No abstract available.
Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung*

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: To determine correlations among ambulatory renin activity, ambulatory blood pressure and microalbumin excretion rate, 66 Korean essential hypertensives were studied after 4 week wash-out period. The ambulatory blood pressure was monitored every 30 minutes and mean BP were calculated automatically. Urinary microalbumin excretion rate(UAER) and ambulatory plasma renin activity(aPRA) collected at mid-day were measured by radioimmunoassays. Subjectives were divided into 2 groups by aPRA value(2ng/ml/hr). RESULT: 14 cases were high renin group and 52 cases low renin group. The mean BP were 148.83/94.69mmHg in low renin group, and 146.57/98.07mmHg in high-renin group without difference. UAER were not different also between both groups. 23.07%(4/14) of non-dippers were included in high renin group and 25.58%(12/52) in low renin group without statistical difference. The aPRA was significantly related to UAER and systolic and diastolic mean blood pressure. Also UAER was related significantly to day mean blood pressures. CONCLUSION: Thus aPRA is thought to be a meaningful indicator to predict hypertensive renal target organ damage as well as blood pressure measured with 24-hr ABPM.
Blood Pressure* ; Hypertension* ; Plasma* ; Radioimmunoassay ; Renin*

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to review the outcome of local control after the local excision for T1/T2 rectal cancers and, thus, to assess its effectiveness as an alternative to a more radical resection. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 23 patients with T1/T2 rectal cancer treated by local excision (LE), and their results were compared with the results for 22 patients with rectal cancer of the same stage treated by a radical resection (RR). All patients with pT2 lesions in the LE group received postoperative adjuvant chemoradiation. The outcomes were defined as 5-year local-recurrence-free survival (LRFS). The median follow-up was 72 (range, 40~92) months. RESULTS: Recurrence occurred in 4 patients (pT1, 1; pT2, 3) in the LE group and in 3 patients (all pT2) in the the RR group. One patient with vascular invasion (T2N1M0) in the RR group showed multiple liver metastases at 23 months postoperatively. The difference in 5-year LRFS was not statistically significant between the two groups. In the LE group, the 5-year LRFS for pT2 lesions was significantly less favorable than that for pT1 lesions (40% vs. 94%; P= 0.005). The 5-year LRFS for pT2 in the RR group was more favorable than that in the LE group, although the difference was not statistically significant (76.9% vs. 40%, P=0.138). CONSLUSIONS: Local excision provides a favorable local control for pT1 rectal cancers. A more radical resection, however, remains an effective surgical option for pT2 lesions because local excision, even combined with adjuvant chemoradiation, showed substantial local recurrences.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Sympathectomy

High-resolution (HR) ultrasound, which has been progressing continuously in technology, has improved in aspect of spatial and contrast resolution. The HR ultrasonography is a noninvasive, readily applicable imaging technique, which could get static and dynamic image in real-time for various neuromuscular disorders, especially in entrapment neuropathy. It is also a reliable tool to detect dynamic muscle movements such as fasciculation as well as muscle atrophy in chronic myopathies or neuropathies. Although reliability of the HR ultrasonography has not been investigated in large series of patients, different neuromuscular disorders tend to show specific changes on the ultrasound, which can be helpful in differential diagnosis. The HR ultrasonography is an ideal tool for the clinical and research investigation of neuromuscular system complementary to electrodiagnostic studies. This review briefly describes applicability for various neuromuscular disorders with previous study results and the technical aspects of ultrasound and its physical principles.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Fasciculation ; Humans ; Muscles ; Muscular Atrophy ; Muscular Diseases ; Nerve Compression Syndromes

Primary intracranial choriocarcinoma is a extremely rare neoplasm since the case was reported by Askanasy, in 1906, there have been 35 reported, even if germinal neoplasms containing chorocarcinoma-like tissue are added. But pure choriocarcinoma was rarely reported. The purpose of this paper is to report a case of 18-year-old boy with tumor in subependymal region around left frontal horn, which was present with high level of serum beta chain of chorionic gonadotropin(B-HCG) and was verified as germine choriocarcinoma by biopay.
Adolescent ; Animals ; Choriocarcinoma* ; Chorion ; Female ; Horns ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy

No abstract available.
Brain ; Brain Neoplasms ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Multiple Sclerosis

No abstract available.
DNA* ; Flow Cytometry* ; Gestational Trophoblastic Disease*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pancreaticoduodenectomy is the procedure of choice in patients with periampullary cancers. Marked improvements in morbidity and mortality rates following pancreaticoduodenectomy have been reported in recent years. However, pancreatic leakage still occurs in 5% to 25% of patients and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. METHODS: Between January 1990 to June 1999, eighty-two patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. We compared preoperative, intraoperative characteristics as well as postoperative sandostatin usage in those patients who experienced (n=21) versus those who did not experience pancreatic leakage (n=61). Information was retrospectively collected from hospital record. RESULTS: The clinical leakage rate in this series was 25.6% (n=21). There were no significant differences in preoperative characteristics comparing those with versus those without pancreatic leakage. Among intraoperative characteristics, duct stenting and transfusions were significantly associated with the pancreatic leakage. Finally, postopeative sandostatin usage was able to reduce significantly the incidence of pancreatic leakage. CONCLUSION: Although consensus among surgeons does not exist as to opeative tenchnique and postoperative management, stenting and less bleeding as well as sandostatin usage had better results in this study.
Consensus ; Hemorrhage ; Hospital Records ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Octreotide ; Pancreatic Fistula ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Stents

BACKGROUND: Due to its anatomical location and vague symptom, early diagnosis of traumatic pacreatic injury is difficult. Furthermore it is very difficult to carry out appropriate management for the injury, so morbidity and mortality rates of traumatic pancreatic injuries remain high. Patients and METHODS: We reviewed medical records of 35 cases of patients who had been diagnosed as pancreatic injury and operated at Department of Surgery, Busan National University College of Medicine between January 1995 and December 2000. RESULT: 1) The male to female ratio was 2.5:1 and the highest incidence occurred in the 4th decade(31.3%). 2) Thirty two cases(91.4%) were injured by blunt trauma and 3 cases(8.6%) were injured by penetrating trauma. 3) The most common clinical manifestation was abdominal pain. 4) Twenty two patients(62.9%) were operated within 24hours after injury, and the mean time interval between injury and operation was 26.4 hours. 5) The serum amylase levels higher than 150 somogi unit were recorded in 20 cases(57.1%) of the patients. 6) Twenty seven patients(77.1%) had another associated injury with an average of 2 associated intraabdominal injuries. The most frequently injured intraabdominal organ was mesentery. 7) Complications occurred in 20 of 35 patients(57.1%) and the most common complication was pancreas-related complications, such as fistula, pseudocyst, abscess, pancreatitis. 8) Six patients(17.1%) were died due to hypovolemic shock, sepsis, respiratory failure and renal failure. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis and appropriate operative methods may reduce morbidity and mortality from traumatic pancreatic injury
Abdominal Pain ; Abscess ; Amylases ; Busan ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Fistula ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Medical Records ; Mesentery ; Mortality ; Pancreatitis ; Renal Insufficiency ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Sepsis ; Shock