BACKGROUND: From 1980s the methamphetamine(phillopon) was suddenly spread to our country and it becomes a serious social problem. Although the proportion of transfusion associated hepatitis C declined after introduction of Anti-HCV assay as screening test of blood donors, the overall prevalence of hepatitis C has remained the same, primarily because of increase of the proportion of hepatitis C patients among intravenous drug abusers. So we studied about prevalence of Anti-HCV, and other viral infectious disease transmission by intravenous drug abuse. METHODS: Total 202 drug abusers who had been admitted to Taegu Medical Center in 1994-1996 were tested for the presence of Anti-HCV. Epidemiologic data and histories related to drug use were obtained, as were serum test for hepatitis B, aminotransferase, HIV. RESULTS: The overall seropositivity of anti-HCV was 79.2%. Patients In HCV positive group were significant old age(34.0 yrs) and had long duration of injection(3.0 yrs) and the number of patient who had elevated aminotransferase level were significantly more than HCV negative group(p<0.05). No significant difference in sex, prevalence of HBs Ag and Anti HBc were observated between HCV positive group and negative group. The prevalence of Anti HBc was 52.1% and HBs Ag was 4.2%, but anyone was not detected for AIDS. CONCLUSIONS: The seropositivity of Anti-HCV in intravenous drug users in Taegu, Korea was 79.2%, comparable to that in Europe and U.S.A. This finding suggest that its time to hurry up for medical and public walfare service personal to concern and education of drug abusers, and inview of preventive medical care the need of general public information and education is pressing.
Blood Donors ; Daegu ; Disease Transmission, Infectious ; Drug Users* ; Education ; Europe ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis C ; HIV ; Humans ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Prevalence ; Social Problems ; Substance Abuse, Intravenous

No abstract available.
Hemosiderosis* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Seizures*

Since the term “facet syndrome” was introduced by Ghormley in 1933, arthropathy of the lumbar facet joint has long been recognized as an important source of low back pain, even sciatic pain. And facet joint injection has been helpful in the diagnosis and therapy for this facet syndrome. However, considering the possible complications such as infection, neurologic deficit and difficulty in locating the symptpmatic joint, and placebo effect, we have frequently doubted about clinical application of these procedures. This study is a retrospective review of 18 patients who got lumber facet joint injection for low back and leg pain with various previous indication that are not response to convential therapy for 2 months or more for therapeutic purpose. The response to facet joint injection was analyzed according to the entire spectrum of symptoms, physical findings, and X-ray findings. 13 or 15 patients with back pain with thigh or groin pain aggrevated by extension/rotation of trunk had successful response but patients with leg pain below the knee joint or pathology in the other structures in the spine got poor response. Strict diagnostic criteria through scoring system, provocation test, relief test and analysis of patient's signs and symptoms is needed to get higher degree of predictability and effectiveness of facet joint injection.
Back Pain ; Diagnosis ; Groin ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee Joint ; Leg ; Low Back Pain ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Pathology ; Placebo Effect ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine ; Thigh ; Zygapophyseal Joint

We measured several relationships of humeral and glenoid articular surfaces with radiologic analysis in the 60 shoulders of normal adults(the 30 males and 30 females) who were without pain and limitation of motion. The average age was 29.1 year-old in the males(from 26 to 39), 27.7 year-old in the females(from 20 to 34). The results of measurement were as follows. The average radius of curvature of humeral head was 28.8±1.9mm in the males, 25.3±2,3mm in the females. The average radius of curvature of glenoid was 34.5±3.5mm in the males, 29.3±2.8mm in the females and there was difference between the radius of curvature of humeral head and glenoid about 4-Smm. Average surface area ratio of humeral head versus glenoid was 1.8±0.2 in male, 2.0±0.2 in female. The average thickness of humeral head from anatomical neck was 23.1±1.5mm in the males, 20.5±2.lmm in the females and there was distance between the radius of curvature of humeral head and the thickness of humeral head about 5 me and it was suggested that humeral head was not hemisphere. The average neck shaft angle of humerus was 51.6±4.8 degree in the males, 52.7±3.8 degree in the females. The average flare index was 3.6±0.6 in the males, 3.9±0.7 in the females, so that metaphysis of female was broader than that of male. The lateral humeral offset was 68.5±3.8mm in the males, 63.6±4.3mm in the females. The average distance from the greater tuberosity of humerus to the lateral acromion process was 20.1±3.9mm in the males, 17.6±5.1mm in the females. The average distance of upper surface from the humeral head to the greater tuberosity of humerus was 6.5±1.4mm in males, 5.9±2.0mm in females. The distance from the humeral head to the undersurface of acromion was 9.5±3.1mm in the males, 7.7±3.5mm in females. Our measurement of normal glenohumeral relationship would be useful in the diagnosis of shoulder disorders and in the design of prosthestic reconstruction in Korean. Further study would be required for the analysis of the three dimensional relationship because of the limitation of our two dimensional analysis.
Acromion ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Humeral Head ; Humerus ; Male ; Neck ; Radius ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Joint

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many studies have shown that coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery prolongs the life of patients with left main coronary artery disease (LMCD). Recently, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been applied to treat LMCD, with good clinical results. However, a significant portion of patients decline any revascularization therapy, so receive medical treatment only. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long term clinical outcome in these patients with LMCD, according to the treatment strategies. SUBJECTS AND MEHTODS: The clinical outcomes of 281 consecutive patients, with significant LMCD, between January 1997 and December 2000, were evaluated. The patients were divided into three groups, according to their initial treatment strategies;1) CABG, 2) PCI and 3) medical treatment. The mean follow-up duration was 37.4+/-14.9 months. RESULTS: The 1- and 3-year survival rates in the CABG group (97.4+/-1.5% and 95.6+/-1.9%) were significantly higher than those of the medical group (89.8+/-3.9% and 76.1+/-5.9%;p=0.03). The survival rates in the PCI group (one year and 3-year survival rate, 98.1+/-1.3% and 93.8+/-2.5%) were similar to those of the CABG group (p=0.93). The incidence of 3-year MACE in the medical group (40.7%) was higher than those of the CABG (10.5%, p<0.001) and PCI groups (20.4%, p=0.007). There was no significant difference between the CABG and PCI groups (p=0.06). CONCLUSION: In patients with LMCD, a CABG remains the standard therapy for prolonging survival and lowering the incidence of MACE. PCI offers similar survival benefits in selected patients. Medical treatment is associated with a significantly higher mortality and MACE. Active revascularization therapy should be the treatment of choice for the patients with LMCD.
Angioplasty ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Disease* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Survival Rate ; Transplants

No abstract available.
Magnesium Sulfate* ; Magnesium* ; Torsades de Pointes*

Injury of the ankle ligaments is one of the most common sports-related injuries. Although there are some debates as to the best initial treatment for an acute tear of a lateral ligament, persistent functional instability of the ankle develops in approximately 20% of patients regardless of the type of initial treatment. In these patients, late reconstruction of the lateral ankle ligaments may become necessary. Among 13 cases which have been operated with Larsen procedure using peroneus brevis tendon from March 1991 to February 1993, the 11 cases followed up over 1 year were examined clinically and radiologically. We introduced the clinical analysis and results with the brief review of the literatures. 1. The indication of surgical treatment was the ankle instability which had differences over 10° in talar tilting angle or over 3mm in anterior displacement compared wit the uninjured site. 2. The postoperative results were 5 cases in excellent and 4 in good. 3. The Larsen procedure was considered a good method to anatomically and simply stabilize both the ankle and subtalar joint and to fix tendon depending on the type of instability.
Ankle ; Collateral Ligaments ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Methods ; Subtalar Joint ; Tears ; Tendons

To assess the efficacy of 2 different mitral balloon valvotomy (PMV) techniques, PMV was performed using Inoue balloon (I) in 35 pts and double balloon (D) in 33 pts with mitral stenosis (male 27, female 41, mean age 42+/-12 years). The success rate of PMV was 89%(31/35 pts) in I group and 97%(33/33 pts) in D group. Mitral valve area after dilation increased equally effectively in both groups (I and D) from 0.9+/-0.2 and 0.8+/-0.2 to 1.9+/-0.2 and 1.9+/-0.3cm2 respectively (p<0.0001). There were no differences in degree of improvement of cardiac output, mitral gradient, left atrial pressure, pulmonary artery pressure and various doppler echocardiographic findings in both groups, but EF slope was more improved from 13+/-7 to 48+/-16 mm/sec in D group than those (from 15+/-6 to 39+/-15mm/sec) of I group. Increments of long and short diameters of mitral valve orifice by 2D-echocardiogram were 1.1+/-0.6 and 0.3+/-0.3cm in D group and 0.9+/-0.5, 0.4+/-0.3cm in I group. The ratio of long and short diameter increase was significantly larger in D than that of I group (long/short 2.8+/-0.7 vs 2.4+/-0.7, p<0.05) and short diameter of orifice after dilation was more improved in I than that of D group (1.1+/-0.2 vs 1.0+/-0.2cm p<0.05). Complications included deflation failure of Inoue balloon in 2, and cerebral embolic episode in 1 (D). Incidence of increased mitral regurgitation was 50% in D and 45% in I, development of ASD (Qp/Qs>1.2) was 20% in D, 13% in I group respectively and mean amount of left to right shunt (Qp/Qs) was 1.7+/-0.3 in D and 1.5+/-0.1 in I group. Total procedure and fluoroscopic time were 84+/-24 and 25+/-11 min. in D and 56+/-20 and 16+/-6 min. In I, which had statistically significant differences (p<0.002). Thus we concluded PMV using Inoue or double balloons was equally effective in selected patients. Total procedure and fluoroscopic time of Inoue balloon technique were significantly shorter than those of double balloons. Double balloon technique had more tendency of longitudinal splitting of the commissures.
Atrial Pressure ; Balloon Valvuloplasty* ; Cardiac Output ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Pulmonary Artery

To observe the change in the status of stresses according to three different postural angulation of an intervertebral disc with or without nucleus pulposus, 6 specimens of a 3-dimensional photoelastic model of the spine were made of epoxy. The nucleus pulposus portion was replaced with silicon in three models, and the three were made without silicon. Through axial application of a vertical compressive load of 8 kg, the peculiar patterns of the isochromatic fringes were observed. Stresses on the intervertebral disc were analyzed according to three different postural angulations of the intervertebral disc with the nucleus pulposus and without the nucleus pulposus. The results of these study are as follow: 1. In an erect neutral posture with the nucleus pulposus, the stress concentration was much increased at the posterior portion rather than at the anterior portion. Also, the high stress was concentrated at the medial and central portion. In an erect neutral posture without the nucleus pulposus, the stress concentration was much increased at the anterior portion rather than at the posterior portion and the stress distribution seemed to be locally concentrated. 2. In a maximal flexed posture, the stress concentration was much increased at the posterior portion rather than at the anterior portion. Comparing the presence of the nucleus pulposus with the absence of the nucleus pulposus, the stress concentration was lower at the anterior portion in the presence of the nucleus pulposus than in the absence of the nucleus pulposus. However, the stress distribution at the posterior portion was nearly same in the two groups. According to the analysis of the stress distribution diagram, as a whole, the stress pattern around the disc was evenly distributed. 3. In a maximal extended posture, the higher concentration of the stress distribution at the anterior and medial portion rather than in the posterior and lateral portion was observed. The stress concentration was higher in the presence of the nucleus pulposus than in the absence of the nucleus pulposus. 4. Comparing the maximal flexed posture with the erect neutral posture, the stress concentration in the flexed posture was much decreased in the posterior portion rather than in the erect neutral posture, and an even distribution of the stress pattern in the flexed posture was observed. 5. In the presence of the nucleus pulposus, at the anterior and posterior portion, the stress concentration in the flexed posture was much decreased compared with the extended posture. In the absence of the nucleus pulposus, at the anterior and posterior portion, the stress concentration in the extended posture was much decreased compared with the flexed posture.
Intervertebral Disc* ; Posture ; Silicon ; Spine

No abstract available.
Twins, Conjoined*