Atrial myxomas are uncommon, but surgical treatment offers a potential cure. Early diagnosis is essential so that tumors can be promptly removed in order to reduce morbidity or mortality from atrioventricular valve dysfunction and embolic complications. They are intracavitary tumors occurring within any of the cardiac chambers, but they have a predilection for the atria, particulary the left atrium. The development of noninvasive, echocardiogaphic technique has made it possible to screen large numbers of patients with atrial myxoma with ease and safty. Recently the development of diagnostic procedure and cardiac surgery increased the accuracy of diagnosis and the opportunity of successful ereatment. We report the two cases of left artial myxomas which were removed successfully by surgery.
Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Mortality ; Myxoma* ; Thoracic Surgery

No abstract available.
Fontan Procedure*

PURPOSE: To make the guideline for diagnosis and treatment policy of various hepatocytic nodular lesions detected during the imaging diagnosis of cirrhotic liver and to get our own data about hepatocellular carcinoma based on Korean patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 40 confirmed hepatocellular carcinomas foilwed up with CT more than once without any treatment. Total numbers of follow-up were 50. First, we input the data of initial and follow-up diameter visible on CT images and follow-up interval of each mass to the computer, and got the mean growth rate curve and growth curve of hepatocelluiar carcinoma using a program of Quattro-pro, one of the spreadsheet. And then the doubling time was also calculated using Schwarz's formula. RESULTS: According to the growth rate curve, the tumor under 3 cm in diameter showed relatively show growing pattern but the one above 3 cm in diameter showed rapid growing pattern. Mean growth curve also showed rapid turning point around 3 cm. Overall mean doubling time was 82 days(mean +/- SD = 82.3 +/- 56.2): 119 days in the tumors smaller than 30 mm in diameter, 69 days larger than 30 mm in diameter. CONCLUSION: Hepatocellular carcinoma'is relatively slowly growing tumor and shows rapid increase of its growth rate when it is larger than 30 mm in diameter as a turning point. We think that this fact could make an important role to determine the treatment policy of various hepatocytic nodular lesions suspecting hepatocellular carcinoma.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Liver ; Retrospective Studies

With the availability of accurate localizer and markedly improved resolution of CT, precise anatomicalpositioning of the structure of interest, proper gantry angulation, thin slicing and magnification technique of CTimage can be easily achieved. Recently there have appeared many articles on normal and abnormal CT findings of thelumber discs. These articles, however, were concerned with more or less indirect evaluation of the discs byobserving the contour of the posterior margin of the disc, compression or displacement of the adjacent structuresby protruded disc materials and the obliteration of the epidural fat. The present study has been carried out toinvestigated basically the normal internal architectures of the lumbar discs to set up a baseline by which onewell be able to judge abnormality of that structure. The materials consisted of 127 lumbar discs of 30 healthyadult subjects studied by the measure set technique (MST). The subjects were sampled randomly from the individualsundergoing a CT study for the reasons other than spnal diseases. To obviate sample bias the age, sex and disclevels were adjusted so that the uniformity in sample number of each category was maintained. CT scans wereperformed with a Siemens Somatom 2 Scanner immediately after calibration. Technical factors involved were tubevoltage 125 kVp, exposure time 10 seconds, 460 mAs, 256 x 256 matrices, and pixel size 0.4mm. Contiguous2-mm-thick slices of each disc were obtained parallel to the disc plane at 3-mm interval from the lower margin ofthe vertebral body for 5 lumbar discs. Out of multiple scan slices of each disc one image was chosen which hadneither partial volume effect with the adjacent vertebral body nor an out the nucleus pulposus (NP) and annulusfibrosus (AF) clearly. The internal architectures of each disc as revealed by MST were classified arbitrarily into3 types as follows; (1) When AF was discerned distinctly as a “white ring-like” structure from the “black” NP, thedisc was classified as well defined type: (2) When AF appeared as a fairly uniform “white ring-llike” structureand NP appeared as uniformly mottled densities with indistinct demarcation between the two, the disc was classifedas intermediate type ; and (3) When both AF and NP were diffusely mottled without any demarcation, the disc wasclassifed as diffuse type . With age, the internal architectures of the lumbar disc changed from the well-definedthrough intermediate to diffuse type. The relative increase in the density of NP was considered to representdegenerative change characterized by gradual replacement of the gelatinous tissue of NP by a fibrocartilaginoustissue and decrease in the water therein contained. The diffuse type were most frequently seen in the discs ofL4-5 and L5-S1 suggesting the maximum intensity of stress and strain due to weight bearing at these two disclevels.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Calibration ; Clothing ; Gelatin ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Water ; Weight-Bearing

No abstract available.
Fractures, Spontaneous*

PURPOSE: To cmpare the clinical results of complex tibial plateau fractures treated by hybrid external fixation and dual plate fixation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied forty patients with Schatzker type V and VI fractures respectively and selected twenty seven patients who were followed at least one year between January 2000 and December 2005. We evaluated the clinical results in which fourteen fractures with hybrid external fixation were compared with thirteen fractures with dual plate fixation. The clinical results were evaluated according to Knee Society Clinical Rating System and the statistical analysis was performed by Student t-test. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in terms of bone union time (average union time: dual plate fixation 13.8 weeks, hybrid external fixation 14.2 weeks). The quality of osseous reduction was superior in the fractures with dual plate fixation than those with hybrid external fixation. There were significant differences in functional score (average functional score: dual plate fixation 73, hybrid external fixation 62), but not in average knee score. CONCLUSION: The hybrid external fixation can be a useful modality for treatment of complex proximal tibial plateau fractures. But the good quality of the fracture reduction by dual plate fixation may be a indicator for favorable prognosis for satisfactory knee function.
Chimera ; External Fixators ; Humans ; Knee ; Prognosis

The experiment was performed to investigate changes of maternal immune status during the pregnancy. We observed the distribution of several immune cells [macrophage, activated B-cell, IgM+ B-cell, Lyt-2+ T-cell and L3T4+ T-cells] in the utero-placental interface and the peripheral blood of Balb/c mice. The experimental animals were divided into seven groups by the gestational ages ; virgin, 2nd, 5th, 8th, 10th, 14th and 19th day of pregnancy. In the utero-placental interface, the distribution patterns of the lymphocytes [both T and B] and macrophages were observed. Histochemical staining by naphthol-AS-MX phosphate sodium salt was used for the detection of activated B-cells. For the detection of macrophage, plasma cell, suppressor cell and helper cell, all the prepared samples reacted with Rat anti-mouse Mac-1, goat anti-mouse IgM, rat anti-Lyt2 and rat anti-L3T4 antibody first, and washed. Second reaction was done with biotinylated anti-rat or anti-mouse IgG anti-bodies, and washed. Avidin-biotin -peroxidase complex and 3, 3`-diamino-benzidine[DAB] were used for the visualization of specific cells. T-cells and B-cells were not observed during the all stages of pregnancy. By contrast, macrophages were observed a few at the perimetrium on the second day of gestation, and they were found at the outermost portion of the trophoblastic layer on the 8th day, and they were observed at the decidua basalis in late pregnancy after the 10th day when the placenta were well developed. In the peripheral blood, activated B-cells were not observed throughout the pregnancy. On the 8th day, the proportion of plasma cells to total mononuclear cells was decreased significantly to 16+/-2.4% compared with the virgin group[22+/-2.6%][p<0.01]. It increased again and it reached 42+/-5.8% on the 14th day and 37+/-4.9% on the 19th day. Helper T-cells were decreased on the 14th day[30+/-2.4%] compared with the normal control[47+/-5.1%]. But, Suppressor T-cells were increased on the 8th day[35+/-2.9%] and the 10th day[33+/-3.6%] compared with the normal controls[27+/-2.3%]. This decrement returned to the level of the normal controls on the 14th day and 19th day. Together with our previous data, we could find the synchronized changes of immune cells in utero-placental interface, uterus draining lymph nodes, peripheral blood and spleen. Therefore, we suggest that macrophages in utero-placental interface may play an important role for the immune responses against the fetal transplantation antigen.
Animals ; B-Lymphocytes* ; Decidua ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Goats ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages* ; Mice* ; Placenta ; Plasma Cells ; Pregnancy ; Rats ; Sodium ; Spleen ; T-Lymphocytes ; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer ; Trophoblasts ; Uterus

No abstract available.
Thorax* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed*

No abstract available.
Female ; Obstetric Labor, Premature* ; Pregnancy ; Ritodrine*

No abstract available.
Drug Therapy* ; Osteosarcoma*