No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Kidney Transplantation*

The Ventriculo-peritoneal(VP) shunt is effective and easy method for the treatment of hydrocephalus. But it has a high complication rate including malfunction and infection. This study seeks to find out how to reduce reoperation and complication rates of previously VP shunt-treated patients by analyzing risk factors, complication, and the relstionship with the time course. The authors reviewed 714 cases with VP shunt performed from 1986 to 1994. The risk factors of VP shunt related complications were insufficient surgical skill, younger age group, and some causes of hydrocephalus which were meningitis, neurocysticercosis, and congenital orgin. The complications including shunt malfunction were most frequent within 1 month after the initial VP shunt and were most common at the proximal site of the shunt system.
Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Meningitis ; Neurocysticercosis ; Reoperation ; Risk Factors ; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt*

No abstract available.
Adrenocortical Adenoma* ; Lipomatosis* ; Paraplegia*

BACKGROUND: For the treatment of Parkinson's disease, dopamine-producing cells or genes involved in producing dopamine or supporting neurons have been tested to replace conventional chemical therapies. Of these, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was the most widely used gene for the therapy. Trials using TH via various vectors yielded behavioral improvements in animal models but the effectiveness did not last long enough. As one of the approaches for solving this problem, the regulation of expression of the protein and mRNA of TH was studied. METHODS: Two approaches for a higher and/or more stable expression of TH were pursued. First, the effect of cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) on the expression level of TH and second, the effect of deletion which enables TH protein to escape from protease attack, were examined. RESULTS: Cells producing BH4 showed an approximately 10-fold higher TH expression than cells expressing TH alone. When the in vitro modified TH was expressed in NIH-3T3, mutant THs showed elevated protein (17.5 ~68.6 fold) and mRNA (1.8 ~4.6 fold) expression levels at a steady state. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that an addition of BH4 has a more positive effect on mRNA expression levels than protein. However, the deletions seem to have a tremen-dous effect on the translation and/or protein stability, but a small effect on the mRNA level. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(5):514~519, 2001)
Dopamine ; Models, Animal ; Neurons ; Parkinson Disease ; Phosphorylation ; Protein Stability ; RNA, Messenger ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase* ; Tyrosine* ; United Nations

The authors performed three consecutive cases of stereotaxic radiofrequency hypophy-sectomies for patients with disseminated cancer from breast or prostate at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University. The procedures were essentially the same, in large part, as the technique first introduced by Zervas. The authors modified the-original technique to reduce the known risks of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea and meningitis. Surgical details and clinical cases are presented.
Breast Neoplasms/surgery* ; Female ; Human ; Hypophysectomy/methods* ; Male ; Middle Age ; Prostatic Neoplasms/surgery* ; Radio Waves/therapeutic use* ; Stereotaxic Techniques*

The authors have experienced a case of Von Hippel-Lindau disease. A 31 year old man had angioma in the right retina and cystic capillary hemangioblastoma in the left cerebellar hemisphere. The retinal angioma was diagnosed by fundoscopic examination and the hemangioblastoma in the cerebellum was confirmed pathologically. The frequent associated disease, such as pheochromocytoma, polycythemia and intraabdominal tumor, was not noted clinically and radiologically. Total removal of the cerebellar tumor was performed with good result.
Adult ; Capillaries ; Cerebellar Neoplasms ; Cerebellum ; Hemangioblastoma ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Pheochromocytoma ; Polycythemia ; Retina ; Retinaldehyde ; von Hippel-Lindau Disease*

True cystic meningiomas are unusual. A metaplastic cystic meningioma is presented with a discussion of computerized tomography and pathological correlation.
Meningioma*

Stereotaxic biopsy is an useful technique as an alternative to craniotomy for the tissue diagnosis of the intracranial tumors, especially such as deep seated tumor or malignant neoplasm in the dominant hemisphere. Such biopsy was more safe and lesser expensive than any other procedures and had high accuracy. For the purpose of more accuracy, the authors inserted small steel ball marker at the biopsy site and performed repeat C-T brain scanning immediately after the operation. We could confirm the marker in the tumor tissue on the C-T scans. The authors had experienced 4 cases of stereotaxic biopsy as follow; 2 cases of thalamic astrocytomas, 1 case of pineocytoma and 1 case of astrocytoma grade II in the dominant hemisphere. Neither mortality nor morbidity was noted.
Astrocytoma ; Biopsy* ; Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Craniotomy ; Diagnosis ; Mortality ; Pinealoma ; Steel

The present study involves 30 craniopharyngioma patients who were admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Yonsei Medical college from April, 1965 to December, 1978. All 30 patients received surgery, the results of which were analyzed and evaluated as follows. 1. They consisted of 22 male and 8 female patients. Sixty percent of all patients were under 20 years of age. 2. Chief complaints were as follows:headache(80.0%), decreased visual acuity(80.0%), visual field cut(46.3%), nausea and vomiting(40.3%), papilledema(40.0%), optic atrophy(33.3%), diabetes insipidus(27.0%), and mental disturbance(27.0%). 3. They were diagnosed mainly by cerebral angiography until 1977, at times combined with pneumoencephalography, isotope brain scan, and Conray ventriculography. Since 1978 using the CT brain scan we have been able to reduce risk during and after neuroradiological study, and accurately determine location, size, shape and invasiveness of the tumor. 4. Surgical procedures were performed in 32 cases of craniopharyngioma using several approaches;transfrotal approaches;transfrontal approach:29 cases, transsphenoidal approach:2 cases, and sterotaxic cyst puncture:1 cases. In 8 cases(27.0%) total resection of the tumor was performed, subtotal resection in 23 cases(71.9%), and aspiration of the cyst in one case(3.1%). 5. In the above 32 surgeries, 24 cases(75.0%) of craniopharyngioma were performed by microsurgery, 8 cases involved total resection and 16 cases subtotal removal. As a result of microsurgery, it was possible to remove the tumor from the surrounding structures with less damage. 6. To manage hydrocephalus during the operation, extraventricular drainage was applied in 8 cases(27%) and in 7 cases(23.3%) ventriculoatrial or ventriculoperitoneal shunts were employed pre-or postoperatively. 7. Postsurgical radiation therapy was given to 8 patients in the dosage of 5000-7000 rad during 6 to 8 week period following surgery.
Brain ; Cerebral Angiography ; Craniopharyngioma* ; Drainage ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Male ; Microsurgery ; Nausea ; Neurosurgery ; Pneumoencephalography ; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt ; Visual Fields