BACKGROUND: Carotid atherosclerosis and aortic at herosclerosis are both a predictor of atherosclertic cardiovascular diseases. However, the relationship between carotid and aortic atherosclerosis is not well known. METHODS: We performed B-mode ultrasound examinations of the carotid arteries in 38 consecutive elderly cases(13 men, mean age 69+/-3 years and 25 women, mean age 69+/-5 years) who underwent transesophageal echocardiography, to assess whether atherosclerosis in the carotid artery correlates with thoracic aortic atherosclerosis or may be a marker for it. RESULTS: The incidence of carotid and thoracic aortic atherosclerotic plaques were 44.7% and 50%, respectively. There was a significant relationship between carotid atherosclerosis and thoracic aortic atherosclerosis(r=0.532, p<0.01), and a increase in the extent of aortic atherosclerosis with increasing grades of carotid atherosclerosis. In the entire study cases, the presence of carotid atherosclerosis had a sensitivity 63.2%, specificity 73.7%, positive value 72.6% and negative predictive value 66.7% in detec-ting thoracic aortic atherosclerosis. CONCLUSION: In the Korean elderly, B-mode ultra sound examination of the carotid arteries is a easy and useful technique for the prediction of the presence and severity of thoracic atherosclerosis.
Aged* ; Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic* ; Atherosclerosis* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery Diseases* ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonics ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.

Aneurysms of the pulmonary artery are uncommon in general but have a potentially fatal prognosis. This is derived from the potential for rupture of the aneurysm from the fact that there is commonly underlying severe pulmonary hypertension. Most cases are documented in the large postmortem series. Aneurysms of the pulmonary artery can be classified as congenital or acquired. Possible symptoms include dyspnea on exertion, cough, hemoptysis, and thoracic pain. When a large aneurysm formation of the pulmonary artery is diagnosed, surgical intervention is indicated because conservative treatment of the aneurysm will undoubtedly result in rupture with fatal outcome. We report a case of 46-year old patient with a giant left pulmonary artery aneurysm associated with severe pulmonary hypertension. A Doppler echocardiogram and a computed tomographic scan showed a giant saccular aneurysm of the left pulmonary artery (12 cm in diameter) and estimated systolic right ventricular pressure of 80 mmHg.
Aneurysm* ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Fatal Outcome ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Rupture ; Ventricular Pressure

Ischemic heart disease is a common complication of thyrotoxicosis, although the exact mechanism has not been defined. In patient with dextrocardia as a part of situs inversus, coronary heart disease may occur with similar frequency and manifestation as in the general population. A case is reported of angina and thyrotoxicosis in patient with situs inversus totalis in which the angina was manifested by ST-segment elevation during graded exercise, relieved by antithyroid treatment. This unusual case establishes an association between hyperthy-roidism and ischemic heart disease.
Coronary Disease ; Dextrocardia ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism* ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Situs Inversus* ; Thyrotoxicosis

No abstract available.
Electrocardiography* ; Humans ; Pharynx* ; Sensation*

No abstract available.
Sarcoma*

No abstract available.
Sporotrichosis*

No abstract available.
Sarcoidosis*

We herein report a 4-year-old boy with infantile digital fibrornatosis developing on the distal & middle phalanx portion of the right index & ring fingers, and the middle phalanx portion of the right middle finger, which started at the age of 5 months after birth. Biopsy specimen taken from the right middle finger showed the proliferating collagen bundles and fibroblasts in the dermis and eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions within the fibroblasts. Although we attempted to treat tbe patient with intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide suspension and cryotherapy 5 times biweekly, there was no signifit effect.
Biopsy ; Child, Preschool ; Collagen ; Cryotherapy ; Dermis ; Eosinophils ; Fibroblasts ; Fibroma* ; Fingers ; Humans ; Inclusion Bodies ; Injections, Intralesional ; Male ; Parturition ; Triamcinolone Acetonide

Patent foramen ovales (PFOs) are common congenital cardiac defects that have been associated with the occurrence of stroke, especially with cryptogenic stroke, or those of undefined cause, accounting for up to 40% of all ischemic strokes. A number of studies have demonstrated the association of larger PFOs with increased shunting in patients with cryptogenic strokes. Medical treatment is often considered inadequate, and percutaneous closure offers an attractive, albeit controversial, alternative in stroke patients with PFOs. Although it is plausible that percutaneous PFO closure will reduce the rate of recurrent stroke in these patients, no prospective, randomized trials examining the efficacy of closure devices in this setting have been completed. This paper reviews the known relationship between PFOs and cryptogenic strokes and discusses current therapeutic options, including percutaneous closure.
Accounting ; Foramen Ovale, Patent ; Humans ; Stroke