The appendiceal mucocele is very rare disease of 0.2% incidence. About 24% of patients are asymptomatic and symptomatic patients present with pain in the right lower quadrant of abdomen in 64%, plapable maas in the right lower quadrant of abdomen in 50%, and rarely, melena, hematochezia, anemia, diarrhea, malaise, and abdominal distension. The gastrointestinal bleeding may be presented in the patient with intussusception, but the massive bleeding is generally absent. We report a case of appendiceal mucocele accompanying with gastrointestinal bleeding and review of literature.
Abdomen ; Anemia ; Diarrhea ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intussusception ; Melena ; Mucocele* ; Rare Diseases

Malignant esophago-bronchial fistula is an incurable and distressing condition. The passage of swallowed saliva and solid or liquid food into the bronchial tree causes coqghing and frequent pulmonary infection and collapse. Most patients are unfit for major surgery, but intubation offers a quick, simple and effective treatment with improved length and quality of life. However, intubation with simple esophageal tubes are liable to result in failure to occlude the fistela, migration of the tube, erosion, and in the case of latex tubes, disintegration. To overcome these problems, the fistula is intubated perorally with a prosthesis surrounded by a foam rubber cuff contained ia silicone sheath, in which vacuum can be created. This cuffed prosthesis is the most satisfactory design for the treatment of malignant esophago-bronchial fistula with effiective and gentle occlusion of the fistula without risk of pressure necrosis. We experienced a case of the endoscopic treatment with a cuffed prosthesis for malignant esophago-bronchial fistula. So we report this case with brief review of the previous literatures.
Bronchial Fistula* ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Fistula ; Humans ; Intubation ; Latex ; Necrosis ; Prostheses and Implants* ; Quality of Life ; Rubber ; Saliva ; Silicones ; Vacuum

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of pelvic arterial embolization (PAE) for intractable postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) after hysterectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2011 to December 2017, 14 patients who received PAE for PPH that persisted after total abdominal hysterectomy were included (mean age, 33.6 years; range, 26–37 years). The delivery type, cause of PPH, and angiographic findings were investigated. The technical and clinical success rates and clinical outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: Of 14 patients, 8 patients (57%) had positive angiographic findings for bleeding; contrast extravasation (n = 6), and pseudoaneurysm (n = 2). Remnant uterine artery (UA) was the most common bleeding focus (n = 4), followed by vaginal artery (n = 2), left lateral sacral artery (n = 1), and left internal pudendal artery (n = 1). Technical and clinical success rates were 100% and 93% (13/14), respectively. In 1 patient, bleeding was not controlled after initial selective embolization and the entire anterior divisions of both internal iliac arteries were embolized with gelfoam. CONCLUSION PAE for persistent PPH after hysterectomy is a safe and effective treatment. Remnant UA was the most common bleeding site and all patients recovered without any significant sequelae after embolization.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that the sympathetic nervous system might play an important role in the development of coronary artery spasm. Recently, advances have made possible the imaging of the cardiac adrenergic nervous system with metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) labeled with iodine-123. The purpose of this study was to assess the presence and location of abnormal sympathetic innervation by iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and to evaluate the clinical efficacy of iodine-123-MIBG SPECT as a noninvasive screening test in patients with coronary artery spasm. METHOD: Coronary arteriography and provocative test with intravenous administration of ergonovine maleate were performed in 26 patients (21 men, 5 women, mean age 49.1+/-9.3, range: 26-59) who were suspected of having a coronary artery spasm. The subjects were divided into 2 groups ; Group 1 comparised of 18 patients subjects to the positive provocative test, Group 2 comparised of 8 patients subjects to the negative provocative test. Four healthy subjects served as control. All patients also underwent iodine-123-MIBG SPECT for the evaluation of cardiac sympathetic integrity. The SPECT findings were qualitatively evaluated by two experienced physicians who were blind to the clinical data. RESULTS: Abnormal sympathetic nervous innervation using iodine-123-MIBG SPECT was observed either as a reduced uptake or defect pattern in the perfused areas in 13 of the 18 vessels of ergonovine induced vasospasm. Normal sympathetic innervation as evidenced by normal iodine-123-MIBG uptake was noted in all of the 60 segments of normal vessel territories. Reduced uptake of iodine-123-MIBG was not detected in the perfused areas of five vasospasm-induced vessels (perfusion territory of LAD in 2 and the RCA in 3 patients). The sensitivity and specificity of iodine-123-MIBG for detection coronary artery spasm were 72.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 55% to 89%) and 100%, respectively. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 100% and 92.3% (95% CI 91% to 93%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Iodine-123-MIBG SPECT is a feasible method to noninvasively evaluate and localize the territories of coronary arteries with spasms. Invasive diagnostic coronary arteriography with ergonovine provocation test may be unnecessary for the diagnosis of coronary artery spasm in patients with typical resting pain, negative exercise test or normal thallium perfusion scan, but abnormal iodine-123-MIBG SPECT.
Administration, Intravenous ; Angiography ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diagnosis* ; Ergonovine ; Exercise Test ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening* ; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging* ; Nervous System ; Neurons* ; Perfusion ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spasm* ; Sympathetic Nervous System ; Thallium ; Tomography, Emission-Computed ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

PURPOSE: The standard treatment for aortic aneurysms is surgical replacement with a prosthetic graft. Currently there is great interest in endoluminal intervention for treatment of aortic aneurysm. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of endoluminally placed Stent-graft for the treatment of aortic aneurysms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transluminal endovascular Stent-graft placements were attempted in 9 patients with infra-renal aortic aneurysms(n=6), thoracic aortic aneurysm(n=l), and aortic dissection(n=2). The endovascular Stent-grafts were custom-designed for each patient and were constructed of self-expandable modified Gianturco Stents covered with polytetrafluroethylene. The Stent-grafts were introduced through a 16-18 french sheath and expanded to 17-30mm in diameter. The endovascular therapy was performed using a common femoral artery cutdown with local anesthesia. RESULTS: The endovascular Stent-graft deployment was achieved in 7 of 9 patients. Two cases failed deployment of the Stent-graft due to lilac artery stenosis and tortousity. There were complete thrombosis of the thoracic and infra-renal aortic aneurysm surround the Stent-graft in 3 patients, and persistent leak with partial thrombosis in 2. Two patients with aortic dissection were successfully treated by obliteration of entry tears. There were no major complication associated with Stent-graft placement. CONCLUSION: These preliminary results show that transluminal endovascular Stent-grafts offer great promise and good results. Further investigation is needed to establish its long-term safety and efficacy.
Anesthesia, Local ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Femoral Artery ; Humans ; Stents ; Thrombosis ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: Home ventilation can decrease hospital-acquired infection, increase physical activity, improve nutritional status, enhance quality of life, and reduce medical costs. The number of patient using home ventilators has been increasing, particularly in Europe and United States. Although the number of patients with home ventilation has been increasing in Korea, the current status of these patients is not well known. This study was undertaken to obtain basic information upon these patients in additon to evaluating any problems related to patients' home care in our country. METHODS: A register of 92 patients with home ventilators in Seoul and Kyunggi province were obtained from commercial ventilator supply companies. The patients were contacted by phone and 29 of them accepted our visit. Information concerning education about home care before discharge, equipment cost, and problems related to home care were documented. The mode and preset variables of the home ventilator were checked; tidal volume (TV), peak airway pressure, and oxygen saturation were measured. RESULTS: There were 26 males (90%) and their mean age was 48.0(±20.1 years. The underlying diseases were: 21 neuromuscular disorders, 2 spinal cord injuries, 6 chronic lung diseases. Among the caregivers, spouses (n=14) predominated. Education for home care before discharge was performed primarily by intensive care unit nurses and the education for ventilator management by commercial companies. Twenty-five of the 29 patients had tracheostomies. Volume targeted type (VTT;n=20, 69%) was more frequently used than the pressure targeted type(PTT). Twenty-three of the 29 patients purchased a ventilator privately, which cost 7,450,000(±3,290,000) won for a PTT, and 14,280,000(±3,130,000) won for a VTT. Total cost for the equipment was 11,430,000(±634,000) won. The average cost required for home care per month was 1,120,000(±1,360,000) won. CONCLUSION: The commonest underlying disease of the patients was neuromuscular disease. The VTT ventilator was primarily used with tracheostomy. Patients and their families considered the financial difficulties associated with purchasing and maintaining equipment for home care an urgent problem. Some patients were aided by a visiting nurse, however most patients were neglected and left without professional medical supervision.
Caregivers ; Education ; Europe ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Home Care Services ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Neuromuscular Diseases ; Nurses, Community Health ; Nutritional Status ; Organization and Administration ; Oxygen ; Quality of Life ; Seoul* ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Spouses ; Tidal Volume ; Tracheostomy ; United States ; Ventilation ; Ventilators, Mechanical*

Endoscopic biliary drainage has been established as the palliative treatment of choice for malignant obstructive jaundice. But the clogging of biliary endoprosthesis has been a persistent problem faced by endoscopists over many years. Different materials, sizes, and designs have been used in efforts to overcome this problem. Recently, there are some reports that incorporating sideholes increases the risk of stent clogging, and prostheses without sideholes had significantly lower clogging compared to those with sideholes. And then Soehendra and his colleagues introduced a new design Teflon straight stent without sideholes, designated "Tan-nenbaum" (TB) stents, and reported that TB stent had significantly longer patency than Teflon pigtail stent with sideholes. When placing the TB stent, we used OASIS (One Action Stent Introduction System). This introducer enables the stent to be pre-loaded onto the distal tip of the guiding catheter and placed endoscopically in one step. By using OASIS, we reduced the duration of placing the stent in narrowed bile duct and the patients were more tolerable. Now, we report our experience of endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage by use of TB stent and OASIS" in 12 patients with obstructive jaundice due to malignancy.
Bile Ducts ; Catheters ; Drainage ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; Palliative Care ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Prostheses and Implants ; Stents*

Congenital agammaglobulinemia was described first among all human immunodeficiencies, and characterized by defect of B lymphocyte maturation and severe panhypogammaglobulinemia. These patients frequently acquire infections with high-grade extracellular pyogenic pyogenic organisms since infancy. We experienced a case of congenital agammaglobulinemia in a 10 years old male. He had history of recurrent pneumonia and purulent otitis media since late infancy. Also he had recieved operations for pyogenic arthritis of hip joint & osteomyelitis at 4 years of age. He had been suffered from productive cough, intermittent fever and skin infections for 3 months before admission. His immune status revealed panhypogammaglobulinemia and deficiency in mature B lymphocyte, but cell-mediated immunity was intact. He was treated with antibiotics and intravenous immunoglobulin with good results.
Agammaglobulinemia* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Arthritis ; Child ; Cough ; Fever ; Hip Joint ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunoglobulins ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Osteomyelitis ; Otitis Media, Suppurative ; Pneumonia ; Skin

BACKGROUND: The treatment of keloids is unsatisfactory and even a challenge to many dermatologists or dermatosurgeons. Simple excision of a keloid alone is associated with a high recurrence rate. Thus, surgical treatment should be combined with various adjuvant therapies. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of postoperative radiation therapy on the recurrence of keloids. METHODS: Between March 2007 and May 2012, 24 patients with keloids (n=56) in various anatomical sites were treated with our protocol consisting of total or subtotal keloidectomy followed by immediate irradiation of 12~18 Gy in 3 fractions over 3 days with pre- and postoperative intralesional steroid injection as an adjuvant therapy. After a year to a year and a half, treatment was terminated at that point. RESULTS: When treated keloids were classified according to the degree of flattening, the outcomes were excellent in 48.2% (27/56) of the patients, good in 32.1% (18/56), fair in 14.3% (8/56), and poor in 5.3% (3/56). This treatment protocol showed almost excellent outcomes in earlobe, earhelix, retroauricular region and abdomen. Although the sites with high stretch tension such as chest and shoulder showed above good outcomes (72%, 18/25), they also showed three poor results. The most common complication was postinflammatory hyperpigmentation while the most serious one was full-thickness skin necrosis, which was recovered by skin graft later. CONCLUSION: Radiation therapy is an effective and safe therapy for the prevention of recurrence of keloids following keloidectomy.
Abdomen ; Clinical Protocols ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Keloid ; Necrosis ; Recurrence* ; Shoulder ; Skin ; Thorax ; Transplants

No abstract available.
Down Syndrome