PURPOSE: To recanalize the occlusive lesion of superficial femoral artery at origin site by retrograde approach via popliteal artery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 15 patients, who were poor surgical candidates due to coronary artery disease and who had severe occlusive lesion of superficial femoral artery close to its origin with good distal runoffs to popliteal artery, were selected. Patients were all~men and range of age were from 53 years to 66 years (mean age:63 years). Range of lesion length were from 15cm to 30cm (mean length:22.4cm). Localization of popliteal artery was done with Doppler stethoscope or "road-map" DSA. The method of recanalization were transluminal endarterectomy catheter (TEC), TEC and angioplasty, thrombolysoangioplasty (TLA). RESULT: Retrograde puncture of popliteal artery were done in 15 patients successfully. TEC & PTA was performed in 9 patients, TEC only in 2 patients, and TLA & PTA in 2 patients. During the follow-up period of 5 months to 2 years reocclusion did not occurr in 10 patients except for 1 patient with poor cardiac output in whom it occured 1 day later. Remained 4 patients were lost in follow up. Any neurologic or vascular complication did not occur. CONCLUSION: Retrograde approach of superficial fernoral artery via popliteal artery in patients with difficult vascular intervention by common method provides a useful, alternative recanalization method.
Angioplasty ; Arteries ; Cardiac Output ; Catheters ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Endarterectomy ; Femoral Artery* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Popliteal Artery* ; Punctures ; Stethoscopes

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of the opacification of paranasal sinuses and to correlate the prevalence and severity of the sinus opacification with presence of upper respiratory infection (URI) in infants and children using CT. MATERIALS & METHODS: We analyzed CT scans of 162 children aged under 16 who have no signs and symptoms of paranasal sinusitis. Both sides of maxillary and ethmoidal sinuses were evaluated. We scored from 0 to 3 according to the degree of soft tissue opacification of each sinus and then summed up the scores of each sinus. We divided the children into 5 groups according to their age. We paid particular attention to the following respects: 1) the prevalence of the opacification of the paranasal sinuses in each group; 2) the difference in the prevalence between the children with and without URI ;3) the correlation between the severity of the sinus opacification and the presence of URI. RESULTS: Of 162 children, one or more paranasal sinus opacification was noted in 76(47 %):31(65%) less than 1 year old;11(52%) between 1 and 2 years old;16(53%) between 2 and 6 years old ;15(28%) between 6 and 12 years old;and 3(33%) above 12 years old. In children less than 1 year old, no significant difference in the prevalence of the sinus opacification was found between URI-positive(71%) and URI-negative(58%) subgroups. In chilren between 1 and 12 years old, although the prevalence of the sinus opacification in URI-positive subgroups was much greater than that in URI-negative subgroup, statistically significant difference was noted only in children between 2 and 6 years old. As to the correlation between the severity of the sinus opacification and the presence of URI, these was a statistically significant difference in children between 2 and 6 years old and between 6 and 12 years old. CONCLUSION: Although the exact pathophysiology is not fully understood, the opacification of the paranasal sinuses is not an uncommon finding at CT in children without the signs and symptoms of sinusitis. We think that the clinical correlation is essential in determining the diagnosis and treatment plan in cases that the sinus radiographs or CT scans show the abnormal findings.
Child* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Infant* ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Prevalence* ; Sinusitis* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

We report magnetic resonance imaging findings of massive spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) caused by repeated lumbar punctures during spinal anesthesia in a 36-year-old man. The signal intensities of spinal SAH were similar to those of the conus medullaris on both T1 and T2- weighted spin-echo images. Although spinal SAH is hardly recognized on MR, spinal SAH of sufficient amount may cause alteration of the cerebrospinal fluid signal.
Adult ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Conus Snail ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Spinal Puncture ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to introduce the experience of 31 patients who had renovascular hypertension and underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of renal artery (PTA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects were 31 patients with hypertension and stenotic renal artery or arteries on angiography. The criteria of stenosis is more than 50% narrowing of the artery. The technical results were considered to be successful if residual stenosis is less than 50%. The clinical results were classified as cure, improvement and fail. And clinical results were analyzed according to the follow-up duration, short term (< or = 6 mo) and long term (< 6 mo). RESULTS: Technical success rate was 90.2% (37/41) and clinical success rate were 82.8% (24/29) on short term follow-up and 84.2% (16/19) on long term follow-up. Recurred cases were 7 cases. CONCLUSION: PTA is a safe and effective therapeutic modality on renovascular hypertension.
Angiography ; Angioplasty* ; Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Renovascular ; Renal Artery*