Chin ; Humans ; Polyethylene ; Transplants

PURPOSE: To assess the regional wall motion of the left ventricle in patients with diastolic overloaded lesions of congenital heart diseases with centerline analysis and radial method. METHODS: This study included 96 children with congenital heart diseases admitted to Kyungpook National University Hospital from January 1998 to December 2002 who received left ventriculograms. The evaluation of the regional wall motion of the left ventricle was done on review mode of 30-degree elongated right anterior oblique projection of left ventriculogram by using cardiac analysis program of the DXC Hiline Digital System(GER, Paris, France). RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the left ventricular regional wall motions of patients with right ventricular diastolic overload were significantly decreased at the anterolateral portion and increased at the diaphragmatic portion with the centerline analysis method, but no differences were noted with the radial method. CONCLUSION: We confirmed left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities in patients with right ventricular diastolic overload lesions of congenital heart diseases with the centerline method in spite of normal ejection fraction.
Child* ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Ventricles* ; Humans

Animals ; Bone Marrow ; Bone Regeneration ; Bone Transplantation ; Cartilage ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Fibrin Tissue Adhesive ; Lifting ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Osteogenesis ; Rabbits ; Stem Cells ; Tendons ; Tissue Engineering ; Transplants

PURPOSE: The major cause of cardiac dysfunction, after open heart surgery for congenital heart disease, is perioperative myocardial injury. Cardiac troponin I is found only within the myocardial cell, so it can be used as a biochemical marker of the myocardial injury. We performed this study to evaluate the worth of cardiac troponin I as a biochemical marker reflecting the extent of perioperative myocardial injury and recovery. METHODS: Thirty-four patients who had undergone elective open heart surgery of congenital heart disease(CHD) from April to July 2001 were enrolled in this study. We measured types of CHD, serial cardiac troponin I(baseline 1 day before operation, postoperative day 1, 2, 3, 7), duration of cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB), aortic cross clamping(ACC), intubation and postoperative hospital stay. RESULTS: Compared with the baseline before operation, there was a significant, increase of cardiac troponin I on the postoperative day 1 and a significant gradual decrease on the day 2, 3, 7. The levels of cardiac troponin I were the highest in the transposition of great artery(TGA) repair on the postoperative day 1 and high in the tetralogy of Fallot(TOF), atioventricular septal defect (AVSD), ventricular septal defect(VSD) and atrial septal defect(ASD) repair with decreasing sequence. The longer duration of CPB, ACC and intubation, the higher of cardiac troponin I, but there were no significant correlations between cardiac troponin I levels and duration of hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Because there was significant increases or decreases of cardiac troponin I according to the perioperative time and types of the congenital heart disease, it is a worthy biochemical marker which reflects the extent of perioperative myocardial injury and recovery after open heart surgery.
Biomarkers ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart* ; Humans ; Intubation ; Length of Stay ; Thoracic Surgery* ; Troponin I* ; Troponin*

Exercise testing with Thallium imaging is widely used for the noninvasive evaluation of patients suspected of having coronary artery disease. However, many patients referred for stress testing connot exercise adequately for either physical or psychological reasons, and as a result may have nondiagnostic or suboptimal test results. Intravenous dipyridamole in conjunction with Thallium imaging is as effective alternative method without exercise. But, myocardial imaging using the standard scintillation camera technique(planner view) is hampered by superposition of proximal & distal cardial walls and by the segmental nature of myocardial ischemia. For this reason, Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography(SPECT) reslut in high specificity & sensitivity rates for the detection of coronar artery disease compared with conventional technique. So we performed dipyridamole Th-201 myocardial scintigraphy on 25 subjects who have suspicious angina or myocardial infarction instead of exercise Th-201 myocardial scintigraphy, and compared SPECT view with conventional plannar view. The results obtained are as follows : 1) T1-201 scintigraphic findings in 17 patients with suspicious angina were as follows ; redistribution defect was seen in 4 cases in plannar view and 13 cases in SPECT view. 2) T1-201 scintigraphic findings in 8 patients with myocardial infarction were as follows ; in planner view, perfusion defect was seen in all cases and 1 cases of them, redistribution defect was accompained, and in SPECT view, perfusion defect was seen in all cases and 6 cases of them, redistribution defect was accompained. 3) During dipyridamole infusion, the mean systolic & diatolic pressure decreased from 133+/-22.7/86+/-13.5 to 121+/-23.9/78+/-13.1mmHg and the heart rate increased from 68+/-12.4 to 84+/-12.4beats/min. 4) Adverse effects of dipyridamole were noted in 14(56%) of the subjects, but in 12 of these, the symptoms were mild in severity and subsided spontanously. To summarize, Dipyridamole-201 myocardial imaging is a useful and test for coronary artery disease, and the new tomographic technique, SPECT view, is more useful than the conventional plannar view.
Arteries ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Dipyridamole* ; Exercise Test ; Gamma Cameras ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging ; Perfusion Imaging* ; Perfusion* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thallium* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

PURPOSE: Free flaps from the great toe are an established method for reconstruction of absent or partially amputated thumbs. However, options differ as to which technique represents the ideal solution for each level of amputation. Various methods of distal thumb reconstruction have been proposed. We prefer to transplant the entire great toe nail complex with the almost all of the pulp rather than a portion of the nail. This paper reflects our experience in using the great toe mini wrap-around flap for distal thumb reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the period from October of 2005 to July of 2007, 9 patients were treated for traumatic thumb defects localized at the distal phalanx of the thumb. The patients included seven men and two women. The mean age was 44 years (range, 21~60) and the dominant right hand was involved in seven of nine patients. RESULTS: The transferred flaps have survived completely in all cases. The mean range of motion in the interphalangeal joints was 51o, with 73% of the normal uninjured opposite hands. The two-point discrimination was 10.5 mm (range, 5~13 mm). In Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test, the sensibility was 4.31 in 4 cases, 3.61 in 3 cases and 2.83 in 2 cases. The pinch power was 64% (range, 55~95%) of the opposite hand. All patients were satisfied with the appearance of the reconstructed thumb and felt comfortable at final follow-up. CONCLUSION: We have successfully reconstructed 9 cases of traumatic distal thumb defects using the mini wrap-around free flap. The mini wrap-around free flap in great toe is an excellent alternative method for distal thumb reconstruction in selected patients.
Amputation ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Hand ; Humans ; Joints ; Male ; Nails ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Thumb ; Toes ; Transplants

Cephalometry ; Dentofacial Deformities ; Esthetics ; Humans ; Lip ; Nose ; Orthognathic Surgery ; Osteotomy ; Strikes, Employee

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Kawasaki disease is an acute systemic vasculitis of which pathogenesis suspected is caused by immune dysregulation. The goal of this study is to evaluate the activation pattern of T helper cell type 1 (Th1) and T helper cell type 2 (Th2) in patients with Kawasaki disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Prospective study of 60 patients (male 36, female 24) with diagnosis of Kawasaki disease were enrolled. One hundred and eighty blood samples from these patients were collected according to the different clinical stages {before initial intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), 5 days after initial IVIG, 2 months after initial IVIG}. The plasma level of Th1 cytokines; interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) & interleukin (IL)-2 and Th2 cytokines; IL-4 & IL-10 were measured by enzyme-liked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: In all patients, the plasma level of Th1 cytokines (IFN-gamma, IL-2) and Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) were markedly elevated during the acute stage of Kawasaki disease. Since then, the plasma level of all these cytokines decreased significantly along with the process of clinical stages. Regardless of the existence of coronary artery lesion or no response to initial IVIG treatment, there were no significant differences between them. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that both Th1 and Th2 cells may be activated simultaneously during the acute stage of Kawasaki disease. Further studies are therefore required to establish the difference of activation pattern of T helper cells between Kawasaki disease and other inflammatory diseases.
Coronary Vessels ; Cytokines ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; Interferon-gamma ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukins ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Plasma ; Prospective Studies ; Systemic Vasculitis ; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer ; Th1-Th2 Balance ; Th2 Cells

OBJECTIVE: To present the profiles of spinal cord tumors that can be removed through a unilateral hemilaminectomy and to demonstrate its usefulness for benign spinal cord tumors that significantly occupy the spinal canal. METHODS: From June 2004 to October 2010, 25 spinal cord tumors were approached with unilateral hemilaminectomy. We calculated the cross-sectional occupying ratio (CSOR) of tumor to spinal canal before and after the operations. RESULTS: The locations of the tumors were intradural extramedullary in 20 cases, extradural in 2, and intramedullary in 3. The levels of the tumors were lumbar in 12, thoracic 9, and cervical 4. In all cases, the tumor was removed grossly and totally without damaging spinal cord or roots. The mean height and width of the lesions we195re 17.64 mm (3-47.5) and 12.62 mm (4-32.7), respectively. The mean CSOR was 69.40% (range, 27.8-96.9%). Postoperative neurological status showed improvement in all patients except one whose neurologic deficit remained unchanged. Postoperative spinal stability was preserved during the follow-up period (mean, 21.5 months) in all cases. Tumor recurrence did not develop during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Unilateral hemilaminectomy combined with microsurgical technique provides sufficient space for the removal of diverse spinal cord tumors. The basic profiles of the spinal cord tumors which can be removed through the unilateral hemilaminectomy demonstrate its role for the surgery of the benign spinal cord tumors in various sizes.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Microsurgery ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Recurrence ; Spinal Canal ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: In patients with acute neurological symptoms, brain computed tomography (CT) is usually used to exclude hemorrhagic stroke. After CT imaging, there is no rapid, effective biologic marker for differentiating between acute cerebral ischemia and other etiologies, precluding rapid triage for further evaluation. We evaluated the diagnostic value of a panel of biochemical markers. METHODS: We performed the Triage Stroke Panel (Biosite Inc., UK) test using blood samples of patients who were admitted to the emergency department with suspected acute stroke between December, 2007, and March, 2008. The TSP is represented as MMX (multimarker index) compiles from individual biomarker values, based on quantitative measurement of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), fibrin degradation products containing D-dimer, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and S100. All patients were prospectively evaluated with imaging and laboratory tests for final diagnosis. RESULTS: Of 105 patients, 51.4% had ischemic stroke and 48.6% had non-ischemic, non-organic abnormalities, primarily peripheral vertigo. High levels of BNP and MMX were observed in patients with ischemic stroke (both p <0.001). Independent predictors (odds ratio with CIs are given) of ischemic stroke were: female (OR=0.1 [0.2-0.8]), hypertension (OR=5.0 [1.2-21.3]), BNP (BNP >54.7 pg/mL, OR=99.4 [8.5-1,171.0]). A model combining BNP and MMX had 92% specificity and a 91% positive predictive ratio for prediction of acute ischemic stroke. CONCLUSION: Using biomarkers may improve the differential diagnosis of ischemic stroke after initial brain CT imaging for hemorrhagic stroke, rapidly guiding further evaluation and treatment initiation in the emergency department.
Biomarkers ; Brain ; Brain Ischemia ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Emergencies ; Female ; Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stroke ; Triage ; Vertigo