No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Meningitis* ; Plasma*

BACKGROUND: It has been documented that certain prognostic factors may affect the outcomes of the old aged victims by trauma. Considering that trauma is the sixth most common cause of death in people over the age of 65 years and there is a rapid growth of elderly population, it is paramount to understand the prognostic factors when dealing with geriatric trauma patients. Hypothesis and Goals : It can be hypothesized that the prognostic factors should be determined independently between populations being consisted of different races, countries, socio-economic states, cultures, or so on. Thus, study was designed to evaluate the factors affecting the outcomes of elderly Korean trauma patients. METHODS: One hundred forty six patients aged over 65 years were retrospectively reviewed, who visited the Emergency Canter of Korea University from January, 1997 to June, 1998. Of 146 patients, 7 were excluded due to discharge against advice or transfer to the other hospitals. Parameters analysed were age, sex, mechanism of injuries, body region injured, Injury Severity Score (ISS), previous medical illness, hospital morbidity, duration of hospital stay, and cost. Each patient was classified into improved or not-improved groups depending on the outcomes, and young-old or old-old group depending on the age. The factors affecting the hospital stay in improved patients were analyzed in the parameters of previous medical illness, hospital morbidity, multiple injuries, ISS, and age. All statistical tests were conducted with two-tailed levels of 0.05. RESULTS: Of 139 patients, the mean age was 74+/-7.1 years, mean ISS 9.3+/-7.26, mean hospital stay 27+/-27.1 days. Most commonly injured body region was the extremities due to fall from a level surface. Rate of previous illness showed 0.94 medical diseases per person and were aggravated after trauma in 39 patients (60.9%). Hospital morbidity rate was 0.46 incidents per person. There were no differences in age and duration of hospital stay between the improved and the not-improved group. Substantial differences were noted in affected body region, incidence of previous illness, and hospital morbidity between the groups (p=NS). Not-improved group had higher ISS (p<0.05). ISS, previous illness and hospital morbidity affected the duration of hospital stay in the improved group. Hospital stay was 40+/-25.1 days in patients with ISS over 6 while 6+/-8.6 days in those with ISS 5 (p<0.05). Hospital stay in the improved was 26+/-26.9 days while 31+/- 24.8 days in the improved old-old group (P=NS). Hospital stay in the young-old minor trauma (ISS5) patients with previous illness and hospital morbidity was 26+/-10.1 days while 4+/-7.3 days in those without previous illness and hospital morbidity (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Previous medical illness and hospital morbidity, not age, are predictive of outcomes of geriatric trauma patients with respect to hospital stay. As most of the hospital morbidity was a trauma-induced aggravation of previous medical illness and hospital morbidity contributing poor outcomes can be potentially avoidable, routine aggressive care far the geriatric trauma patients with previous medical illnesses is needed.
Aged ; Body Regions ; Cause of Death ; Continental Population Groups ; Emergencies ; Extremities ; Humans ; Incidence ; Injury Severity Score ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Multiple Trauma ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical aspects of severe endogenous endophthalmitis requiring evisceration,particularly underlying disease, causative microorganisms, and infection focus, and to assess the outcome of evisceration. METHODS: The records of 13 patients who were diagnosed with endogenous endophthalmitis requiring evisceration and treated at Yeungnam University Hospital from July 1994 to April 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 13 patients, all patients had diabetes mellitus, five had advanced liver disease, and one had aplastic anemia. Infection foci were pyelonephritis, pneumonia, and liver abscess. Five cases were confirmed with positive culture of lebsiella pneumoniae. Ten cases underwent evisceration with hydroxyapatite implantation, and three cases were treated conservatively because the patient was in poor systemic condition. Of the 10 patients who underwent evisceration, ocular implants were exposed in five cases. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that evisceration with primary orbital implant insertion for endogenous endophthalmitis involves the risk of implant exposure, but after secondary repair, all patients have stable clinical courses.
Anemia, Aplastic ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Durapatite ; Endophthalmitis ; Humans ; Liver Abscess ; Liver Diseases ; Orbital Implants ; Pneumonia ; Pyelonephritis ; Retrospective Studies

An increased placental ratio has known to be associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular complications in adulthood among the intrauterine fetal growth restriction. A retrospective study on 202 singleton growth-restricted infants without major congenital anomalies born from Jan. 1995 to Feb. 2001 was performed to determine the relationship between placental ratio and neonatal morbidity. The cases were categorized into three groups according to the placental ratio (<1SD below the mean, within 1SD of the mean, >1SD above the mean). There were no differences in the maternal characteristics and antenatal complications except pregnancy induced hypertension between high placental ratio group and the other groups. It presented the trend that was toward the increase of placental weight and the decrease of birth weight in high placental ratio group. The infants with a high placental ratio had increasing tendencies of meconium stained amnionic fluid, hypocalcemia, phototherapy, asphyxia.
Amnion ; Asphyxia ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Fetal Development ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; Hypocalcemia ; Infant* ; Meconium ; Phototherapy ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies

An increased placental ratio has known to be associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular complications in adulthood among the intrauterine fetal growth restriction. A retrospective study on 202 singleton growth-restricted infants without major congenital anomalies born from Jan. 1995 to Feb. 2001 was performed to determine the relationship between placental ratio and neonatal morbidity. The cases were categorized into three groups according to the placental ratio (<1SD below the mean, within 1SD of the mean, >1SD above the mean). There were no differences in the maternal characteristics and antenatal complications except pregnancy induced hypertension between high placental ratio group and the other groups. It presented the trend that was toward the increase of placental weight and the decrease of birth weight in high placental ratio group. The infants with a high placental ratio had increasing tendencies of meconium stained amnionic fluid, hypocalcemia, phototherapy, asphyxia.
Amnion ; Asphyxia ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Fetal Development ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; Hypocalcemia ; Infant* ; Meconium ; Phototherapy ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies

Angioedema is a well-demarcated localized edema involving the deeper layers of the skin, including the subcutaneous tissue. Angioedema occurs with Cl esterase inhibitor (Cl INH) deficiency that may be inborn as an autosomal dominant characteristic or may be acquired. Acquired angioedema (AAE) is a rare disorder characterized by adult onset and lack of evidence of inheritance of the disease. Two types of AAE are known today: type I in which there are lowering of functional Cl INH, an underlying disease such as a B-cell disease, and no detectable autoantibodies to Cl INH, type II with anti Cl INH autoantibodies in the circulation without detectable underlying disease and with depressed functional Cl INH levels. We experienced a case of angioedema in a 29-year old man. He had no family history of angioedema and laboratory data showed depressed Cl-INH levels. We diagnosed the case as acquired type of angioedema. Even though we could not measure anti-Cl INH auto-antibodies, we identified the case as type II because there was no evidence of underlying disease.
Adult ; Angioedema* ; Angioedemas, Hereditary* ; Autoantibodies ; B-Lymphocytes ; Complement C1 Inhibitor Protein* ; Complement C1s* ; Edema ; Humans ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Wills

Sturge-Weber syndrome was rare. But reported from 1860. We present a typical case of Sturge-Weber syndrome in a child and discussed the symptoms, signs, and pathological finding of various examinations in neurosurgical field such as plain x-ray, 4-vessel angiography, CT scan, EEG, IQ test, exophthamometry, opthalmometry, and fundoscopy. We find marked abnormality and asymmetry in that examination.
Angiography ; Child ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Sturge-Weber Syndrome* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: To investigate the factors which influence on the fixation failure after the compression hip screw fixation for unstable intertrochanteric fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-two patients of unstable intertrochanteric fracture of A2 and A3 type who had underwent operation with compression hip screw were evaluated at least 1 year follow-up in regard to the age, degree of osteoporosis, fracture type, diastasis of fragment, sliding of lag screw, position of lag screw and status of reduction. RESULTS: 73 patients out of 82 patients had the union and 9 patients showed fixation failure. The results of fixation failure were 6 cases of migration of lag screw and 3 cases of cut-out of lag screw. There were statistically significant correlations between fixation failure and A2.3 and A3 type. The fixation failure group showed increased medial migration of medial cortex of proximal and distal fragment, which is significantly correlated with fixation failure. There were little statistical significant correlations between age, degree of osteoporosis, status of reduction, position of lag screw, sliding of lag screw and fixation failure. CONCLUSION: Another alternative fixation method and technique have to be considered for unstable A2-3 or A3 type because compression hip screw fixation only is very insufficient with high failure rate.
Femur* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hip Fractures ; Hip* ; Humans ; Osteoporosis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the changes of clinical findings depending on the duration after total knee arthroplasty with or without patellar resurfacing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of 145 total knee arthroplasties with (70 cases) or without (75 cases) patellar resurfacing was carried out clinically and radioilogically. Patients were evaluated using the knee society score, and the patellar score. RESULTS: No significant difference was found between patellar resurfacing and non-resurfacing knees regarding the knee society score, and the patellar score. The postoperative clinical scores, the postoperative development of anterior knee pain were not influenced by the presence of preoperative anterior knee pain, obesity, the grade of chondromalacia observed intraoperatively, preoperative anteroposterior alignment, or preoperative Insall-Salvati ratio. CONCLUSION: There was no specific difference between the two groups regarding clinical findings, so patellar non-resurfacing should be considered in patients who have relatively normal articular cartilage and patellofemoral joint space width.
Arthroplasty* ; Cartilage Diseases ; Cartilage, Articular ; Humans ; Knee* ; Obesity ; Patellofemoral Joint ; Retrospective Studies

Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Humans ; Male ; Mandibular Condyle ; Mandibular Fractures ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteotomy ; Retrospective Studies ; Temporomandibular Joint