Intramuscular hemangiomas are benign vascular lesions of skeletal muscle and constitutes less than 1% of all hemangiomas. Of all intramuscular hemangiomas, 13-25% occur in the head and neck, presenting lesions of enlarging soft tissue mass associated with pain. Usually they do not exhibit cutaneous changes, such as bluish skin discoloration as seen in cutaneous and superficial subcutaneous lesions. Because of their infrequency, deep location and unfamiliar presentation, intramuscular hemangomas are seldom correctly diagnosed clinically. We encountered a case of intramasseteric hemangioma in a 14-year-old female. She presented intermittent painful swelling on the right preauricular area. Sialography showed a multiple calcified lesion of the soft tissue, while CT scan and MRI showed a tumor mass lying in the masseter muscle. Angiography showed blush lesion but no tumor feeding arteries. After 6 months of intra-lesional sclerosing therapy with alcohol, total regression of tumor was obtained. As we experienced in this case, percutaneous sclerotherapy with alcohol could be the first therapeutic alternative.
Adolescent ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Deception ; Female ; Head ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Masseter Muscle ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Neck ; Salivary Gland Calculi* ; Sclerotherapy ; Sialography ; Skin ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It is critical to distinguish benign from malignant thyroid nodule and to select a patient for surgery. Fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC) and various radiologic techniques are used in the evaluation of thyroid nodule. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of preoperative FNAC, ultrasonography(US) and computed tomography(CT) in thyroid nodule, and to identify the reliable factors of radiologic imaging in the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodule. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Retrospectively, we reviewed 34 patients among 50 patients with thyroid nodule who were evaluated by FNAC, US and CT and operated on at our Department from June 1995 to December 1998. By comparing the preoperative FNAC results, US and CT findings with postoperative pathologic diagnosis, the results were as followed. RESULTS: Overall diagnostic accuracy of FNAC, US, and CT was 84.4%, 88.2%, 79.4%. Solid nature, ill defined margin, calcification, lymphadenopathy on US imaging indicated the possibility of malignancy. Solid nature, ill defined margin, lymphadenopathy on CT imaging indicated the possibility of malignancy. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that FNAC has a high sensitivity(75.0%) and specificity(93.8%) rate and it is therefore a valuable initial diagnostic procedure. US has higher diagnostic accuracy than computued tomography.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Diagnosis* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule* ; Ultrasonography*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are many controversies about the extent of thyroidectomy and neck dissection in cases of thyroid cancer. Hypocalcemia is one of serious complications after total thyroidectomy. The on-set of hypocalcemia depends on many factors and different literature cites variable incidence. This study was performed to evaluate the incidence of postoperative hypocalcemia and the safety of total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection in thyroid cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 17 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for thyroid malignancies from June 1995 to December 1998. Routine central neck dissection was performed and modified radical neck dissection was done in cases with positive neck node. We analyzed the onset-time of hypocalcemia, serum albumin level, hypocalcemic incidence according to the number of identified and autotransplanted parathyroid glands, lowest calcium level, clinical features and duration of calcium replacement in hypocalcemic patients. RESULTS: The incidence of postoperative hypocalcemia was 76.5% (13/17)and most cases (58.9%)occurred on the first postoperative day. The serum albumin level was lower on the first postoperative day than on the third postoperative day. The average number of identified parathyroid glands was three, and the more parathyroid glands there are, the less hypocalcemia we found. Parathyroid gland autotransplantation were performed in 12 cases. Symptomatic transient hypocalcemia occurred in 6 cases (35.2%). Asymptomatic transient hypocalcemia occurred in 6 cases (35.2%). Permanent hypocalcemia occurred in 1 case (5.9%). CONCLUSION: The incidence of postoperative hypocalcemia was relatively high but half of them were asymptomatic. There are no need for thyroid hormone replacement in asymptomatic transient hypocalcemic patients and that we found total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection is a safe procedure in most of thyroid malignancies.
Autografts ; Calcium ; Humans ; Hypocalcemia* ; Incidence ; Neck Dissection* ; Neck* ; Parathyroid Glands ; Retrospective Studies ; Serum Albumin ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroidectomy*

BACKGROUND: The transplantation of organs between phylogenetically disparate or harmonious species has invariably failed due to the occurrence of hyperacute rejection or accerelated acute rejection. But concordant cardiac xenograft offer us an opportunity to study xenotransplantation in the absence of hyperacute rejection. Current therapeutics for the prolongation of survival of rodent concordant xenotransplantation are not ideal with many regimens having a high mortality rate. Cyclosporine A & Mycophenolate Mofetil are new immunosuppresive agent which has been shown to be effective at prolonging survival of allograft, as purine synthesis inhibitor. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We used white mongrel rats as recipient and mice as donor, divided 4 groups(n=6), control group(Group 1) has no medication or pretreatment, Group 2 has splenectomy as pretreatment 7~10 days before transplantation, Group 3 has Cyclosporine A treatment group, Group 4 has combined treatment of Cyclosporine A & Mycophenolate Mofetil(RS 61443). We compared survival time. RESULT: We can't find significant difference of survival time between each groups. CONCLUSION: We concluded that rejection of cardiac xenograft was different from rejection of allograft, and new immunossuppresive Agent(Mycophenolate Mofetil, Cyclosporine A) was not effective for prolongation of survival time after cardiac xenograft.
Allografts ; Animals ; Cyclosporine ; Heart* ; Heterografts* ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Mice* ; Models, Theoretical* ; Mortality ; Rats* ; Rodentia ; Splenectomy ; Tissue Donors ; Transplantation ; Transplantation, Heterologous

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary sequestration is not common and it's diagnosis needs special care such as an aortogram ar tomography. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We have experienced 13 patients who had pulmonary sequestration from January 1990 to September 1997. RESULT: Six men and seven women were treated and their mean age was 25.8+/-14.3 years. Their chief complaints were coughing, chest pain, and no symptoms in decreasing order. There were nine intralobar (ILS) and three extralobar (ELS) pulmonary sequestrations and one patient had both. There was no preference in location of either left or right. They were mainly diagnosed by aortography and their feeding arteries commonly originated from the lower thoracic aorta. The patients with ILS were treated by lobectomy and those with ELS by sequestrectomy. CONCLUSION: to treat pulmonary sequestration properhy, aortogram or chest CT is warranted to iidenty the abnormal origin of feeding artery.
Aorta, Thoracic ; Aortography ; Arteries ; Bronchopulmonary Sequestration* ; Chest Pain ; Cough ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed