BACKGROUND: To compare the diagnostic usefulness of dobutamine stress echocardiography(DSE) and 99mTc-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile SPECT (MIBI SPECT), two studies were performed simultaneously. METHOD: Fifty-six consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiogram and MIBI SPECT for clinical indications without clincal evidence of myocardial infarction were studied prospectively. During the DSE, MIBI was injected at peak stress, and post-stress images of MIBI SPECT were required on hour later. Both echocardiographic and MIBI SPECT images were visually analysed in a blind fashion. RESULTS: On the basis of coronary angiographic findings, the sensitivites of the DSE and MIBI SPECT (n=36) were 89% and 86%, respectively. The specificities of those (n=20) were 90% and 85%, respectively. Among 33 patients without resting perfusion defect on MIBI SPECT, resting regional wall motion abnormalities on DSE were found in only one patient, whereas, resting perfusion defect on MIBI SPECT were found in 9 patients among 41 patients without resting regional wall motion abnormalities on DSE. Among 17 patients who had resting perfusion defects with partial reversibility on MIBI SPECT, resting wall motion abnormalities were present in 11 patients and five of them showed improvement in the regional wall motion during low dose dobutamine infusion. CONCLUSION: Both dobutamine stress echocardiography and MIBI SPECT are useful methods in the detection of the coronary artery disease, however, MIBI SPECT seems to overestimate the regional ischemic myocardium with contractile reserve that can hardly be evaluated with MIBI SPECT.
Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Dobutamine* ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Stress* ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardium* ; Perfusion ; Prospective Studies ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

No abstract available.
Fistula* ; Thyroglossal Cyst*

No abstract available.
Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Dobutamine* ; Echocardiography, Stress* ; Humans ; Myocardium* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

No abstract available.

Hertel and Naugle exophthalmometers were used to compare the variability and reproducibility, produced by various observers. Five examiners measured fifty two eyes of twenty-six normal subjects each by using two different exophthalmometers, respectively. The average coefficient of variation among five measurements was 5.6% in the right eye, 5.2% in the left eye and 2.1% in base line by Hertel exophthalmometer. The average coefficient of variation measured by Naugle exophthalmometer was 1.9% in both eyes and 0.8% in pupillary distance. In conclusion, Naugle exophthalmometer showed less variability and better reproducibility; it is more appropriate for comparative exophthalmetry.
Reading*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Combined esophageal variceal ligation and sclerotherapy has been hypothesized to be more effective for the control of bleeding esophageal varices than ligation alone. The present study was to compare the combined therapy with ligation alone in terms of variceal eradication, rebleeding, complication and survival rates in patients with bleeding esophageal varices. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with bleeding esophageal varices were randomly assigned to receive ligation alone in 20 patients or the combined therapy in 18 patients. The clinical and endoscopic characteristics of patients in the ligation group were similar to those of patients in the combination group. In the combination group, 1-3 mL of ethanolamine was injected proximal to each ligated site. Treatments were repeated every 2- to 3-month until varices were eradicated. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the ligation and combination groups in variceal eradication rates (70% vs. 72%), numbers of endoscopic sessions required to achieve eradication (3.5+/-0.33 vs. 3.3+/-0.31), rebleeding rates (30% vs. 28%) or 2-yr cumulative survival rates (95% vs. 75%). There were significantly more complications in the combination group (25% vs. 89%, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Ligation alone is recommended rather than the combined ligation and sclerotherapy because of its lower complication rates.
Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Ethanolamine ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Ligation* ; Sclerotherapy* ; Survival Rate ; Varicose Veins

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Combined esophageal variceal ligation and sclerotherapy has been hypothesized to be more effective for the control of bleeding esophageal varices than ligation alone. The present study was to compare the combined therapy with ligation alone in terms of variceal eradication, rebleeding, complication and survival rates in patients with bleeding esophageal varices. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with bleeding esophageal varices were randomly assigned to receive ligation alone in 20 patients or the combined therapy in 18 patients. The clinical and endoscopic characteristics of patients in the ligation group were similar to those of patients in the combination group. In the combination group, 1-3 mL of ethanolamine was injected proximal to each ligated site. Treatments were repeated every 2- to 3-month until varices were eradicated. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the ligation and combination groups in variceal eradication rates (70% vs. 72%), numbers of endoscopic sessions required to achieve eradication (3.5+/-0.33 vs. 3.3+/-0.31), rebleeding rates (30% vs. 28%) or 2-yr cumulative survival rates (95% vs. 75%). There were significantly more complications in the combination group (25% vs. 89%, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Ligation alone is recommended rather than the combined ligation and sclerotherapy because of its lower complication rates.
Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Ethanolamine ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Ligation* ; Sclerotherapy* ; Survival Rate ; Varicose Veins

A new hypolipidemic agent, lovastatin, hydroxy-methyl-gultaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor was administred to 25 patients with primary hyperlipidemia 20 to 40 mg daily for 12 weeks and sequential changes of serum lipid profile were analysed as follow. 1) Mean average at baseline period of serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and low desity lipoprotein cholesterol were 271, 179, 51 and 185 mg/dl respectively. 2) Total cholesterol showed 20% decrease at 4th week and 23% decrease at the end of 12th week while low density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased 31% and 33% respectively. 3) Triglyceride dropped 7% at 8th week and 3% at 12th week. High density lipoprotein cholesterol increased 4% at 4th week and showed 2% decrease at the end of study. 4) Only one patient complained of moderate abdominal pain, which subsided after 2 weeks drug withdrawal. In conclusion, lovastatin was well tolerated and effective, in the treatment of primary hyperlipidemia.
Abdominal Pain ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Coenzyme A ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias* ; Lipoproteins ; Lovastatin ; Oxidoreductases ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.
Hemorrhoidectomy*

No abstract available.