PURPOSE: Successful management of epileptic patients requires complete control of seizures without adverse effect. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the hematologic effect and hepatic enzyme change of antiepileptic drugs in epileptic children and compare the changes of these values according to serum drug level. METHODS: The study included 89 epileptic children with antiepileptic drugs such as phenobarbital, valproate, and carbamazepine from May 1990 to July 1999. We classified these patients into 3 groups according to the drug they had taken; group 1 : patients treated by phenobarbital, group 2 : valproate, group 3 : carbamazepine. Baseline screening tests before the start of therapy for all patients included complete blood count(CBC) and differential, platelet count, serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST). The tests wee repeated at follow-up visits in 2nd week, 4th week, 6th week, 12th month on the new drug. We compared their mean hematologic and liver enzyme values, which were examined before and after taken the medications, such as white blood cell counts(WBC), red blood cell(RBC), platelets, hemoglobin(Hgb), hamatocrit(Hct), mean corpuscular volume(MCA), mean corpuscular hemoglobin(MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration(MCHC), AST, and ALT. Statistically significant change of each value was observed according to drug blood levels. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between before and after medication on AST, ALT, Hgb, MCHC in all the groups. The WBC count diminished after medication of carbamazepine, significantly. But the correlation between WBC count and serum carbamazepine level was no statistically significant. The mean platelet count diminished significantly after medication of phenobarbital and valproate, and the correlation of maximum serum valproate level with the degree of platelets count was statistically significant. Statistically significant changes were found on MCV and MCH values before and after the medication in 3rd group. But it did not depend on carbamazepine blood level. CONCLUSION: Statistically significant correlations was found between the platelet count and the plasma valproate level. Significant increase of MCV and MCH, and decrease WBC count was observed after the medication of carbamazepine.
Alanine ; Anticonvulsants* ; Aspartic Acid ; Carbamazepine ; Child* ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Liver* ; Mass Screening ; Phenobarbital ; Plasma* ; Platelet Count ; Seizures ; Valproic Acid

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to know differences of characteristics between presenile and senile patients who were consulted to the department of psychiatry during medical-surgical admission. METHODS: The demographic and clinical data obtained from the medical records of psychiatric consultation in the presenile inpatients with age 50 to 64 years(N=162) and those of the senile inpatients with age over 65 years(N=171) were reviewed and compared. RESULTS: 1) The most common chief complaints for psychiatric consultation in presenile patients were somatic symptoms, anxiety and sleep disturbance in order, while cognitive decline, clouded consciousness and depressed mood were most common in senile patients with statistical significance. 2) The most frequent psychiatric diagnoses after consultation in presenile patients were delirium, mood disorder and substance use disorder in order, while delirium, mood disorder and major neurocognitive disorder were most frequent in senile patients with statistical significance. 3) There were no significant difference in numbers of physical illnesses, while numbers of therapeutic drugs for them were more in senile patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found significant differences between presenile and senile patients on psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses in geropsychiatric consultation. Therefore, more subdivided age-specific approach seems to be needed for the geropsychiatric consultation activities.
Anxiety ; Consciousness ; Delirium ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Medical Records ; Mood Disorders ; Substance-Related Disorders

Purpose: To assess the prevalence and progression of a stage 0 macular hole in the fellow eye of patients with an idiopathic full-thickness macular hole.
Methods: The fellow eyes of 189 patients who underwent idiopathic full-thickness macular hole surgery were examined by biomicroscopy and spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). A subset of 21 fellow eyes with a stage 0 macular hole was observed. Changes in the macular hole were evaluated by biomicroscopy and SD-OCT for an average of 29 months.
Results: Among the 21 eyes, 15 showed no change in perifoveal vitreous detachment (71.4%). Two eyes (9.5%) developed complete vitreofoveal separation, and one of the two developed a separation after progression to stage 1A. Among 21 eyes, 5 (23.8%) developed above stage 1A, and one of the five progressed to stage 1B after five years, which was successfully treated with vitrectomy and gas tamponade.
Conclusions Perifoveal vitreous detachment in the fellow eye on SD-OCT, defined as a stage 0 macular hole, occurred at an earlier phase than stage 1A macular holes and may progress to an advanced stage. Therefore, patients who undergo macular hole surgery and have a stage 0 macular hole or perifoveal vitreous detachment in the fellow eye should be followed closely.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence and progression of a stage 0 macular hole in the fellow eye of patients with an idiopathic full-thickness macular hole.
Methods: The fellow eyes of 189 patients who underwent idiopathic full-thickness macular hole surgery were examined by biomicroscopy and spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). A subset of 21 fellow eyes with a stage 0 macular hole was observed. Changes in the macular hole were evaluated by biomicroscopy and SD-OCT for an average of 29 months.
Results: Among the 21 eyes, 15 showed no change in perifoveal vitreous detachment (71.4%). Two eyes (9.5%) developed complete vitreofoveal separation, and one of the two developed a separation after progression to stage 1A. Among 21 eyes, 5 (23.8%) developed above stage 1A, and one of the five progressed to stage 1B after five years, which was successfully treated with vitrectomy and gas tamponade.
Conclusions Perifoveal vitreous detachment in the fellow eye on SD-OCT, defined as a stage 0 macular hole, occurred at an earlier phase than stage 1A macular holes and may progress to an advanced stage. Therefore, patients who undergo macular hole surgery and have a stage 0 macular hole or perifoveal vitreous detachment in the fellow eye should be followed closely.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the use of external radiation therapy (ERT) in terms of survival and compliance in patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 17 patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma treated with ERT between 1993 and 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. ERT was administered after surgery in 14 patients and after a biopsy in three patients. Among the 14 patients who had undergone surgery, nine underwent a curative resection and five underwent a palliative resection. Six patients had associated well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas and 14 patients were diagnosed with a tumor size exceeding 5 cm. The radiation dose ranged from 6~70 Gy (median dose, 37.5 Gy). Eleven patients completed the planned course of ERT, whereas six patients did not. The follow-up period ranged from 1~104 months (median, 5 months; mean, 20 months). RESULTS: Five patients started the ERT without the presence of a gross mass and all of the patients completed ERT without a re-growth of tumor. Twelve patients (four patients after a curative resection, five patients after a palliative resection and three patients after a biopsy) started ERT with a gross mass present and only six patients were able to complete the planned course of ERT. Among the six patients who completed ERT, two patients showed a marked regression of the tumor mass, whereas two patients showed slight regression and two patients showed no response. The median survival was five months (range, 1~104 months) and the mean survival was 21 months. The overall survival was 41% at 1-year, 24% at 2-years and 12% at 5-years. Significant prognostic factors included the number of primary tumors present, tumor size, whether surgery was performed and completion of ERT as planned. Long-term survivors showed a tendency of having smaller sized initial tumors and smaller sized pre-ERT tumors than the short-term survivors. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that patients with a small initial tumor (< or =5 cm), which was treated by surgery (curative resection or palliative resection) before ERT, and without rapid re-growth of the mass seen at the surgical site at the beginning of the ERT course, would be the best candidates for postoperative ERT. In contrast, patients with a large initial tumor (>5 cm) and did not undergo surgery before ERT or that rapid re-growth of the mass was observed at the surgical site are likely to have a short survival time, along with the interruption of ERT. In these cases, the role of ERT is very limited and the omission of ERT could be considered.
Biopsy

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are one of the common complications after traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The risks of CSF leaks can be detrimental to the outcomes of the patients. Early diagnosis and proper management is imperative for it is strongly associated with a better long-term prognosis of the patients. Diagnostic tools for CSF leaks are still under debate. Nevertheless, many reports of successful treatments for CSF leaks have been published with introduction of various repair techniques for leakage sites even though it is surgically challenging. Hereby, we review about the pathophysiology, manifestations as well as the update of the clinical diagnosis and current management of CSF leaks.
Brain Injuries ; Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak* ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Meningitis ; Prognosis

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this preliminary collaborative study was to assess the clinical characteristics, management, and outcome of epidural hematoma (EDH) based on the data collected and registered in the Korean Trauma Data Bank System (KTDBS). METHODS: Of 2,698 patients registered in the KTDBS between September 2010 and March 2014, 285 patients with EDH were analyzed. Twenty-three trauma centers participated in the study voluntarily to collect data. We subcategorized the patients into two groups with good and poor outcomes. Various clinical characteristics and the time intervals with regard to treatment course were investigated to determine the relationship between these parameters and the functional outcome. RESULTS: Of multiple parameters for this analysis, older age (p=0.0003), higher degree of brain injury (p<0.0001), cases of surgical EDH (p<0.0001), time interval from trauma to hospital before 6 hours, and the decreasing pattern of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) between and initial and final GCS were strongly associated with poor outcome. Use of prophylactic anticonvulsant did not affect the functional outcome. There was an interesting difference in the use of mannitol in treating EDH between the urban and rural regions (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: This is the first multi-center analysis of etiology of injury, pre-hospital care, treatment, and functional outcome of EDH in Korea. The degree of brain injury and the GCS difference were notable factors that were significant in determining the functional outcome of EDH.
Brain Injuries ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Hematoma* ; Hematoma, Epidural, Cranial ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mannitol ; Republic of Korea ; Trauma Centers

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is a rare condition defined as the dilatation of coronary artery to at least 1.5 times larger than the normal adjacent coronary artery. Clinical manifestations of CAE vary, ranging from asymptomatic to ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Because of its rarity and clinical diversity, the best treatment strategy and prognosis for CAE remain unclear. We describe a case of STEMI caused by intracoronary thrombus formation within an ectatic area in a patient with liver cirrhosis (LC). The patient was successfully managed by thrombus aspiration only, without balloon angioplasty or stent implantation, and maintained by dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and ticagrelor, a potent new P2Y12 inhibitor.
Angioplasty, Balloon ; Aspirin ; Coronary Vessels* ; Dilatation ; Dilatation, Pathologic ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; Prognosis ; Stents ; Thrombosis*

Purpose: This study compared the radiologic and clinical outcomes of metacarpal fractures treated with two minimally invasive surgical techniques: Kirschner wire (K-wire) fixation and headless screw fixation. Materials and Methods: This study included 52 patients (46 males and 6 females; age 18-55 years) with distal metacarpal fractures (middle and distal shaft, including the neck) who had undergone K-wire fixation or headless screw fixation. All subjects were followed up for at least six months. The radiologic assessments were performed to evaluate the angular deformity and shortenings. The total active motion (TAM), grip strength, and patients’ subjective functional assessment were measured to evaluatethe hand function. The time taken to return to work (RTW) and adverse events were analyzed. Results: Of the 52 cases, metacarpal fractures treated with headless screw fixation and K-wire fixation showed a significant difference associated with early RTW (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between the subjects treated with K-wire fixation and those with headless screw fixation in terms of the radiologic measurement, hand function examinations, complications, and adverse events (p>0.05). Conclusion After a six-month follow-up, minimally invasive K-wire fixation and headless screw fixation produced similar clinical and radiologic outcomes in subjects with metacarpal fractures. Compared to K-wire fixation, however, headless screw fixation led to earlier functional recovery and might be a better option for treating metacarpal fractures in this regard.

Fetomaternal hemorrhage is very common and the commonest cause of anernia in the newborn. But, few blood cells enter the maternal circulation in most pregnancies. Occasionally large intrauterine bleeding results in severe fetal and neonatal anemia, shock, and rarely death. To identify the fetal blood in the maternal circu1ation, acid elution technique of Kleihauer-Betke test is usually used. And imrnedate neonatal blood transfusion should be done for good prognosis. We report a case of massive feto-maternal hemorrhage (>100 ml) in a preterm neonate with severe anemia at birth, which was diagnosed by Kleihauer-Betke test and was treated with blood transfusion.
Anemia ; Anemia, Neonatal ; Blood Cells ; Blood Transfusion ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Fetomaternal Transfusion ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis ; Shock