No abstract available.
Stents* ; Trachea*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the lower extremity blood flow in hemiplegic patients with a quantitative Doppler ultrasound examination of the common femoral artery(CFA). METHODS: Cross-sectional area(CSA), peak systolic velocity(PSV) and inflow volume(IV) of CFA of normal and paralyzed limbs in 24 hemiplegic patients were measured with a Doppler ultrasound. Patients were divided into three groups according to the ambulation levels: 1) nonambulator, 2) assisted ambulator, and 3) independent ambulator. The results from Doppler images of paralyzed lower extremity were compared with the normal side in each three different groups. RESULTS: In the nonambulator group, the three parameters were not significantly different between normal and paralyzed lower extremity. In the assisted ambulator group, the CSA of the paralyzed lower extremity was significantly smaller than the normal side (p<0.05). In the independent ambulator group, the CSA and IV of the paralyzed lower extremity were significantly smaller than the normal side (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study proved that the blood flow of the paralyzed lower extremity was diminished than the normal side in hemiplegic patients especially for the independent ambulator group.
Extremities ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Lower Extremity* ; Ultrasonography* ; Walking

Significant illnesses or a major trauma including spinal cord injury can induce the changes of thyroid hormone metabolism, leading to the findings of "Euthyroid Sick Syndrome(ESS)". The physicians should be aware of these changes in order to interpret thyroid function test correctly after the spinal cord injury. We report three cases of ESS after the spinal cord injury. On a routine evaluation, they showed a low serum T3 level, and the T3 level returned to the normal range on a follow up study without any specific treatment.
Euthyroid Sick Syndromes* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Metabolism ; Reference Values ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland

The experimental evidences suggest that the roles of basal ganglia are cognition and emotion through the corticostriatothalamocortical relationship. The patients with lesions in the caudate nucleus have high incidences of cognitive and behavioral abnormalities accompanied with the motor paralysis. In these patients, the accurate assessment of neuropsychologic dysfunctions and the prompt application of cognitive rehabilitation programs are important for the functional restoration. We evaluated the patients with stroke of basal ganglia for the clinical and neuropsychological characteristics in relation to the involved substructures of basal ganglia. Fourteen patients were evaluated for the clinical neurologic examinations, functional assessment by functional independence measure(FIM), speech assessment, and various neuropsychological tests for the assessment of attention and memory functions. The results were analysed a ccording to their lesion sites. Of the nine patients with stroke at the right basal ganglia, five patients had neglect of the contralateral hemispace and one had dysarthria. On the other hand, of the five patients with stroke at the left basal ganglia, none had hemispatial neglect and three had aphasia or dysarthria. Of the six patients with caudate lesions, three had aphasia or dysarthria, whereas of the eight patients without caudate lesion, one had dysarthria. The scores of Wechsler memory test were significantly lower in the patients with caudate lesions(P<0.05). Among the FIM subscales, the scores of communication and social cognition were significantly lower in the patients with caudate lesions(P<0.05). The Motor Score was significantly lower in the patients with putamen lesions(P<0.05). Among the FIM subscales, the scores of self care and locomotion were significantly lower in the patients with putamen lesions(P<0.05).
Aphasia ; Basal Ganglia* ; Caudate Nucleus ; Cognition ; Dysarthria ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Locomotion ; Memory ; Neurologic Examination ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Paralysis ; Perceptual Disorders ; Putamen ; Rehabilitation ; Self Care ; Stroke*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a contralateral shoe-lift and ipsilateral leather outsole on the energy consumption in hemiplegic gait. METHOD: Ten hemiplegic patients who could walk independently were enrolled. Using portable ergospirometer (K4b2, Cosmed, Italy), quantitative evaluation of oxygen consumption under varying shoes conditions was done: 1) regular shoes 2) a half-inch shoe-lift on the sound side 3) a half-inch shoe-lift on the sound side and leather outsole on the plegic side. The evaluation distance was 20 meter on comfortable walking speed. RESULTS: The oxygen consumption was significantly decreased after the application of shoe-lift compared with regular shoes (p<0.01), and the oxygen consumption was least with the application of shoe-lift and leather outsole (p<0.05). This effect was prominent in subject with poor muscle power in hemiplegic lower extremity. The walking speed was also increased with shoe-lift and leather outsole (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that proper shoes modification can reduce the energy consumption in hemiplegic gait and can lead to more efficient functional ambulation.
Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Gait Disorders, Neurologic* ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Oxygen Consumption ; Shoes* ; Walking

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the reliability of the Korean version of Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) and to compare the sensitivity of the SCIM to functional changes of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients with that of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). METHOD: Seventeen subjects with SCI were studied. The SCIM was translated and modified to convert as SCIM Korean-version. All patients were evaluated with the SCIM and the FIM by two raters every other week. To determine inter-rater reliability, the relationship between the SCIM scores obtained by two raters was evaluated by Kappa coefficient and linear regression. To determine relative sensitivity of the test to functional changes, changes in the scores on the SCIM and FIM were compared by McNemar test. RESULTS: The Kappa coefficient of the various individual tasks in SCIM ranged between 0.63 and 1.00. High correlations were also found between the total SCIM scores for the paired raters (r=0.99, p<0.01). The SCIM detected all the functional changes detected by FIM total scoring, but in 3 (14%) of 22 sequential test batteries, the FIM missed changes detected by SCIM total scoring. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that the SCIM is reliable and more sensitive than the FIM in reflecting the functional changes of SCI patients.
Humans ; Linear Models ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the types of venous access devices (VAD) for cancer patients and investigate the factors related to the insertions of central venous catheter (CVC) in cancer patients. METHODS: The subjects were 379 cancer patients. A retrospective review of all patients who were discharged from a cancer unit from November 1st to 21st in 2008 was done using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 82 CVC (21.6%) was inserted among 379 patients for administering anticancer therapy. There were statistically significant differences in age, length of stay (LOS), cumulative LOS, medical department, history of CVC insertion, cancer category, and albumin level between patients using peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters and CVC. In addition, factors influencing the use of CVC were LOS (odds ratio [OR]=0.286, confidence interval [CI]=1.043-1.124), history of CVC insertion (OR=3.920, CI=0.128-0.637), albumin level (OR=1.010, CI=1.879-8.179), cumulative LOS (OR=1.010, CI=1.001-1.018), and hematological diseases (OR=4.863, CI=2.162-10.925). CONCLUSION: We found that central venous catheterization for anticancer therapy was minimal even though CVC was safe and effective device for IV access. It is necessary to develop a strategy to use VADs efficiently and timely for cancer patients.
Catheterization, Central Venous ; Catheters ; Central Venous Catheters ; Hematologic Diseases ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Retrospective Studies

Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) can be classified into two groups. Primary PI is idiopathic, and patients can recover spontaneously. In contrast, secondary PI is considered fatal due to the high mortality rate associated with mesenteric ischemia. Herein, we describe two patients with PI and concurrent pneumoperitoneum. Both patients were receiving targeted anticancer therapy, yet neither developed abdominal pain nor fatal symptoms. One of the patients underwent surgery, while the other was managed conservatively. Even though there were no complications, the patient who underwent surgery was hospitalized for 34 days, whereas the one who was managed conservatively was hospitalized for only five days. Usually, patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy are immunosuppressed and susceptible to infections. Therefore, based on the patients’ clinical features, surgical management of patients with cancer who develop PI after receiving anticancer chemotherapy should be done prudently.

Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) can be classified into two groups. Primary PI is idiopathic, and patients can recover spontaneously. In contrast, secondary PI is considered fatal due to the high mortality rate associated with mesenteric ischemia. Herein, we describe two patients with PI and concurrent pneumoperitoneum. Both patients were receiving targeted anticancer therapy, yet neither developed abdominal pain nor fatal symptoms. One of the patients underwent surgery, while the other was managed conservatively. Even though there were no complications, the patient who underwent surgery was hospitalized for 34 days, whereas the one who was managed conservatively was hospitalized for only five days. Usually, patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy are immunosuppressed and susceptible to infections. Therefore, based on the patients’ clinical features, surgical management of patients with cancer who develop PI after receiving anticancer chemotherapy should be done prudently.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (dHACM) to repair perforated sinus membranes in rabbits. METHODS: Bilateral surgical windows (7.5-mm diameter) were prepared on the nasal bones of 14 rabbits. Standardized circular perforations (5-mm diameter) were made in the sinus membrane by manipulating implant twist drills. The perforated sinus membranes were repaired using dHACM or a resorbable collagen membrane (CM). The negative control (NC) group did not undergo perforated sinus membrane repair, while the positive control (PC) group underwent sinus augmentation without perforations. The same amount of deproteinized porcine bone mineral was grafted in all 4 groups. After 6 weeks, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and histomorphometric evaluations were conducted. RESULTS: The micro-CT analysis revealed that the total augmented volume was not significantly different among the groups. In the dHACM group, newly formed bone filled the augmented area with remaining biomaterials; however, non-ciliated flat epithelium and inflammatory cells were observed on the healed sinus membrane. Histometric analysis showed that the percentage of newly formed bone area in the dHACM group did not differ significantly from that in the CM group. The dHACM group showed a significantly higher percentage of newly formed bone area than the NC group, but there was no significant difference between the dHACM and PC groups. CONCLUSIONS: dHACM could be a feasible solution for repairing sinus membrane perforations that occur during sinus floor augmentation.
Amnion ; Biocompatible Materials ; Chorion ; Collagen ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Membranes ; Miners ; Nasal Bone ; Rabbits ; Sinus Floor Augmentation ; Transplants