STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of 72 patients treated for the acute lower cervical spinal injury with or without spinal cord injury. OBJECTIVES: We designed this study to evaluate the determining factors in the prognosis of the acute cervical spinal cord injury. We hypothesized as the prognosis is dependent on the severity of injury, not by time-related for the initiation of the treatment. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: There is still controversies in the management of the acute cervical spinal cord injury. And the prognosis is generally considered to depend on the severity of trauma to the spinal cord. METHODS: We divided neurologic status into 4 groups; complete, incomplete, root injury and no neurologic deficit group. And there were complete cord injury in 12, incomplete cord injury in 34, single root injury in 14 and no neurologic deficit in 12 patients. The time to operation since injury was 24 hours in 7, 7 days in 32, 3 weeks in 15, 6 weeks in 8, and more than 6 weeks in 5 cases. The operation was indicated mainly for the patients with irreducible fracture-dislocation or for the patients with bony fragments, and disc materials impinging on the spinal cord. Surgical treatment were done in 67 cases with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion(ACDF), ACDF with anterior stabilizaiton, posterior wiring, and circumferential fusion. We statistically analyzed the relationship hetween the time to surgery after injury and the degree of neurologic recovery after surgical treatment by chi square test. RESULTS: There were no neurologic recovery in complete cord injury. There were incomplete cord injury in 34 patients, 8 anterior cord syndrome had no neurologic recovery, among 24 patients with central cord syndrome(CCS) 18(22/24 operated) had neurologic recovery in various degrees and 2 of Brown-Sequard syndrome showed significant neurologic recovery. In nerve root injury, all except l (1/12) patient had complete neurologic recovery. There were neurologic recovery in 2/2 CCS when operated within 24 hours, 8/10 CCS when operated between 2-7 days and 4/5 CCS when operated between 2-3 weeks. There were neurologic recovery in 3/3 CCS when operated between 4-6 weeks and 1/2 CCS when operated more than 7 weeks after injury. There was no significant difference in the relationship between the time to surgery after injury and the degree of neurologic recovery after operation(X2=2.48, df=4, P=0.65). CONCLUSION: Spinai cord injury is directly related with the magnitude of injury at the time of trauma, and the prognosis is determined entirely at the time of injury, And the prognosis is not altered hy time of the treatment.
Brown-Sequard Syndrome ; Diskectomy ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Prognosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Spinal Injuries

No abstract available.
Plasma Exchange* ; Plasma*

To elucidate the developmental sequence of the eccrine sweat gland, a morphologic and a morphometric observation were done using developing human embryos and fetuses. Five embryos and sixty four fetuses from the 9th to the 38th week of the gestational age were studied. The skin was sampled in eight different areas, i.e., scalp, forehead, face, chest, abdomen, back, palm and sole. Routine histological sections were made for histological evaluation and morphometric analysis. The results obtained were as follows : The primordia of the eccrine sweat glands appeared first as regular undulation of the basal cells in the palm and the sole in the 13th week of getation. Subsequently, elongation and coiling of the cell cords were noted from the 16th to the 18th weeks. Intraductal lumen formation was first noted in the 20th week. Secretory segment of the eccrine sweat glands were noted from the distal part of the coiling intradermal sweat duct in the 22nd week of the gestational age. The eccrine sweat glands became fully developed by the 28th week of gestation and this included the clear cell, the dark cell and the myoepithelial cell. In the morphometric analysis, the number of eccrine epithelial buddings were decreased with aging and the highest were in the palm and the sole. The diameter of the eccrine sweat duct showed no significant change by gestational age or in the different sites observed. Straight and coiled eccrine sweat ducts or glands were lengthened into the deep reticular dermis and upper portion of the subcutaneous adipose tissue with an increase of the gestational age. The above results suggest that developmental stage and the number of eccrine glands of the skin in the fetal stage is different from other areas of the body, especially in the palm and the sole.
Abdomen ; Aging ; Dermis ; Eccrine Glands ; Embryonic Structures ; Fetus ; Forehead ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Scalp ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Sweat Glands* ; Sweat* ; Thorax

To elucidate the developmental sequence of the eccrine sweat gland, a morphologic and a morphometric observation were done using developing human embryos and fetuses. Five embryos and sixty four fetuses from the 9th to the 38th week of the gestational age were studied. The skin was sampled in eight different areas, i.e., scalp, forehead, face, chest, abdomen, back, palm and sole. Routine histological sections were made for histological evaluation and morphometric analysis. The results obtained were as follows : The primordia of the eccrine sweat glands appeared first as regular undulation of the basal cells in the palm and the sole in the 13th week of getation. Subsequently, elongation and coiling of the cell cords were noted from the 16th to the 18th weeks. Intraductal lumen formation was first noted in the 20th week. Secretory segment of the eccrine sweat glands were noted from the distal part of the coiling intradermal sweat duct in the 22nd week of the gestational age. The eccrine sweat glands became fully developed by the 28th week of gestation and this included the clear cell, the dark cell and the myoepithelial cell. In the morphometric analysis, the number of eccrine epithelial buddings were decreased with aging and the highest were in the palm and the sole. The diameter of the eccrine sweat duct showed no significant change by gestational age or in the different sites observed. Straight and coiled eccrine sweat ducts or glands were lengthened into the deep reticular dermis and upper portion of the subcutaneous adipose tissue with an increase of the gestational age. The above results suggest that developmental stage and the number of eccrine glands of the skin in the fetal stage is different from other areas of the body, especially in the palm and the sole.
Abdomen ; Aging ; Dermis ; Eccrine Glands ; Embryonic Structures ; Fetus ; Forehead ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Scalp ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Sweat Glands* ; Sweat* ; Thorax

No abstract available.
Korea*

A case of calcifying synovial sarcoma, occuring in the deep muscle fascia of the left thigh is reported. The presence of extensive calcification in synovial sarcoma is a favorable sign for prognosis. The patient was a 31-year-old female. The tumor mass had been present for 3 years, accompanying local tenderness. X-ray revealed a soft tissue tumor with central calcification, which was located between the adductor magnus and brevis of the left thigh. The tumor size was 7 x 5.5 cm. There was no connection with the knee joint or the femur. Grossly, the tumor was a relatively well circumscribed hard tumor with massive calcification. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of predominantly spindle cells with accompanying hyalinization, numerous spherical concretions and ossification. The epithelial component was not clearly noted. Mitotic figures were rarely noted in the densely cellular area. Immunohistochemical staining for EMA, S-100, vimentin, and carcinoembryonic antigen was negative while vimentin and cytokeratin were weakly and focally positive. EM study revealed multiple desmosome-like calcification intercellular junctions with a slit-like lumen and an incomplete basal lamina, which suggest that tumor show these cells were undergoing epithelia] differentiation. Above evidence suggest that this tumor is a synovial sarcoma associated with a large area of calcification, a so called calcifying synovial sarcoma. No recurrence was noted in one and half years of follow up.
Female ; Humans

No abstract available.
Ultrasonography*

This study was undertaken at the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chonnam University Medical School, to investigate the association between some of the risk factor and the incidence of intrauterine fetal growth restriction(IUGR). The studied population was selected from patients who admitted at Chonnam University Hospital during January, 1992 through May, 1997, with following criteria, Korean, singletone pregnancy with live birth and known gestational weeks with 28 or more. And then, the risk factors were analyzed in terms of maternal factor, placental factor, and fetal factor. The following results were obtained. 1) The incidence of IUGR was 6.1%. 2) The incidence of IUGR was higher at young aged mother and nullipara. 3) Only 39.1% of etiologic factors for IUGR was found to have known causes. According to the risk factors for IUGR, hypertensive disorder during pregnancy, anemia, cardiac disease, leukemia, and pulmonary tuberculosis were associated with increased incidence of IUGR. 4) The relative risk of IUGR was much higher in neonates born with congenital anomalies. 5) According to the placental causes of IUGR, placenta previa and placenta abruption showed some association with IUGR.
Anemia ; Fetal Development* ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gynecology ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Jeollanam-do ; Leukemia ; Live Birth ; Mothers ; Obstetrics ; Placenta ; Placenta Previa ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Schools, Medical ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

No abstract available.
Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Humans* ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor*

In treatment of infected ununited fractures of the tibia, We have solved this disastrous problems by posterior bone graft through posterolateral approach. By this posterior bone graft, We can achieve both bone union and infection contral simultaneously. The results were as follows: 1. Total cases of the infected ununited fractures were 17 cases, among them 16 cases were open fracture initially. 2. They occured more commonly in young adult, 7 cases(41%) were in 4th decade, and all cases were male. 3. Tibial union was achieved in 16 cases and one patient can not walk without brace due to ain on fracture site. 4. Infection was cleared in 16 cases, but one case had intermittent drainage of pus. 5. The most common complication was stiffness of the ankle and tarsal joint. 6. There was no infection in grafted bone.
Ankle ; Braces ; Drainage ; Fractures, Open ; Fractures, Ununited ; Humans ; Male ; Suppuration ; Tarsal Joints ; Tibia ; Transplants ; Young Adult