Major concerns in cleft palate repair are improved speech results and adequate maxillary growth. In these respects, Furlow's double reversing Z-plasty which requires minimal hard palatal dissection and redirects palatal muscles to produce an overlapping muscle sling is theoretically optimal method to close the cleft palate. However, it often requires backcut around the maxillary tubercle even dissection around the pedicle on oral mucosal Z-plasty flap. Raw surface heals secondarily but leads to scarring within the soft palate. In the current study, IIpatients all had incomplete cleft palate and were operated double reversing Z-palatoplasty using intraoperative rapid mucosal expansion (IRME), from November, 1996 till July, 1997. With the IRME, we reduced the incidence of backcut or dissection on the oral mucosal flap. Only three patients need small backcut incision and two of these were closed primarily with V-Y fashion. To examine the histologic changes and expansion rate with the IRME, same procedures were performed to palatal mucosa of three cats. Expanded mucosal size was increased to 33.3% and histologically, change of mucosal architecture was not found except capillary dilatation. As a result, intraoperative mucosal expansion offers sufficient mucosal size, reduce incidence of backcut, therefore minimizes palatal scar formation. Balanced maxillofacial growth and normal occlusion are expected with this procedure.
Animals ; Capillaries ; Cats ; Cicatrix ; Cleft Palate ; Dilatation ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mucous Membrane ; Palatal Muscles ; Palate, Soft

Recently there has been attempts to develop hospital information system including order communicating system, patient tracing system, tumor registry system, office automation system and picture archiving and communication system(PACS). The authors devloped a practical system that was operated via order communication system of Yeungnam University Hospital. The system provided us the 'speed, accuracy, reliability, retention, economy and wide applicability through practical test. So we believed that this system would be one of standard computerized programs in radiation oncology practice and providing widely usable data for clinical statistics, medical record, tumor registry system and clinical researches.
Hospital Information Systems ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Office Automation ; Radiation Oncology*

No abstract available.

Adhesion formed between tendon and its sheath after repair often impairs functional recovery. There have been many attempts to reduce adhesion around a repaired tendon, but most results have been unsatisfactory or impractical in clinical application. Moreover, most attempts were focused on extrinsic tendon healing. whereas studies on the intrinsic tendon healing are sacrce in the literature. We have previously reported that fibrotic tendon adhesion after repair was decreased by decorin, a natural inhibitor of TGF-beta. Accordingly, the serial tensile strength was measured after complete tensection and repair of the tendon severance in order to confirm the effect of decorin inhibition of intrinsic healing capability. Forty White Leghorn chickens were subject to complete transection and repair of the third toe flexor digitorum profundus tendon in Zone II. In the experimental group, 0.5ml of diluted decorin(50microgram/ml) was injected around the repaired site, and the same volume of saline solution in the control group. Tendons were harvested at 1, 3, 5 and 7 weeks. The disrupting force of the repair site was analyzed using tensiometry(LLOYD LR 30K, U.K). The tensile strength of repaired tendon was similar in both groups for all postoperative periods. This indicates that intrinsic healing proceeds normally within the decorin group in spite of the blockade of TGF-betaactivity. Decorin, a natural inhibitor of TGF-beta, showed a significant inhibitory effect on reducing post-repair tendon adhesions, without disruption of intrinsic healing in the chicken flexor tendon injury model. Therefore, decorin is expected to be a useful agent for preventnion on tendon adhesion after the repair in clinical usage.
Chickens ; Decorin* ; Postoperative Period ; Sodium Chloride ; Tendon Injuries ; Tendons* ; Tensile Strength* ; Toes ; Transforming Growth Factor beta

No abstract available.
Endothelium* ; Hemostasis* ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors* ; Inflammation*

Restoration of anteroposterior projection of the zygomatic body and facial width are key elements in treatment of complex zygomatic fractures. Traditionally, it has been understood that for most fractures of the zygoma, three-point fixation of the zygomaticofrontal suture, inferior orbital rim, and zygomaticomaxillary buttress generally produces exact structural restoration. Recently, the importance of accurate reduction of the zygomatic arch through coronal incision has been favored in complex zygomatic fractures. Though coronal incision has the advantages of accurate reduction and fixation as a result of extensive exposure of the fractured area, this procedure also has many disadvantages including injury to the facial nerve, paresthesia, alopecia, scar formation, longer operating time, protracted hospitalization, etc. As well, there have been no objective data to prove the fact that four-point fixation through coronal incision is superior to traditional three-point fixation. From May, 1994 to December, 1998, the authors treated 45 patients by traditional three-point (n=20) and coronal four-point fixation (n=25) with random sampling. To assess the difference between the two methods the authors measured the axial angle of the zygoma, the axial angle of the zygomatic arch, and the degree of zygomatic arch inclination on submentovertex X-ray, and then analyzed the measurements by the paired T-test(p < 0.05). As a result, the axial angle of the zygoma and zygomatic arch assessed by anteroposterior projection, as well as the facial width showed no statistical difference between the two groups, respectively(p = 0.26, p = 0.18). Mean while, the degree of zygomatic arch inclination representing the local contour of the fractured zygomatic arch was statistically significant between the two groups(p < 0.05). Thus, the traditional three-point fixation method may be widely acceptable in treatment of complex zygomatic fractures with anterior three-point or zygomatic arch comminution.
Alopecia ; Cicatrix ; Facial Nerve ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Orbit ; Paresthesia ; Sutures ; Zygoma ; Zygomatic Fractures

Frontometaphyseal dysplasia is an uncommon genetic syndrome affecting bone and connective tissue. This condition is characterized by the prominence of supraorbital ridges, hyperostosis of the skull, mandibular hypoplasia and malocclusion with antegonial notching, underdeveloped paranasal flaring of the long bone, and a widened iliac wing. Frontometaphyseal dysplasia has an X-linked dominant trait. Clinical manifestations are more severe in males and have extreme variability in females. We present an 11-year-old boy who had frontometaphyseal dysplasia with disfigured face due to bilaterally urinary tract malformation and chronic urinary tract infection. To improve facial appearance, his prominent supraorbital ridges were contoured by ostectomy and burring through bicoronal incision. Urologic operation was performed simultaneously. Histologically, resected bony specimen revealed bony tissue with normal trabecular pattern suggesting exostotic bone. The patient healed without any postoperative complications and he and his parents were satisfied with his final facial morphology.
Child ; Connective Tissue ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperostosis ; Male ; Malocclusion ; Parents ; Postoperative Complications ; Skull ; Urinary Tract ; Urinary Tract Infections

No abstract available.
Coronary Disease* ; Secondary Prevention*

Mothers with cerebral palsy children have much stress that is related to the care of children with cerebral palsy and to other household duties, and this state of the mother has an effect on the cerebral palsy child and on other household member. Mothers in such stressful situations use various coping patterns. The purpose of this study was as follows : to develop instruments that can be used for measuring the stress and coping patterns of mothers with cerebral palsy children, and to test a hypothetical model on the relationship between the mother's stress, her coping patterns and the variable affecting the stress and coping patterns. The result of this study can be summarized as follows : 1. The stress scale was composed of 44 items and Cronbach's alpha was .94, and the coping pattern scale was composed of 19 items and Cronbach's alpha was .80. The mean score of stress scale was 136.12 out of a total of 220, and the mean score of the coping scale was 72.87 in a total of 95. 2. In test of the hypothetical model, it was found that extra-care demand, the support of the husband, the degree of handicap, health status and self-esteem had statistically significant influence on the mother's stress(r=.285,-.262,-.133,-.126). And the support of the husband, formal support, informal support, and economic status were found to have statistically significant influence on the mother's coping patterns(r=.412, .178, .178, .138).
Cerebral Palsy* ; Child* ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Mothers* ; Spouses ; Child Health

No abstract available.
Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Ulcer*