A few cases of Lateral femoral cutaneous neuropathy that developed after renal transplantation have been reported in western literature but there is no reported case in Korea. It may develop from one to nine days after surgery; the clinical course is favorable but the incidence is not low. According to the reported cases of western literature, the major causes of lateral femoral cutaneous neuropathy after renal transplantation included steal phenomenon, clamping the internal iliac artery during surgery, direct surgical damage to the vessels supplying the femoral nerve, and direct compression of the femoral nerve. We experienced one case of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve neuropathy after renal transplantation that developed at postoperative day (POD) 7. It was partially improved symptomatically after POD 60, so we reported this case with a brief review of literatures.
Constriction ; Femoral Nerve ; Iliac Artery ; Incidence ; Kidney Transplantation ; Korea

BACKGROUND: Biochemical markers can provide objective evidence of heavy alcohol drinking. In this study, we investigated the diagnostic usefulness of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), a relatively new marker of alcohol consumption. METHODS: We consecutively enrolled 81 participants aged between 28 and 69 years, consisting of 44 alcohol-dependent patients and 37 age-matched controls. Relative values (%) of CDT were determined in their sera with turbidimetric immunoassay (Bio-Rad %CDT assay, Axis-Shield ASA, Oslo, Norway), and were compared with two conventional markers of alcohol consumption, gammaglutamyl transferase (GGT) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). RESULTS: The distribution patterns of %CDT among alcohol-dependent patients and controls were significantly different from each other (P=0.0000). Of the 44 alcohol-dependent patients, positive results of %CDT (> or =2.6%), GGT (>50 IU/L), and MCV (>98 fL) were observed in 43 (97.7%), 35 (79.5%), and 24 (54.5%) patients, respectively. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (95% confidence interval) for %CDT, GGT, and MCV were 0.995 (0.946-1.000), 0.894 (0.805-0.951), and 0.768 (0.661-0.855), respectively. Discrimination between alcohol-dependent patients and controls, as measured by the areas under the ROC curves, was significantly better for %CDT than for GGT and MCV (P=0.000 and P=0.006, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: CDT seems to be the most reliable of the three markers tested for chronic alcohol consumption, and it may provide a useful information to for the objective detection of alcohol-dependent patients.
Alcohol Drinking ; Alcoholism* ; Biomarkers ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Erythrocyte Indices ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; ROC Curve ; Transferases ; Transferrin*

PURPOSE: To compare the outcomes of bilateral lateral rectus recession between 20 and 25 prism diopters (PD) for intermittent exotropia. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed with a total of 584 patients who underwent surgery for intermittent exotropia and were followed up for more than 12 months. The patients were classified into either the 20 PD group (5 mm bilateral rectus muscle recession [BLR]) or the 25 PD group (6 mm BLR). Successful postoperative motor alignment was defined as within 10 PD of exotropia and 4 PD of esotropia. RESULTS: Cumulative probabilities of surgical success rates for 24 months were 77.9% in the 20 PD group and 54.8% in the 25 PD group, respectively (p < 0.001). Postoperative deviations in recurrence patients were 13.41 +/- 3.64 PD and 14.66 +/- 3.87 PD (p = 0.062) at postoperative 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: All patients with relatively small angle of exodeviation such as 20 PD had a higher success rate and small postoperative exodaviation at 12 months. Therefore, surgery could be considered when the eye is exodeviated with a relatively small angle. However, in the group with the exotropic drift, approximately 2/3 of the preoperative angle of deviation is measured with similar outcomes between preoperative and postoperative angles of deviation.
Esotropia ; Exotropia* ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a troublesome disease. Some strains of probiotics reportedly exert remarkable immunomodulatory effects, and so we designed a prospective double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical study to assess their effects in Korean adults with IBS. METHODS: IBS patients who met Rome III criteria were randomly assigned to receive composite probiotics or placebo. A total of 20 billion lyophilized bacteria were administered twice daily for 8 weeks. Primary outcome variables were symptom scores consisting of abdominal pain, flatulence, defecation discomfort, and sum of symptom scores. A visual analogue scale was used to quantify the severity. Secondary outcome variables consisted of the quality of life and bowel habits including defecation frequency and stool form. RESULTS: Thirty-six and 34 patients were randomized to the probiotics and placebo groups, respectively. Intention- to-treat analysis showed significant reductions in pain after 8 weeks of treatment: -31.9 and -17.7 in the probiotics and placebo groups, respectively (p=0.045). The reductions in abdominal pain, defecation discomfort, and sum of scores were more significant in 58 patients with a score of at least 3 on the baseline stool-form scale. CONCLUSIONS: Composite probiotics containing Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4, Lactobacillus acidophilus AD031, and other species are safe and effective, especially in patients who excrete normal or loose stools.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Bacteria ; Bifidobacterium ; Defecation ; Flatulence ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Lactobacillus acidophilus ; Probiotics ; Prospective Studies ; Quality of Life ; Rome

STUDY DESIGN: A case report. OBJECTIVES: To report the case of a patient whose preoperative imaging results seemed to show metastatic spine tumor but who actually had a vertebral pathologic fracture caused by spine tuberculosis. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Tuberculosis spondylitis is classified into peridiscal, central, anterior, and posterior spondylitis according to the portion involved, and central spondylitis can be mistaken as a tumor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Imaging studies were performed in a 79-year-old female with progressive lower extremity weakness. We found a T12 pathologic vertebral fracture, which was suspected to be metastatic cancer. RESULTS: We performed surgery and found spine tuberculosis in the pathological and immunological examinations. Two weeks postoperatively, the patient could walk with crutches and underwent anti-tuberculosis therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Even when the results of imaging studies predict spinal metastasis, we should keep in mind the possibility of spinal tuberculosis.
Aged ; Crutches ; Decompression ; Female ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Spine ; Spondylitis ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Spinal*

A parastomal hernia is the most common surgical complication following stoma formation. As the field of laparoscopic surgery advances, different laparoscopic approaches to repair of parastomal hernias have been developed. Recently, the Sugarbaker technique has been reported to have lower recurrence rates compared to keyhole techniques. As far as we know, the Sugarbaker technique has not yet been performed in Korea. We herein present a case report of perhaps the first laparoscopic parastomal hernia repair with a modified Sugarbaker technique to be successfully carried out in Korea. A 79-year-old woman, who underwent an abdominoperineal resection for an adenocarcinoma of the rectum 9 years ago, presented with a large parastomal and incisional hernias, and was treated with a laparoscopic repair with a modified Sugarbaker technique. Six months after surgery, follow-up with the patient has shown no evidence of recurrence.
Adenocarcinoma ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hernia ; Hernia, Abdominal ; Herniorrhaphy ; Humans ; Korea ; Laparoscopy ; Rectum ; Recurrence ; Surgical Stomas

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and serosal, synovial, or cutaneous inflammation, caused by a dysfunction of pyrin as a result of mutation within the MEFV gene. It occurs mainly among Mediterranean and Middle Eastern populations, including Jews, Arabs, and Turks. However, FMF cases have been reported outside the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries in recent years. Although FMF has been relatively rare in Korea until now, proper recognition of FMF might lead to more frequent diagnoses of FMF. We experienced an interesting case, a 31-year-old Korean man who presented with recurrent abdominal pain with fever and urticarial eruption for 10 years. DNA analysis showed complex mutations (p.Leu110Pro, p.Glu148Gln) in the MEFV gene. To date, three cases have been reported, and this case of FMF with skin conditions is the first case in Korea.
Abdominal Pain/*etiology ; Adult ; Base Sequence ; Cytoskeletal Proteins/genetics ; Familial Mediterranean Fever/complications/*diagnosis/genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Recurrence ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Urticaria/*diagnosis

When replacing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tubes, an internal bolster may be retrieved either percutaneously or endoscopically. The aim of this study was to compare the complications of percutaneous and endoscopic method during PEG tube replacement. The medical records of 330 patients who received PEG tube replacement were retrospectively analyzed. According to the removal method of internal bolster, we categorized as endoscopic group and percutaneous group. Demographic data, procedure-related complications and risk factors were investigated. There were 176 cases (53.3%) in endoscopic group and 154 cases (46.7%) in percutaneous group. The overall immediate complication rate during PEG tube replacement was 4.8%. Bleeding from the stoma (1.3%) occurred in percutaneous group, whereas esophageal mucosal laceration (7.4%) and microperforation (0.6%) occurred in endoscopic group. The immediate complication rate was significantly lower in the percutaneous method (OR, 6.57; 95% CI, 1.47-29.38, P=0.014). In multivariate analysis, old age was a significant risk factor of esophageal laceration and microperforation during PEG tube replacement (OR, 3.83; 95% CI, 1.04-14.07, P=0.043). The percutaneous method may be more safe and feasible for replacing PEG tubes than the endoscopic method in old patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Demography ; Esophageal Perforation/etiology ; Female ; Gastroscopy ; Gastrostomy/adverse effects/*methods ; Hemorrhage/etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; *Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

Most common diseases are caused by multiple genetic and environmental factors. Among the genetic factors, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are common DNA sequence variations in individuals and can serve as important genetic markers. Recently, investigations of gene-based and whole genome-based SNPs have been applied to association studies for marker discovery. However, SNPs are so population-specific that the association needs to be verified. Fifty-five genes and 384 SNPs were selected based on association with disease. Genotypes of 337 SNPs in candidate genes were determined using Illumina Sentrix Array Matrix (SAM) chips by an allelespecific extension method in 364 unrelated Korean individuals. Allelic frequencies of SNPs were compared with those of other populations obtained from the International HapMap database. Minor allele frequencies, linkage disequilibrium blocks, tagSNPs, and haplotypes of functional candidate SNPs in 55 genetic disease-associated genes were provided. Our data may provide useful information for the selection of genetic markers for genebased genetic disease-association studies of the Korean population.
Base Sequence ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Markers ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; HapMap Project ; Linkage Disequilibrium ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*

The development of hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) is rare but it might be associated with serious disease and poor clinical outcome. Recently, several iatrogenic causes of HPVG have been reported. HPVG as a complication of endoscopic balloon dilatation is a previously unreported event. We experienced a case of HPVG after endoscopic balloon dilatation in a 31 yr-old man with pyloric stricture due to corrosive acids ingestion. The patient was treated conservatively with fluid resuscitation, antibiotics and Levin tube with natural drainage. Five days later, the follow-up CT scan showed spontaneous resolution of HPVG. This case reminded us the clinical importance and management strategy of HPVG. We report here a case of iatrogenic HPVG with a review of relevant literature.
Adult ; Balloon Dilation/*adverse effects ; Embolism, Air/etiology/*radiography/therapy ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Hepatic Veins/*radiography ; Humans ; Male ; Portal Vein/*radiography ; Pyloric Stenosis/therapy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed