The narrow bony cochlear nerve canal in high resolution temporal bone computed tomography is frequently found in patients of congenital sensorineural hearing loss. But this bony structural anomaly could not conclude the functional outcome of cochlear nerve. Here, we present a case of a 14-month-old girl having bilateral narrow bony cochlear nerve canals. In magnetic resonance imaging, both the cochlear nerves were identified to be intact. Moreover, acoustic brainstem response threshold and auditory steady state response revealed nearly normal hearing thresholds. Therefore, we suggest that the narrow bony cochlear nerve canal itself does not necessarily indicate a substantial degree of hearing loss.
Acoustics ; Brain Stem ; Cochlear Nerve ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Temporal Bone

The narrow bony cochlear nerve canal in high resolution temporal bone computed tomography is frequently found in patients of congenital sensorineural hearing loss. But this bony structural anomaly could not conclude the functional outcome of cochlear nerve. Here, we present a case of a 14-month-old girl having bilateral narrow bony cochlear nerve canals. In magnetic resonance imaging, both the cochlear nerves were identified to be intact. Moreover, acoustic brainstem response threshold and auditory steady state response revealed nearly normal hearing thresholds. Therefore, we suggest that the narrow bony cochlear nerve canal itself does not necessarily indicate a substantial degree of hearing loss.
Acoustics ; Brain Stem ; Cochlear Nerve ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Temporal Bone

PURPOSE: To determine the normal range of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness of normal children and adolescents by optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: This study analyzed 144 eyes of 72 normal children and adolescents by OCTIII (Zeiss-Humphrey, San Leandro, CA., USA) and the results were compared with the RNFL thickness of Korean adults. RESULTS: The mean RNFL thickness of the 72 normal children and adolescents was 105.53+/-10.33 micrometer. The mean values for left and right eyes were 104.28+/-7.68 micrometer and 106.79+/-12.98 micrometer, respectively. There was no significant difference in mean RNFL thickness between the 4 quadrants of the left and right eyes (p=0.926). Additionally, the mean RNFL thickness showed a similar size pattern regardless of age (p=0.99). RNFL thickness was found to be greater in adults than in children or adolescents, although the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.295. Likewise, no significant difference was found with gender (p=0.822) or in the pattern of RNFL thickness of 12 sectors between children and adults (p=0.08). CONCLUSIONS: This study reports RNFL thickness, as determined by OCT, for normal children and adolescents. We found this measurement method to be suitable for the early diagnosis of glaucoma and to the examination of its progression in these subjects. The findings could be used as clinical parameters for adolescent glaucoma.
Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Retina/*anatomy & histology ; Reference Values ; Nerve Fibers/*ultrastructure ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Child ; Adult ; Adolescent

BACKGROUND: Perfusion scintigraphy with dipyridamole have been reported to be useful for diagnosis of coronary artery disease and the assessment of the presence and extent of myocardium at ischemic risk, especially in patients who can not undergo dynamic exercise testing. Dipyridamole, pharmacologic coronary vasodilator, also induces fall in blood pressure and rise in heart rate. The purpose of this study was to answer the question if dipyridamole induced peripheral hemodynamic responses were related to chest pain, ST changes on EKG, scintigraphic defect or extent of coronary stenosis. METHODS: Dipyridamole 99mTc-MIBI myocardial scintigraphy and coronary angiography on 43 subjects who were suspected to have coronary artery disease. The peripheral hemodynamic response was graded as absent(group 0) if there was a < or =10mm fall in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or < or =10 beats/min rise in geart rate(HR) ; moderate(group 1) if there was >10 but < or =20mm fall in SBP and/or >10 but < or =20 beats/min rise in HR ; and marked (group 2) if there was >20mm fall in SBP and/or >20 beats/min rise in HR. RESULTS: The overall diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for coronary artery disease of dipyridamole perfusion scintigraphy were 68%, 83% while per vessel sensitivity and specificity for coronary artery disease were 66%, 97%. The numbers of induced chest pain and ischemic ST changes among hemodynamic subgroups, were 40%, 40% in group 0, 33%, 27% in group 1 and 50%, 40% in group 2 without significant difference in each hemodynamic subgroups. Either the numbers of diseased coronary arteries or the numbers of patients demonstrationg reversible scintigraphic defects were not statically different among each subgroups. CONCLUSION: Although the peripheral hemodynamic response dose not always correlate with its central coronary effect but dipyridamlole 99mTc-MIBI myocardial perfusion scintigraphy is an useful test for diagnosis of coronary artery disease.
Blood Pressure ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Stenosis ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diagnosis ; Dipyridamole* ; Electrocardiography ; Exercise Test ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging ; Myocardium ; Perfusion Imaging ; Sensitivity and Specificity

A brain-machine interface (BMI) has recently been introduced to research a reliable control of machine from the brain information processing through single neural spikes in motor brain areas for paralyzed individuals. Small, wireless, and implantable BMI system should be developed to decode movement information for classifications of neural activities in the brain. In this paper, we have developed a totally implantable wireless neural signal transmission system (TiWiNets) combined with advanced digital signal processing capable of implementing a high performance BMI system. It consisted of a preamplifier with only 2 operational amplifiers (op-amps) for each channel, wireless bluetooth module (BM), a Labview-based monitor program, and 16 bit-RISC microcontroller. Digital finite impulse response (FIR) band-pass filter based on windowed sinc method was designed to transmit neural signals corresponding to the frequency range of 400 Hz to 1.5 kHz via wireless BM, measuring over -48 dB attenuated in the other frequencies. Less than +/-2% error by inputting a sine wave at pass-band frequencies for FIR algorithm test was obtained between simulated and measured FIR results. Because of the powerful digital FIR design, the total dimension could be dramatically reduced to 23x27x4 mm including wireless BM except for battery. The power isolation was built to avoid the effect of radio-frequency interference on the system as well as to protect brain cells from system damage due to excessive power dissipation or external electric leakage. In vivo performance was evaluated in terms of long-term stability and FIR algorithm for 4 months after implantation. Four TiWiNets were implanted into experimental animals' brains, and single neural signals were recorded and analyzed in real time successfully except for one due to silicon- coated problem. They could control remote target machine by classify neural spike trains based on decoding technology. Thus, we concluded that our study could fulfill in vivo needs to study various single neuron-movement relationships in diverse fields of BMI.
Automatic Data Processing ; Brain ; Brain-Computer Interfaces ; Neural Prostheses ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Silanes

OBJECTIVES: To investigate longitudinal changes in behavior and quality-of-life (QoL) in children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) after adenotonsillectomy (AT). METHODS: This study prospectively enrolled 148 children who underwent AT for SDB. Caregivers filled out Korean attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rating scale (K-ARS) and Korean version of the obstructive sleep apnea-18 (KOSA-18) at preoperative 1 day, postoperative 1 month, and postoperative 6 months. Longitudinal changes in K-ARS and KOSA-18 were evaluated and compared among subgroups. RESULTS: Both K-ARS and KOSA-18 scores improved immediately at postoperative 1 month and were maintained at postoperative 6 months. The mean preoperative K-ARS scores of the non-ADHD, ADHD-trait, and overt-ADHD groups showed uniformly immediate and sustained improvements. Also, the mean preoperative KOSA-18 scores of the small, moderate, and large impact groups were significantly improved both at postoperative 1 month and 6 months. The changes in behavior and QoL showed no significant differences with regard to the aforementioned factors. CONCLUSION: After AT, we may expect immediate and sustained improvements in behavior and QoL in children with SDB regardless of preoperative symptom severity. Moreover, by performing AT, improvements in behavior and QoL are expected regardless of sex, age, allergic trait, or concurrent coblation-assisted turbinoplasty. These findings may help our colleague physicians counselling pediatric SDB patients and their caregivers.
Adenoidectomy ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Caregivers ; Child* ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Quality of Life* ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes* ; Tonsillectomy

Objectives: . This study aimed to elucidate the patterns of upper airway collapse in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients with a low body mass index (BMI). Methods: . We designed and conducted a retrospective cohort study. Consecutive patients diagnosed with OSA who underwent drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) were included. Patients were classified into four groups according to their BMI. Age, sex, and polysomnography data were investigated. The patterns of upper airway collapse were characterized by the structures involved (soft palate, tongue base, lateral pharyngeal wall, and epiglottis). We compared the patterns of upper airway collapse in the supine and lateral decubitus position among the four BMI groups using the chi-square test and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis. Results: . A total of 627 patients (male, 517; mean age, 47.6±12.8 years) were included, consisting of 45, 79, 151, and 352 patients who were underweight or lower normal-weight (defined as the low BMI group), upper normal-weight, overweight, and obese, respectively. Severity indicators of OSA, such as the overall apnea-hypopnea index and duration of SaO2 below 90%, were significantly lower in patients with a low BMI than in obese patients, while their average oxygen saturation was significantly higher. The most common obstruction site in the supine position was the tongue base in patients with a low BMI (100%), whereas this obstruction site was significantly less common in obese patients (54.8%). Tongue base obstruction was mostly relieved in the lateral position, with no discernible obstruction in 86.7% of the low BMI patients. Conclusion . Airway obstruction in OSA patients with a low BMI is mostly due to tongue base obstruction, which improves in the lateral position. These characteristics should be kept in mind when considering treatment options for this subgroup of OSA patients.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular stent-graft insertion in aortic diseases is now generally accepted as an attractive alternative treatment modality. We reviewed our clinical experiences of endovascular stent-graft insertion in thoracic aorta. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Since 1995, we performed 8 cases of endovascular stent-graft insertion. Preoperative diagnoses were aortic aneurysms in 4, traumatic aortic ruptures in 3, and ruptured aortic pseudoaneurysm in 1. All procedures were performed in angiography room with the guidance of fluoroscopy. The stent-graft device is a custom-made 0.35 mm thickness Z-shaped stainless steel wires, intertwined with each other using polypropylene suture ligation. It is covered with expanded Dacron vascular graft. RESULT: All procedures were performed successfully. Follow-up studies revealed 2 minimal perigraft leakages. There was no significant leakage or graft migration. 2 patients expired due to multiple organ failure and fungal sepsis. Other survivors(6) are doing well. CONCLUSION: Endovascular stent-graft insertion is relatively safe and effective treatment modality in the management of various types of aortic diseases. It may be an effective alternative in aortic diseases of great surgical risk.
Aneurysm, False ; Angiography ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Diseases* ; Aortic Rupture ; Diagnosis ; Fluoroscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Ligation ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Polyethylene Terephthalates ; Polypropylenes ; Sepsis ; Stainless Steel ; Stents ; Sutures ; Transplants

PURPOSE: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a multifactorial disease whose genetic and environmental risk factors have been studied for decades. Many pediatric studies have pointed out the familial history of allergy, hygiene hypothesis, breast-feeding, pet ownership, and diets as risk factors of AR. However, most of factors are still up for debate. This preliminary report aimed to confirm the known risk factors and find the novel risk factors for AR in the Korean pediatric population. METHODS: A bi-seasonal, winter and summer, study in 2 elementary schools included all students whose parents completed the questionnaire of medical and social histories, quality of life, infant and early-childhood history, and the living styles. Skin prick tests and endoscopic examinations were conducted on all participants. RESULTS: Among total 1,020 children, 338 participants had AR. The multivariate logistic regression analysis highlighted 6 factors: male gender (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.32-3.33), older age (1.65; 1.03-2.65), previous history of allergic conjunctivitis (14.25; 4.99-40.74), asthma (2.73; 0.96-7.76) and pneumonia (0.39; 0.19-0.82), and an hour increase in daily playing time (0.90; 0.80-1.00). CONCLUSIONS: Lack of pneumonia in early childhood and short playing time are newly found risk factors for Korean pediatric AR in this study confirming male gender, older age and previous history of allergic conjunctivitis and asthma as the risk factors.
Asthma ; Child* ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic ; Diet ; Humans ; Hygiene Hypothesis ; Hypersensitivity ; Infant ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Ownership ; Parents ; Pneumonia ; Quality of Life ; Rhinitis* ; Risk Factors* ; Skin ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura (SFTP) is a rare primary intrathoracic tumor that arises from mesenchymal tissue underlying the mesothelial layer of the pleura. It usually has an indolent clinical course. The hypoglycemia that accompanies SFTP was first described by Doege and Potter independently in 1930, hence the eponym Doege-Potter syndrome (DPS). The incidence of DPS is reported to be ~4%. In this report, we present a typical case of DPS that was cured through complete surgical resection.
Eponyms ; Hypoglycemia* ; Incidence ; Pleura* ; Solitary Fibrous Tumor, Pleural ; Solitary Fibrous Tumors