusion, history taking of subjective symptoms according to the Stockholm classification, nail-bed pressing test, and vibration perceptional threshold test were discovered to be effective to diagnose local vibration illness. Furthermore, vibration perceptional threshold on right fingers showed a dose-response relationship to daily vibration exposure levels. The parameter beta was 0.0005(+/-0.0002), and statistically significant by REM (random effects model).
Arm ; Automobiles ; Blood Pressure ; Classification ; Fingers ; Hand ; Hand Strength ; Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome ; Osteoarthritis ; Pain Perception ; Skin ; Skin Temperature ; Vibration* ; Water

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to estimate the incidence rate, and to identify the risk factors for the occupational low back pain among shipyard workers. METHODS: The study subjects consisted of 9,784 workers who were employed in a ship-building industry(excluded workers who had a history of low pack pain before 1995 or did not take periodic health examination in 1995). The cases were 220 people who experienced back pain from January 1, 1996 to December 31, 1998. To assess risk factors for occupational low back pain, Cox propotional hazard model was used. RESULTS: During the recent three years from 1996 to 1998, the incidence rate per 1,000 persons was 7. 8 in 1996, 8. 8 in 1997, and 3. 1 in 1998. The main causes of work-related low back pain were sprain, strain and disc herniation. Lifting was the most common cause of back pain(35. 3%), and carrying(10.2%) and pulling(8.0%) were followed. In Cox proportional harzard model, independent risk factors for back pain were body mass index(R.R.; 1.54, 959o C.I.: 1.06-2.25), shift work(R.R.; 1.65, 95% C.I.: 1.19-2.28), and lifting heavy material(R.R. ; 3.95, 95% C.I: 2.29-6.82). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the risk factors of back pain in shipyard workers were body mass index, shift work and lifting.
Back Pain ; Body Mass Index ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Lifting ; Low Back Pain* ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Risk Factors* ; Sprains and Strains

Hypertrophied ligamentum flavum is not a common cause of myelopathy. Only a minority of cases in the previous reports of myelopathy or radiculopathy secondary to thickening of the ligamentum f lavum had calcification of the ligamentum. We report two cases of thoracic myelopathy caused by ossified ligamentum flavum. One case was a twenty-five year old female who complained of weakness of lower limbs. The other was a fifty-three year old male who complained of tingling sensation on both lower extremities and weakness of right leg. These two patients showed weakness of lower extremities associated with hypesthesia below the level of calcified ligamentum flavum, positive ankle clonus, extensor plantar response, and hyperreflexia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed clearly the spinal cord compression at the second to fourth thoracic level by a low-intensity-signal lesion. Metrizamide myelography with computerized tomography showed precise preoperative diagnosis and anatomic localization of the lesion. About one month after laminectomy and removal of the ossified ligaments flava, there was improvement of weakness, hypesthesia and ankle clonus.
Ankle ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Laminectomy ; Leg ; Ligaments ; Ligamentum Flavum* ; Lower Extremity ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Metrizamide ; Myelography ; Radiculopathy ; Reflex, Abnormal ; Reflex, Babinski ; Sensation ; Spinal Cord Compression ; Spinal Cord Diseases*

This retrospective study describes and evaluates the effectiveness of a modified technique of conventional endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) that minimizes the obstruction of a neo-ostium by creating an enlarged marsupialized lacrimal sac using mucosal flaps. Forty-two patients who had undergone 46 endoscopic DCR at a tertiary medical center, from 2002 to 2004, for correction of lacrimal system obstruction were investigated. The surgical technique involves elevation of a nasal mucosal flap, full sac exposure using a power drill, and shaping of the mucosal flap to cover denuded bone and juxtapose exposed sac mucosa. Postoperative symptoms and endoscopic findings of the neo-ostium were evaluated. Mean duration of follow-up was 5.9 months. An eighty-three percent primary success rate was observed, without any serious complications. Obstruction of the neo-ostium with granulation tissue was observed in eight cases, among which six underwent revision with success in all cases. Overall, 44 (96%) of 46 cases experienced surgical successes. Endoscopic DCR, a procedure in which a large marsupialized lacrimal sac is created from mucosal flaps, yields a very satisfactory success rate with straightforward and highly successful revision available for those in whom the primary procedure yields a substandard result.
Treatment Outcome ; Surgical Flaps ; Nasal Mucosa/surgery ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Lacrimal Duct Obstruction/*surgery ; Lacrimal Apparatus/pathology/surgery ; Humans ; Follow-Up Studies ; Female ; Endoscopy/*methods ; Dacryocystorhinostomy/*methods ; Child ; Aged ; Adult ; Adolescent