Xanthelasma palpebrum is the most common type of xanthoma that develops mainly on the inner epicanthus of upper eyelids with symmetrical distribution. The lesion tends to be permanent, progressive and cosmetically disfiguring. The recommended treatment has been surgical excision, local treatment with chemicals, and carbon dioxide laser. All of the mentioned treatment have some disadvantages including scarring, pigmentary change and need for local anesthesia. We describe the treatment of xanthelasma palpebrum with the pulsed dye laser which coagulates the hyperpermeable vessels so that the lipid leakage could be blocked and prevent recurrence and further progression.
Anesthesia, Local ; Cicatrix ; Eyelids ; Lasers, Dye* ; Lasers, Gas ; Recurrence ; Xanthomatosis

This study examined burdens of primary family carcgivcrs of paticnto with cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) along with related factors. In addition, their needs for support group intervention were assessed to develop a support group to reduce the burdens of caregiving. Eighty-one primary family caregivers of patients with CVAs at a general hospital in Seoul participated in this study . The patients with CVAs aged from 26 to 83 years with mean age of 63 years. About 90% of the patients had some paralysis and 56.6% suffered speech problems. Fifty-eight percent of the primary family caregivers were spouses of the patients and 80.2% were women. Primary family caregivers' burdens were assessed by the Burden Scale originally devel oped by Zarit (1980) and Novak & Geust(1989) and modified by Jang (1995) for use in Korea. The instrument consists of six subscales time-dependent burden, developmental burden, physical burden, emotional burden, social burden, and financiaI burden. The results were as follows : 1. The average of burden score was 91.7, indicating moderate to severe level of burden. The time-dependent burden was scored highest followed by physical, developmental, social, financial, and emotional burdens. 2. of the characteristics of patients, age, gender, and severity of the disease were found to be associated with the level of burden. Of the characteristics of primary family caregivers, age and educational level were significantly related to the level of burden. Time of care since the CVA and the quality of relationship between a patient and a caregiver prior to the stroke were significant situational factors affecting the level of burden. 3. The need for support group intervention for the caregivero was very high (95.1%). The earcgivcrs of patients who had a CVA for the first time showed higher levels of need compared to those of patients who had a CVA more than once. The caregivers indicated a support group held once a month near home or hospital would be welcomed. In addition, they replied that a group composed of 9 to 10 caregivers and guided by health care professionals (e.g., physicians and nurses) would be most desirable. More than 85% of the earegivers identified the areas that they wanted intervention in as follows : knowledge, skills, and resources to care for a patient with a CVA. the counsel of health care professionals, share of their experiences with those who have similar situations, stress management skills, and methods to overcome emotional isolation due to the great responsibility for a patient. Given the results, support group is expected to be an effective way to reduce the burdens of primary family caregivers of patients with CVAs. As a follow up It is necessary to examine the effect of support group intervention on the patient's recovery and rehabilitation.
Caregivers* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Korea ; Paralysis ; Rehabilitation ; Self-Help Groups* ; Seoul ; Spouses ; Stroke*

No abstract available.
Graves Disease* ; Humans ; Thyroid Gland*

No abstract available.
Dizocilpine Maleate* ; Dopamine* ; Methamphetamine*

Three cases of sclerosing stromal tumor of the ovary are presented. All three patients were nulliparous young wemen of 23~25 years of age, presenting with menstrual irregularity for 6 months to 4 years. Grossly the tumors ranged in size from 8 to 22cm in greatest diameter, showing gray white to yellow solid or predominantly cystic tissue with serous fluid. The common microscopic finding was that of cellular areas admixed with densel fibrous and/or edematous tissue, presenting pseudolobular appearance. Two types of tumor cells were rounded cells with clear vacuolated cytoplasm and less numerous spindle shaped cells. Postoperative course was uneventful and menstrual irregularity disappeared postoperatively. In case 2, the patient got pregnant after 1 year and 4 months. This clinical course suggests that sclerosing stromal tumor of the ovary may be endocrinologically active.
Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans

Aneurysm of the portal venous system is extremely rare and its etiology is controversial. In the following study, a case congenital aneurysm of the portal vein is reported. A 47-year-old male had a one-year history of generalized weakness. During routine evaluation, an ultrasound examination showed a masslike dilatation of the portal vein near the porta hepatis and its distal portion was communicating with the normal-sized superior mesenteric vein. The diagnosis was confirmed by dynamic computed tomography and portal venography as portal vein aneurysm and an unusually tortuous portal vein. The patient had no history or clinical evidence of underlying liver disease, pancreatitis, or other disease states that would predispose development of an aneurysm. It was speculated that this portal vein aneurysm may have been congenital and that the associated tortuous portal vein may have been secondary to hemodynamic changes in the portal vein system.
Aneurysm* ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; Male ; Mesenteric Veins ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatitis ; Phlebography ; Portal Vein* ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: To evaluate the predictive value of the early response of 18F-flurodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) during concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: FDG PET was performed before and during CCRT for 13 NSCLC patients. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were measured and the changes were calculated. These early metabolic changes were compared with the standard tumor response by computed tomograms (CT) one month after CCRT. RESULTS: One month after the completion of CCRT, 9 patients had partial response (PR) of tumor and 4 patients had stable disease. The percent changes of SUVmax (%DeltaSUVmax) were larger in responder group than in non-responder group (55.7% +/- 15.6% vs. 23.1% +/- 19.0%, p = 0.01). The percent changes of SUVmean (%DeltaSUVmean) were also larger in responder group than in non-responder group (54.4% +/- 15.9% vs. 22.3% +/- 23.0%, p = 0.01). The percent changes of MTV (%DeltaMTV) or TLG (%DeltaTLG) had no correlation with the tumor response after treatment. All the 7 patients (100%) with %DeltaSUVmax > or = 50% had PR, but only 2 out of 6 patients (33%) with %DeltaSUVmax < 50% had PR after CCRT (p = 0.009). Likewise, all the 6 patients (100%) with %DeltaSUVmean > or = 50% had PR, but only 3 out of 7 patients (43%) with %DeltaSUVmean < 50% had PR after CCRT (p = 0.026). CONCLUSION: The degree of metabolic changes measured by PET-CT during CCRT was predictive for NSCLC tumor response after CCRT.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Chemoradiotherapy* ; Glycolysis ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Tumor Burden

No abstract available.
Telephone*

BACKGROUND: Prior reports of umbilical vein variation were strongly associated with several congenital anomalies. This suggests that the incidence of umbilical vein anomaly was more frequently seen in dead fetuses than in liveborn infants because the leading causes of stillbirth are chromosomal and/or congenital anomalies. The developing liver exerts a profound influence in modifying the primitive vitelline and umbilical veins. This study was undertaken to identify the umbilical vein variations and the associated hepatic and perihepatic structural anomalies in dead fetuses. METHODS: Dissection was done in eighteen dead fetuses who had undergone delivery at Chonbuk National University Hospital between December 1996 and February 1998. The weight ratios of the liver to the body and the right to the left hepatic lobes and the distal attachment of umbilical vein, including the presence of hepatic fissures and ligaments, were examined. According to the gestational age, the cases were divided into two groups (group 1: < 32 weeks, 13 cases; group 2: > or = 32 weeks, 5 cases). RESULTS: The gestational age of the fetuses ranged from 19 to 39 weeks. The fetal liver constituted 3.7% and 4.0% of the total fetal body weight for group 1 and 2, respectively. The mean weight ratio of the right to the left hepatic lobe was between 1:1.4 and 1:1.5. There were no gross morphologic abnormalities in 9 cases. Eighteen kinds of chromosomal and congenital anomalies, including omphalocele, anomalous hepatic segmentation, hypogenesis of the hand and the foot, syndactyly, polycystic kidney, etc., were observed in 9 dead fetuses. A case of an abnormal distal attachment of the umbilical vein was identified. The umbilical vein drained into the dilated extrahepatic portal vein directly. The hepatic segments and fissures were completely normal, but ligamentum teres was not identified in this case. A peculiar hepatic segmental anomaly due to whole organ herniation through a defect in an omphalocele was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The weight of the liver of the dead fetuses was relatively small in both groups. No weight shift of left to right was recognized. The incidence of congenital anomalies was much higherin the dead fetuses (50%) than in the live births (0.7-1.98%). There were two hepatic anomalies (11.1%), including segmentation and distal attachment of the umbilical vein. The authors reviewed all reports of umbilical vein anomalies and propose a classification for umbilical vein variations focused on the distal points of attachment. All variations of the umbilical vein tend to fall into two main groups. In the first group, the veins have distal points of attachment into portal vein systems. In the second group, the veins have distal points of attachment into systemic veins.
Classification* ; Fetal Weight ; Fetus* ; Foot ; Gestational Age ; Hand ; Hernia, Umbilical ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Jeollabuk-do ; Ligaments ; Live Birth ; Liver ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases ; Portal Vein ; Stillbirth ; Syndactyly ; Umbilical Veins* ; Veins ; Vitellins

The authors report the incidence of myopia in a group of premature infants with birth weights of less than 1500g and/or gestational age less than 33 weeks. One hundred sixty eight babies who were born in one hospital from Jan. 1991 to Dec. 1993 were included. Eyes were refracted using cycloplegic retinoscopy at 6 months after term. Myopia was observed in 49.8% of the refracted eyes. High myopia was observed in 1.4%. The history of acute retinopathy of prematurity was not associated with the development of myopia or high myopia(Fishers exact test, p>0.05), but the history of threshold retinopathy of prematurity was associated with the high incidence of myopia and high myopia(Chi-square test, p<0.05).
Birth Weight ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Myopia* ; Retinopathy of Prematurity* ; Retinoscopy