From March 1987 to July 1989, six patients (five dadults and one child) with lung abscess (size, 5-13cm in diameter) were treated with percutaneous aspiration and drainage. In each case, the puncture was made where the wall of the abscess was in contact with the pleural surface. An 8 to 10 Fr catheter was inserted for drainage. Five of 6 had a dramatic clinical response within 24 hours of the drainage. Percutaneous drainage was successful with complete abscess resolution in four and partial resolution in one patient. No response was seen in the rest one. The duration of drainage ranged from 7 to 18 days (average, 15.5days) in successful cases. One case of the failure in drainage was due to persistent aspiration of the neurologically impaired patient. In one patient, the abscess resolved after drainage but recurred after inadvertent removal of the catheter 7 days after insertion. In two patients, concurrent pleural empyema was resolved completely by the drainage. Computed tomography provided anatomic details necessary for choosing the puncture site and avoiding a puncture of the lung parenchyma. Percutaneous catheter drainage is a safe and effective method for treating patients with lung abscess.
Abscess ; Catheters* ; Drainage* ; Empyema, Pleural ; Humans ; Lung Abscess* ; Lung* ; Methods ; Punctures

No abstract available.
Asthma* ; Asthma, Exercise-Induced ; Bronchoconstriction* ; Child* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Colon* ; Humans* ; Morphine* ; Naloxone* ; Perfusion*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of MRI in the evaluation of vascular changes of the meningioma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied the MRI findings in 20 cases of intracranial meningiomas. The images were assessed for vascular hilum, vascular rim, sinus invasion, and vascular encasement. Cerebral angiograms were obtained in 15 cases and compared with MRI findings. RESULTS: MRI was as accurate as angiography in detection of vascular hilum(MRl=8/20, Anglogram=9/15), vascular rim(MRl=14/20, Angiogram=9/15) and dural sinus invasion(MRl=4/6, Angiogram=5/6). MRI was superior to angiography in detection of vascular encasement(MRl=2/3, Angiogram=0/2) and cavernous sinus invasion(MRI=3/3, Angiogram=0/2). CONCLUSION: MRI is an excellent noninvasive imaging modality in evaluating vascular changes of omas.
Angiography ; Cavernous Sinus ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Meningioma ; Retrospective Studies

It has been known that activation of tyrosine kinases is involved in signal transduction. Role of the tyrosine kinase in vascular smooth muscle contraction was examined in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent uninephrectomy, one week after which they were subcutaneously implanted with DOCA (200 mg/kg) and supplied with 1% NaCl and 0.2% KCl drinking water for 4-6 weeks. Control rats were treated the same except for that no DOCA was implanted. Helical strips of carotid arteries were mounted in organ baths for measurement of isometric force development. Genistein was used as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Concentration-response curves to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) shifted to the right by genistein in both DOCA-salt hypertensive and control rats. Although the sensitivity to genistein was similar between the two groups, the maximum force generation by 5-HT was less inhibited by genistein in arteries from DOCA-salt hypertensive rats than in those from controls. Genistein-induced relaxations were attenuated in arteries from DOCA-salt rats. Genistein affected the contraction to phorbol 12, 13-dibutyrate (PDBu) neither in DOCA-salt nor in control arteries. These observations suggest that tyrosine kinase is involved in 5-HT-induced vascular contraction, of which role is reduced in DOCA-salt hypertension.
Animals ; Arteries ; Baths ; Carotid Arteries ; Desoxycorticosterone Acetate ; Desoxycorticosterone* ; Drinking Water ; Genistein ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Phosphotransferases* ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Relaxation ; Serotonin ; Signal Transduction ; Tyrosine*

A 27-year-old parturient in her gestational age of 38(+4) weeks was admitted to the obstetric emergency room due to fetal distress and suspected pneumoperitoneum after a failed intubation during anesthetic induction for cesarean delivery, which occurred at an obstetric clinic. On admission, she was drowsy, her abdomen was excessively distended, and the fetal heart tone was inaudible. An emergency cesarean section was performed after a standard laryngeal mask airway (size 4) was inserted for general anesthesia. At the moment the peritoneum was opened, a great amount of free air escaped. A floppy baby was delivered with an Apgar score 1 at 1 min and 4 at 5 min. Before transfer to the neonatal intensive care unit, the baby was resuscitated and intubated. Immediately after the cesarean section was completed, an emergency exploratory laparotomy was carried out. During the laparotomy, a linear tear, 8.2 cm long, along the lesser curvature of stomach was identified and repaired. The patient and her baby recovered uneventfully and were dischargedon the 7(th) postoperative day.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; Apgar Score ; Cesarean Section* ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Fetal Distress ; Fetal Heart ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Intubation* ; Laparotomy ; Laryngeal Masks ; Peritoneum ; Pneumoperitoneum ; Pregnancy ; Stomach ; Stomach Rupture* ; United Nations

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become popular. Occasionally, unsuspected gallbladder carcinoma is diagnosed after the operation by pathologic examination, incidentally. And even when the gallbladder carcinoma is suspected preoperatively, it is determined whether or not the additional radical operation will proceed, according to the pathologic diagnosis after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Multiple staging systems have been described, including the modified Nevin classification (Donohue et al 1990, Nevin et al 1976), the AJCC TNM staging system, and there are controversies in the surgical management of gallbladder carcinoma for each stage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role and the meaning of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the surgical management of the gallbladder carcinoma. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was made of 24 patients with gallbladder carcinoma that was confirmed by pathologic diagnosis after laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Severance Hospital between January 1993 and Feburary 2002. RESULTS: Gallbladder carcinoma was found in 1.1% of the 2141 cholecystectomy specimens. Gallbladder carcinoma was suspected preoperatively in 11 patients (45.8%). The location of the lesions was the serosal side in 16 patients (66.7%), the liver bed side in 1 patient, and undetermined in 7 patients. The histologic type was adenocarcinoma in all patient, and well differentiated in 16 patients (66.7%), moderate and poorly differentiated in 8 patients (33.3%). According to the AJCC TNM staging system, there were 13 stage I (54%), 5 stage II (20.8%), 2 stage III (8.3%), 4 stage IV (16.7%). The lymph node metastasis was observed in 4 patients (16.7%). In 18 patients (75%), only laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed, and additional radical cholecystectomies were performed in 4 patients (16.7%). The patients with stage I and II tumor were alive without recurrence except 1 follow-up loss, and there was not any port site recurrence. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is sufficient with stage I gallbladder carcinoma. It may be considered that the patient with stage II gallbladder carcinoma is closely followed without additional radical cholecystectomy after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, if properly selected. The use of vinyl bag for retrieval of specimen is recommended to avoid the port site recurrence. For advanced gallbladder carcinoma (stage III and IV), the additional radical cholecystectomy is recommended. When gallbladder cancer is suspected, an open operation should be performed with sufficient preoperative staging work-up.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic* ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gallbladder Neoplasms ; Gallbladder* ; Humans ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

Swyer-James syndrome (SJS) is characterized by a small- or normal-sized unilateral hyperlucent lung with decreased vascularity and air trapping on plain radiographs. SJS is considered to be a postinfectious form of bronchiolitis obliterans and has occurred following childhood pulmonary infection by adenovirus, measles, influenza virus, Bordetella pertussis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The standard treatment modality for SJS is supportive care. Despite the prominent role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of SJS, the use of corticosteroids has remained controversial. We report herein a case of SJS which was successfully treated with monthly methylprednisolone pulse therapy, resulting in complete remission as verified by high resolution computed tomography.
Adenoviridae ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Bordetella pertussis ; Bronchiolitis Obliterans ; Inflammation ; Lung, Hyperlucent ; Measles ; Methylprednisolone ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae ; Orthomyxoviridae ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and efficacy of laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) for large myomas. A subpopulation of 51 patients with myomas 8 cm or larger in diameter was selected from 155 patients who underwent LM at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital from July 2003 to November 2006. The mean age of the patients was 34.9+/-5.6 yr, mean parity was 0.6+/-0.9, and 8 patients had a previous operative history. The most common operative indication was a palpable abdominal mass (24 patients, 47%). The mean operating time was 85.6+/-38.9 min, and the mean diameter of the largest myoma was 9.3+/-1.8 cm. The mean change in hemoglobin concentration was 2.1+/-1.2 g/dL. Histopathological diagnosis included 49 patients of leiomyoma (96.1%) and 2 patients of leiomyoma with adenomyosis (3.9%). Postoperatively, a transfusion was done in 7 patients, and a case of subcutaneous emphysema was noted. None of the operations was switched to laparotomy. With the newly-developed screw and the port placement system that was modified from the Choi's 4-trocar method to obtain better surgical vision, LM of large myomas proved to be one of the efficient and feasible methods.
Adult ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy/adverse effects/*methods ; Leiomyoma/pathology/*surgery ; Length of Stay ; Postoperative Complications/etiology ; Reproducibility of Results ; Subcutaneous Emphysema/etiology ; Treatment Outcome ; Uterine Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery

No abstract available.
Humans