Adequate vascular access is essential for hemodialysis and Cimino type arteriovenous fistula is the solution for this purpose. But even after we made that fistula, we faced with early fistula failure in about 5~15% of these internal fistula and about 10% drop of fistula patency during the follow up each year. In order to select adequate salvage procedures after fistula failure, we analyzed the causes of failure and compared the result of salvage procedures performed in 423 re-arteriovenous fistula cases which were done between March 1983 through February 1996 in the Department of Surgery Dongsan Hospital, Keimyung University. In early failure cases, poor arterial flow(51.4%) and missed proximal obstruction of fistulated vein before fistula creation(20.9%) were two most common causes of failure but in late failure, stricture and thrombosis were leading causes(81.4%). In the case of repeated arteriovenous fistula, usage of proximal artery showed less early failure rate(5.6%) than opposite radial or ulnar artery(14.8%). This is especially true in patient with diabetes, collagen disease or obesity. Both repeat arteriovenous fistula and salvage procedure showed more early fistula rate and less mean patency compare with primary fistula. Among the salvage procedures of late onset fistula failure, patch graft and bridge graft showed less failure rate(7.1% and 8.3% each) compared with balloon angioplasty(60.0%) or thrombectomy(25.0%). Thrombosis or occlusion at around the fistula site can be managed by performing new fistula using the arterized vein and artery 1~2 cm proximal to the previous fistula. In summary, salvage procedure in the failed arteriovenous fiatula should be chosen according to their failure causes and onset time.
Arteries ; Arteriovenous Fistula ; Collagen Diseases ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Fistula ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Obesity ; Renal Dialysis ; Thrombosis ; Transplants ; Veins

OBJECTIVE: The use of decompressive craniectomy for treating massive cerebral infarction is attracting much attention because conventional medical treatment is associated with high mortality. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the surgical treatment results and prognostic factors for patients suffering with malignant cerebral infarction. METHODS: We analyzed 9 consecutive patients who underwent decompressive craniectomy with or without temporal lobectomy after malignant cerebral infarction from 2000 to 2008. We reviewed the medical records, the radiological finding and the pre-operative clinical assessment using the Glasgow Coma scale (GCS). The postoperative functional outcome was assessed as the Barthel-Index (BI) and the modified Rankin scale (mRS). RESULTS: The male to female ratio was 3.5:1. The mean age was 50 years (range: 36-68). Eight patients (89%) showed involvement of the entire middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory and the concomitant anterior cerebral artery (ACA) or posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory. The preoperative mean GCS was 8.3 (range: 5-12) and the mean time to surgery after the onset of symptoms was 47.7 hours (range: 4-168 hours). All the patients underwent decompressive craniectomy and duroplasty. Among them, four patients (45%) underwent temporal lobectomy. The mean followup period was 7.3 months (range: 1-26 months) and five patients died within this period. CONCLUSION: Decompressive craniectomy with or without lobectomy for patients with malignant cerebral infarction decreases the mortality rate and it improves the functional outcome. In the survived group, comparison of the two surgical modalities didn't show any statistically significant difference. However, the decompressive craniectomy with lobectomy group demonstrated a high survival rate (75%). Future studies are needed to investigate the proper treatment modalities for malignant cerebral infarction.
Anterior Cerebral Artery ; Cerebral Infarction ; Decompressive Craniectomy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Posterior Cerebral Artery ; Retrospective Studies ; Stress, Psychological ; Survival Rate

Nasal septal infection can result from progression of a fungal infection from the adjacent sinuses. Nasal septal fungal abscesses complicating nasal trauma, surgical procedures, sinus, and dental infections have previously been reported in a small number of cases. Adequate management involves early diagnosis, prompt empiric antifungal therapy, and surgical debridement in order to prevent the development of life-threatening complications. We report a rare case of nasal septum necrosis from Aspergillus infection in a 79-year-old man with diabetes mellitus and chronic renal failure following endoscopic sphenoid sinus surgery due to an isolated sphenoid fungal ball.
Abscess ; Aged ; Aspergillosis* ; Aspergillus ; Bacterial Infections* ; Debridement ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Nasal Septum* ; Necrosis ; Sphenoid Sinus*

BACKGROUNDS: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) increased prevalence and economic burden. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate drug use pattern in IBD patients in a real world. METHODS: National Health Insurance claim data from 2010 to 2014 were used in this population-based study. All IBD patients diagnosed during study period were enrolled. IBD medications included 5-aminosalicylic acid (ASA), glucocorticoid, immunomodulator and anti-tumor necrosis factor-α agent(anti TNF-α). Growth rate of IBD prevalence, prescribed drug classes, duration of drug therapy and medication cost were analyzed. Number and percentage of patients for categorical variables, and mean and median for continuous variables were presented. RESULTS: Total numbers of patients were 131,158 and 57,286 during 5 years, and their annual growth rate were 3.2 and 5.7% for UC and CD. UC and CD were prevalent in the 40–50 (41.2%) and 20–30 age groups (36.0%). About 60% of IBD patients was prescribed any of medications. 5-ASA was the most frequently prescribed, followed by corticosteroid and immunomodulator. Anti TNF-α use was the lowest, but 5 times higher than UC in CD. Combination therapies with different class of drugs were in 29% for UC and 62% for CD. Mean prescription days per patient per year were 306 and 378, and the median medication cost per patient per year was KRW 420,000 (USD 383) and KRW 830,000 (USD755), for UC and CD, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing prevalence of IBD requires further studies to contribute to achieve better clinical outcomes of drug therapy.
Colitis, Ulcerative ; Crohn Disease ; Drug Therapy ; Health Expenditures ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Mesalamine ; National Health Programs ; Necrosis ; Prescriptions ; Prevalence

Cervical spondylosis is a common degenerative disease of the cervical spine affecting the cervical vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs. During parotidectomy, the patient is placed in a supine position with the neck extended and head rotated to the contralateral side. This position could exacerbate pre-existing cervical spondylosis and cause cervical myelopathy. We present a case of postoperative quadriplegia secondary to cervical myelopathy after parotidectomy. A 68-year-old man without symptoms of cervical spondylosis underwent partial parotidectomy for a right parotid mass and subsequently developed quadriplegia 8 hours postoperatively. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed severe cervical myelopathy. Emergency laminoplasty was performed, and steroid therapy was initiated. He showed near-complete recovery six months later.
Aged ; Emergencies ; Head ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Laminoplasty ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neck ; Quadriplegia ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spine ; Spondylosis ; Supine Position

Cervical spondylosis is a common degenerative disease of the cervical spine affecting the cervical vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs. During parotidectomy, the patient is placed in a supine position with the neck extended and head rotated to the contralateral side. This position could exacerbate pre-existing cervical spondylosis and cause cervical myelopathy. We present a case of postoperative quadriplegia secondary to cervical myelopathy after parotidectomy. A 68-year-old man without symptoms of cervical spondylosis underwent partial parotidectomy for a right parotid mass and subsequently developed quadriplegia 8 hours postoperatively. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed severe cervical myelopathy. Emergency laminoplasty was performed, and steroid therapy was initiated. He showed near-complete recovery six months later.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the significant factors for risk estimate of aspiration and to evaluate the efficiency of the dysphagia assessment tool. METHODS: A consecutive series of 210 stroke patients with aspiration symptoms such as cough and dysphagia who had soft or regular diet without tube feeding were examined. The dysphagia assessment tool for aspiration was compared with videofluoroscopy using Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis. RESULTS: In CART analysis, of 34 factors, the significant factors for estimating risk of aspiration were cough during swallowing, oral stasis, facial symmetry, salivary drooling, and cough after swallowing. The risk estimate error of the revised dysphagia assessment tool was 25.2%, equal to that of videofluoroscopy. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the dysphagia assessment tool developed and examined in this study was potentially useful in the clinical field and the primary risk estimating factor was cough during swallowing. Oral stasis, facial symmetry, salivary drooling, cough after swallowing were other significant factors, and based on these results, the dysphagia assessment tool for aspiration was revised and complemented.
Adult ; Aged ; Cough ; Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders/complications/*diagnosis ; Facial Asymmetry ; Female ; Fluoroscopy/methods ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Assessment ; Stroke/*complications/radiography/therapy

OBJECTIVE: Compared with other neural structures, optic apparatus are particularly sensitive to radiation. If tumors are adjacent to or in contact with optic apparatus, a number of limitations need to be addressed for planning radiosurgery. To avoid radiation induced optic neuropathy, we treated these lesions with fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (FSRS). This study is undertaken to assess the efficacy of FSRS for sella and parasella tumors adjacent to or in contact with optic apparatus. METHODS: We treated 19 sellar region tumors located adjacent to or in contact with optic apparatus with fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery using the Novalis system. Seventeen patients who could be followed were included in this study. They consisted of 8 pituitary adenomas, 4 optic gliomas, 3 meningiomas, 2 craniopharyngiomas. The mean tumor volume was 16.1cc(range 1-61.1). When planning FSRS, the prescribed fractionation dose to optic apparatus below 200cGy. Follow up examinations consisted of neurological, neuroradiological, and neuroopthalmological evaluations. RESULTS: Follow-up ranged from 2 to 34 months(mean 15 months). Serial magnetic resonance imaging revealed no increase in volume of tumor in all 17 patients. No patients had radiation induced optic neuropathy. CONCLUSION: Fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery is proper innovative treatment modality for sella or parasella tumors adjacent to or in contact with optic apparatus to avoid radiation induced optic neuropathy. We need further follow-up and clinical experiences.
Craniopharyngioma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Meningioma ; Optic Nerve Diseases ; Optic Nerve Glioma ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Radiosurgery ; Tumor Burden

PURPOSE: The roles of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as predictive and prognostic factors, as well as key mediators in the metastatic cascade, have been investigated. This study aimed to validate a method to quantify CTCs in peripheral blood using a real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for cytokeratin (CK)-19 and to evaluate the utility of this assay in detecting CTCs in breast cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Real-time monitoring PCR of fluorescently labeled specific hybridization probes for CK-19 mRNA was established. Peripheral blood samples from 30 healthy donors, 69 patients with early breast cancer, 47 patients with locally advanced breast cancer, and 126 patients with metastatic breast cancer were prospectively obtained and analyzed for CTC detection. RESULTS: CK-19 mRNA was not detectable in healthy subjects using the real-time RT-PCR method. The detection rates of CK-19 mRNA in breast cancer patients were 47.8% for early breast cancer (33/69), 46.8% for locally advanced breast cancer (22/47), and 61.1% for metastatic breast cancer (77/129). The detection rate of CK-19-positive CTCs in metastatic disease was slightly higher than early or locally advanced breast cancer; however, the detection rate according to disease burden was not statistically different (p=0.097). The detection rate was higher in patients with pleural metastasis (p=0.045). CTC detection was associated with poor survival (p=0.014). CONCLUSION: A highly specific and sensitive CK-19 mRNA-based method to detect CTCs in peripheral blood in breast cancer patients can be used in further prospective studies to evaluate the predictive and prognostic importance of CTCs.
Biomarkers, Tumor/*blood ; Breast Neoplasms/blood/*pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Keratin-19/*blood/genetics ; *Neoplastic Cells, Circulating ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; RNA, Messenger/*blood ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; *Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, an autosomal recessive disorder resulting from an enzymatic defect during cortisol biosynthesis (i.e., 21-hydroxylase deficiency), is characterized by impaired production of cortisol with or without impaired production of aldosterone, chronic stimulation of the adrenal cortex by corticotropin, and overproduction of cortisol precursors and androgens. The severity of the hormonal abnormalities and clinical symptoms depend on the degree of enzymatic activity. Phenotypes are classified into the following types: the severe salt-wasting type, the simple virilizing type, and the non-classic type. Despite adequate treatment, patients may be at risk for salt-wasting adrenal crisis, precocious puberty, short stature, infertility, psychosocial problems, and tumor formation, including adrenal incidentaloma. Here we present a case of adrenal incidentaloma in a 14-year-old boy who was eventually diagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to a 21-hydroxylase deficiency. The patient had a history of salt-wasting adrenal crisis, but survived without continuous glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid treatment. Note also that both plasma aldosterone and plasma renin activity were elevated in this case.
Adolescent ; Adrenal Cortex ; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms ; Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Aldosterone ; Androgens ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Infertility ; Phenotype ; Plasma ; Puberty, Precocious ; Renin ; Steroid 21-Hydroxylase