No abstract available.
Diptera*

Lumbosacral radiculoplexopathy in colon cancer treatment is a very rare but serious complication after radiation. We report here a 66-year-old man with slowly progressive lower limb weakness which arose 30 years after local radiation treatment for colon cancer. Electrophysiological studies revealed signs of denervation confined to the lower limbs. Other causes were excluded by clinical presentation, serological, cerebrospinal fluid and imaging studies. This case shows that delayed radiation-induced lumbosacral radiculoplexopathy can occur 30 years after the initial treatment.
Colonic Neoplasms

Recent development in thepolymerase chain reaction (PCR) has brought an extraordinary opportunity for the rapid detection of M. tuberculosis in clinical specimens for the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Pneumoconiosis is a sort of pulmonary fibrosis consequent to inhalation of the respirable dust. The association between pulmonary tuberculosis and pneumoconiosis is well recognized. There is a 10-fold increase in the tuberculosis risk among the workers who have pneumoconiosis demonstrated by chest roentgenogram. The physicians managing the patients with pneumoconiosis have to maintain a high index of suspicion for the development of mycobacterial infection, since the diagnosis of tuberculosis is often difficult. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a very slow growing organism and acid-fast bacillus (AFB) staining frequently shows false negative results, and therefore PCR would be a very rapid, easy and sensitive diagnostic method for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pneumoconiotic patients. To compare the PCR method with the conventional methods in diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum, we used the sputa of 115 pneumoconiosis patients in Munkyeong Cheil Hospital. Of 32 pulmonary tuberculosis in the pneumoconiosis patients, 29 were PCR positive and were higher than 28, 20 positive by culture and AFB stain. Overall sensitivity, specificity, and which were 90.6, 91.5 % respectively for the PCR assay, 87.5, 100 % for the culture method ; 62.5, 98.7 % for the AFB stain. The PCR assay is a rapid, efficient, sensitive method which can detect M. tuberculosis directly in pneumoconiosis patients, and further study should be followed for the development of the easier method.
Bacillus ; Diagnosis* ; Dust ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Pneumoconiosis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sputum ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

PURPOSE: We report clinical charateristics of percutaneous central venous catheteriza- tion(PCVC) that is performed commonly as a vascular access procedure in the neonatal intensive care unit(NICU) including comparision between the success rate and com- plication rate of groups performed by a doctor and by nurses who were accustomed to the IV procedure. METHODS: We evaluated a total of 158 PCVC cases performed in the NICU of Soonchunhyang Chunan hospital over 2 years 5 rnonths from May, 1995 to September, 1997. The 24 cases of PCVC were performed by doctors and 134 cases of this proce- dures were performed by well trained nurses. We have compared success rates, clinical characteristics, insertion sites, indwelling time, causes of removal of the catheters, and associated complication of both doctor performed group (D) and nurse performed group (N) retrospectively. RESULTS: The mean gestational age, birth weight, weight at the time of insertion were significantly lower in the doctor performed group than in the nurse group(P<0.001). There were significant differences in postnatal age and mean duration per catheter in both groups. The overall success rate of insertions was 89.9%(142/158), the success rate of doctor performed group was 54.2%(13/24) and nurse group was 96.3%(129/134) and there was significant difference(P<0.001). In the doctor performed group, 100% were axillary however in the nurse group 43.4% were axillary, 38.8% were antecubital, 9.4% were temporal, and 5.4% were hand. The most common cause of the removal of the catheter was elective in both groups but there was also substantial spontaneous removal by the patients and mechanical complication. Cultures of catheter tips were done after removal in 110 cases, among then were positive in 36 cases(33.6%), the most common causes were Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. CONCLUSION: In this report, the authors emphasize that percutanous central venous catheterization performed by well trained nurses has a higher success rates than the doctor performed group and can be considered safe. We would also like to emphasize that more attention should be paid to the maintanace of PCVC.
Birth Weight ; Candida albicans ; Catheterization, Central Venous ; Catheters ; Central Venous Catheters ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Gestational Age ; Hand ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Retrospective Studies ; Staphylococcus aureus

No abstract available.
Asthma* ; Atrial Natriuretic Factor* ; Egg Hypersensitivity* ; Ovum*

Background & Objective: EGB 761 is a standardized natural extract used to treat impaired cerebral perfusion and nutrition (cerebrovascular insufficiency) in Korea. Although several animal studies have been conducted, few studies have investigated the clinical effects of EGB 761 in acute stroke. This study assessed the clinical benefit of intravenous EGB 761 in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: This retrospective study examined a prospectively collected stroke database. We evaluated 232 patients with acute ischemic stroke within 48 hours of symptom onset. All patients were treated with antiplatelet or anticoagulation agents. We compared baseline characteristics between the EGB 761-treated and non-treated groups. The functional outcome measure was the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 90 days after stroke onset. Results: Of the 232 patients, 170 received EGB 761 during the first 3 days after arrival in the emergency department. We found no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the groups, with the exception of atrial fibrillation (p=0.032). After adjusting for baseline factors, intravenous administration of EGB 761 was associated with an improved 90-day functional outcome (mRS ≤2) compared with the control group (odds ratio, 2.56; p<0.05). Conclusions: Our results showed a clinical benefit of intravenous EGB 761 in patients with acute ischemic stroke
Stroke

No abstract available.
Humans

PURPOSE: To evaluate diagnostic usefulness of ultrasonography(US) in pediatric patient with urinary tract infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-five children with urinary tract infection underwent renal ultrasonography and voiding cystourethrography(VCUG). The imaging findings were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Renal sonograms were normal in 34 of 55 children(62%). Five of 34 patients with normal sonogram had vesicoureteral reflux of grade I to III on VCUG. Renal sonograms were abnormal in 21 of 55 children(38%). Sonographic findings included hydronephrosis, hyperechoic kidney, nephromegaly, atrophic kidney, renal abscess, and duplex ureter. Eleven of 21 patient with abnormal SOhogram had vesicoureteral reflux of grade I to IV on VCUG. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is an useful and reliable initial screening examination in the investigation of children with UTI. Unfortunately US is neither sufficiently sensitive nor specific for detecting VUR. VCUG provides confirmative and valuable information about vesicoureteral reflux, and VCUG should be considered as a next modality for UTI. The combined use of sonography and VCUG provides more valuable information in urinary tract infection.
Abscess ; Child* ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Kidney ; Mass Screening ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography* ; Ureter ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract* ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

BACKGROUND: The goal of preoperative screening test is to reduce the perioperative morbidity by patients management in case of abnormal test results. But, in view of the low incidence of perioperative complication in otherwise healthy surgical population and cost of routine preoperative screening tests, further examination of their usefulness is required. METHODS: The charts of 1968 patients performed preoperative screening laboratory tests were reviewed to analyse the results of tests retrospectively. The preoperative screening laboratory tests are hemoglobin, platelet count, bleeding time, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, chest X-ray, electrocardiography (ECG), liver function test (LFT), urinalysis, BUN and creatinine. In cases of abnormal results obtained, further studies (pulmonary function test (PFT), arterial blood gas analysis (ABGA), 2D- echocardiography, holter ECG, coronary angiography and abdominal sonography) were analysed. RESULTS: The incidence of abnormal results of total preoperative screening test is 4.5%. The incidence of abnormal results of ECG, chest X-ray, LFT, hemoglobin, and others are 8.3%, 7.8%, 3.7%, 2% and less than 1% in order. For further study, PFT was done in 58 patients, ABGA in 72 patients, 2D-echocardiography in 96 patients, and Holter ECG in 6 patients. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that routine preoperative laboratory screening tests provided little information. Therefore, further studies would be necessary to evaluate the cost-benefit of preoperative screening test compared with the other methods such as history taking and physical examinations that is needed little cost.
Bleeding Time ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Coronary Angiography ; Creatinine ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver Function Tests ; Mass Screening* ; Partial Thromboplastin Time ; Physical Examination ; Platelet Count ; Prothrombin Time ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax ; Urinalysis

BACKGROUND: The goal of preoperative screening test is to reduce the perioperative morbidity by patients management in case of abnormal test results. But, in view of the low incidence of perioperative complication in otherwise healthy surgical population and cost of routine preoperative screening tests, further examination of their usefulness is required. METHODS: The charts of 1968 patients performed preoperative screening laboratory tests were reviewed to analyse the results of tests retrospectively. The preoperative screening laboratory tests are hemoglobin, platelet count, bleeding time, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, chest X-ray, electrocardiography (ECG), liver function test (LFT), urinalysis, BUN and creatinine. In cases of abnormal results obtained, further studies (pulmonary function test (PFT), arterial blood gas analysis (ABGA), 2D- echocardiography, holter ECG, coronary angiography and abdominal sonography) were analysed. RESULTS: The incidence of abnormal results of total preoperative screening test is 4.5%. The incidence of abnormal results of ECG, chest X-ray, LFT, hemoglobin, and others are 8.3%, 7.8%, 3.7%, 2% and less than 1% in order. For further study, PFT was done in 58 patients, ABGA in 72 patients, 2D-echocardiography in 96 patients, and Holter ECG in 6 patients. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that routine preoperative laboratory screening tests provided little information. Therefore, further studies would be necessary to evaluate the cost-benefit of preoperative screening test compared with the other methods such as history taking and physical examinations that is needed little cost.
Bleeding Time ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Coronary Angiography ; Creatinine ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver Function Tests ; Mass Screening* ; Partial Thromboplastin Time ; Physical Examination ; Platelet Count ; Prothrombin Time ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax ; Urinalysis