No abstract available.
Angiomyoma*

No abstract available.
Dermoid Cyst*

No abstract available.

As advance care planning is taking center stage in the field of end-of-life care, various tools have been developed to aid in the often emotional and difficult decision-making process. Video decision support tools are one of the most promising means of assistance, of which the modus operandi is to provide more comprehensive and precise information of medical procedures to patients and their families, allowing them to make better informed decisions. Despite such value, some are concerned about its potential negative impact. For example, video footages of some procedures may be shocking and unpalatable to non-medical professionals, and patients and families may refuse the procedures. One approach to soften the sometimes unpleasant visual of medical procedures is to show less aggressive or more relaxing scenes. Yet another potential issue is that the objectivity of video decision support tools might be vulnerable to the very stakeholders who were involved in the development. Some might argue that having multiple stakeholders may function as checks and balances and provide collective wisdom, but we should provide more systematic guarantee on the objectivity of the visual decision aids. Because the decision of the modality of an individual's death is the last and most significant choice in one's life, no party should exert their influence on such a delicate decision. With carefully designed video decision support tools, our patients will live the last moments of their lives with dignity, as they deserve.
Advance Care Planning* ; Decision Making ; Decision Support Systems, Clinical ; Decision Support Techniques ; Hope* ; Humans ; Lifting* ; Nimodipine ; Palliative Care ; Shock ; Terminal Care ; Videotape Recording

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the standard treatment of benign gallbladder disease. It requires the skill of a trained surgeon, and its safe performance. The advantages of laparoscopy are less postoperative pain, absence of cosmetic damage, shorter recovery times, and decreased length of hospital stays compared with conventional open surgery. METHODS: We reviewed 500 consecutive laparoscopic cholecystectomies retrospectively at the department of general surgery of Maryknoll Hospital from February 1992 to May 1999. RESULTS: There were 175 males and 325 females(M:F=1:1.86) with ages ranged from 21 to 78 years (mean: 50.0 year). Preoperatively, 72 patients underwent endoscopic retrograde cholagiography and 7 patients underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy due to common bile duct stone. Mean operation time was 73.7 minutes. Operative cholangiogram was attempted in 8 patients. Conversion to open cholecystectomy during operation was done in 8 cases(1.6%) and leading causes were severe adhesion, uncontrolled bleeding, suspected malignancy, bile duct injury. Operative Complications occured in 18 patients(3.6%): bile duct injury 1, postoperative bleeding 1, bile leakage 4,subcutaneous emphysema 1, abdominal wall hematoma 3, wound infection 8. There was no operative mortality. The length of hospital stay ranged from 2 to 15 day with average of 4.7 day. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe and effective operation in patients with benign gallbladder diseases.
Abdominal Wall ; Bile ; Bile Ducts ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic* ; Common Bile Duct ; Emphysema ; Gallbladder Diseases ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Mortality ; Pain, Postoperative ; Retrospective Studies ; Sphincterotomy, Endoscopic ; Wound Infection

No abstract available.
Pancreaticoduodenectomy*

No abstract available.
Giant Cells* ; Granuloma, Giant Cell*

There are several methods for the reconstruction of partial urethral defect, including split-thickness skin graft, full-thickness skin graft, and preputial flap and free flap. Despite partial success using these methods, most results are unsatisfactory due to frequent complications such as postoperative infection, fistula formation, hair growth and stricture. There have been several pioneering experiments in this field using autogenous vein graft and the results have been controversial. However, the fact that the endothelial lining is replaced by natural urethral epithlium is generally accepted as a positive effect of this method. This experiment was designed to identify the possibility of using vein graft for the reconstruction of partial urethral defect. Two different types of vein graft method were performed in a total of 20 New Zealand White rabbits with partial urethral defect. Firth, for the patch-graft group, a 1 x 1 cm rectangular vein graft was sutured at a defective area of the same size. Second, for the tubed-graft group, a vein graft segment 1 cm long was replaced at a segmental urethral defect of the same length. Histologic study was performed at three and eight weeks postoperatively in each group. The process of transitional ell epithelial replacement within the grafted vein was uniformly observed in both experimental groups at three weeks postoperatively. At eight weeks postoperatively, the epithelial replacement was almost complete and histologically undistinguishable. In the retrograde urethrogram performed after 8 weeks, the urinary flow in the patch-graft group was normal and showed no stricture, and two of five rabbits in the tubed-graft group showed partial stricture at the graft site. In conclusion, natural urethral epithelium was restored in grafted venous segments irrespective of the type of graft. Partial stricture was observed in 40% of the tubed-graft group while complete reconstruction was possible in the patch-graft group.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Epithelium ; Fistula ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Hair ; Rabbits ; Skin ; Transplants* ; Veins*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Linoleic Acid* ; Macrophages, Peritoneal* ; Mice*

PURPOSE: To evaluate therapeutic effect of biofeedback therapy according to methods of diagnosis in patients with norelaxing puborectalis syndrome. METHODS: From September, 1, 1998 to February, 30, 1999, the patients who were diagnosed with norelaxing puborectalis syndrome on anal electromyography (EMG) and/or cinedefecography (CD) underwent biofeedback therapy. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to the diagnostic method; CD group - only diagnosed on cinedefecography, EMG group - only diagnosed on anal electromyography, CD EMG group - diagnosed on both tests. RESULTS: Nineteen patients were diagnosed nonrelaxing puborectalis syndrome on CD and/or EMG. There were 14 females and 5 males with a mean age of 40.8+/-18.4 years. The patients were classified into CD group; five patients (26.3%); EMG group, eight patients (42.1%); CD EMG group, six patients (31.6%). The patients had 5.4 3.7 sessions of outpatient EMG-based biofeedback sessions. Subjective symptoms after biofeedback therapy improved in 4 (80.0%), 6 (75%), 5 (83%) patients in CD, EMG, CD EMG groups, respectively. There was a statistically significant increase in spontaneous bowel movements, and a reduction in assisted bowel movements after biofeedback therapy in patients in all three groups (p<0.05). However, no significant difference was found among the three groups. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that biofeedback therapy had a high therapeutic effect regardless to the diagnostic method. Therefore, biofeedbck therapy can be performed if one test results in the diagnosis of norelaxing puborectalis syndrome in patients with constipation.
Biofeedback, Psychology* ; Constipation ; Diagnosis* ; Electromyography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Outpatients