We reviewed two cases of keratosis punctata palmaris et plantaris(KPP) and the scanning electron microscopic findings(SEM). The skin lesions of KPP are multiple, hyperkeratotic on the palms and soles with central pitting. There was no subjective symptoms. The histologic findigs revea,l marked hyperkeratosis, hypergranulosis, and acanthosis with depression of the underlying malpighian layers. The SEM findings reveal one hyperkeratoic plug on punctate lesion(case I ) and three hyperkeratotic plugs on depression of the malpighian layer(case ll ).
Depression ; Keratoderma, Palmoplantar* ; Keratosis* ; Skin

Primary renal lymphoma is a rare tumor of the kidney that typically presents with bilateral nodular enlargement in the absence of extrarenal masses. We describe MR findings of a case of primary renal lymphoma along with ultrasound and CT findings. MR imaging demonstrated globular enlargement of both kidneys with multilobulated contour and multiple masses which had isosignal intensity on T1WI and low signal intensity on T2WI. The masses enhanced slightly on dynamic contrast enhanced scan.
Kidney ; Lymphoma* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Ultrasonography

A case of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma resembling ovarian sex-cord tumor in the uterus of a 43-year-old woman is described. This tumor belongs to the group II category of uterine tumors resembling ovarian sex-cord tumor described by Clement and Scully, and the epithelial-like elements show prominent smooth muscle differentiation, proved by immunoreactivity for desmin and actin. The patient did not receive any adjuvant therapy; she is alive and well without recurrence 8 months postoperatively.
Female ; Humans

A 7-month-old boy was presented with growth retardation. The brain CT scan and the cerebral angiography revealed hydrocephalus resulting from venous hypertension and a high-flow direct arteriovenous fistula at the distal M2 segmnt of the middle cerebral artery which was drained into the sphenoparietal sinus. The echocardiogram disclosed a ventricular hypertrophy. The patient was treated by gradual ligation of fistulous portion in ten minutes to prevent sudden increase of peripheral resistance and cardiac overloading. It is stressed that slow obliteration of an arteriovenous fistula is a paramount procedure to prevent congestive heart failure.
Arteriovenous Fistula ; Brain ; Cerebral Angiography ; Fistula* ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Hypertension ; Hypertrophy ; Infant ; Ligation ; Male ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vascular Resistance

This study was carried out to reveal the epidemiologic characteristics of psoriasis in Korea. Seventeen university hospitals were engaged in this study, and the results were as follows : 1. The number of psoriasis patients during the 10 years from January 1977 to March 1987 was 1.05% of all the outpatients; the male to female-ratio was 1.08:1. 2. In the prospective study, the number of psoriasis patients was 2.3% of all the outpatients in 1987, 2.8% of all the outpatients in 1988 and the male to female ratio was 1.26:1. 3. The most prevalent age of onset was 20-29 years ; 81.1% were living in urban areas; and a family history was obtainable in 19.8% with parents holding the highest rank of 7.8%. 4. The most frequent duration of disease activity was under 5 years in 63.3%; the most common age for the worst condition was 20-29 yrs. The most common area size of skin involvement at the peak of the worst condition was less than 10%. 5. The most common initiating skin lesion began on the scalp in 20.2%, on the nail in 17.2%, pruritus in 63.0% with joint symptoms in 10.8%, and Koebner phenomena in 50.6%. 6. Emotional stress was the most common aggravating factor in 34.4%. The method of treatment that attained the best result was the combination therapy of oral medication and a topical agent. The best treatment modality was said to be the application of ointment with p.o.medication by as many as 28.4% of patients who took the leading rank. Photo-chemotherapy, effective with few complications, was not used much as it was not well-known in Korea until after 1980. Most people had an accurate knowledge of psoriasis.
Age of Onset ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Joints ; Korea ; Male ; Methods ; Outpatients ; Parents ; Prospective Studies ; Pruritus ; Psoriasis* ; Scalp ; Skin ; Stress, Psychological

A 36-year-old female patient with aplastic anemia developed massive hemoptysis and was placed on ventilator support. However, airway obstruction by blood clots triggered desaturation and ventilator malfunction. Manual ventilation was initiated to improve oxy-genation, and emergency flexible bronchoscopy was performed to clear the airway. Nevertheless, the patient developed extensive subcutaneous emphysema, pneumothorax, and pneumomediastinum.
Adult ; Airway Obstruction ; Anemia, Aplastic ; Barotrauma* ; Bronchoscopy ; Emergencies ; Female ; Hemoptysis* ; Humans ; Mediastinal Emphysema ; Pneumothorax ; Subcutaneous Emphysema ; Ventilation* ; Ventilators, Mechanical

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether soft tissue surrounding the celiac axis, as seen on abdominal CT imaging after gastrectomy for gastric carcinoma, should be considered as the recurrence of carcinoma or postoperative change. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and forty-one abdominal CT examinations of 71 patients who had undergone subtotal or total gastrectomy for gastric carcinoma were included in our study. Conventional CT scans were obtained with 1 cm thickness and interval from the diaphragm to the kidneys after contrast enhancement. It was considered that carcinoma had not recurred if findings were negative on UGI series, endoscopy with biopsy and a normal level of carcinoembryonic antigen except for soft tissue surrounding the celiac axis on abdominal CT. We then divided subjects into a recurrence group (N = 20) and normal group (N = 51) and on initial follow-up CT (FU-CT), analyzed the incidence, margin, shape, extent, degree and pattern of attenuation of the soft tissue surrounding the celiac axis in both groups. Since the second FU-CT examination, we observed changes in the soft tissue surrounding the celiac axis. RESULTS: On initial follow-up CT, at mean 308 days after surgery, fifty-five percent(39/71) of total patients (70% (14/20) of the recurrence group and 49% (25/51) of the normal group) showed soft tissue surrounding the celiac axis. The margin was distinct in 12 (86%) of the recurrence group and indistinct in 21 (84%) of the normal group (P < 0.001). Twelve (86%) of the recurrence group showed a nodular or confluent nodular shape and 21 (84%) of the normal group showed a permeative shape (P < 0.001). Extent was unilateral in eight (57%) of the recurrence group and bilateral in 16 (64%) of the normal group. Attenuation was similar to that of the spleen and muscle in seven (50%) of the recurrence group and was similar to that of muscle in 18 (72%) of the normal group. The pattern of attenuation was homogeneous in 13 (93%) of the recurrence group and 21 (84%) of the normal group. There was no significant difference in extent, degree and pattern of attenuation between the two groups. Since the second FU-CT examination, soft tissue surrounding the celiac axis was seen to have changed. In one patient in the recurrence group it had a distinct margin, was nodular in shape, unilateral in extent and showed attenuation similar to that of the spleen. In one patient in the normal group, it had changed and had an indistinct margin, three patients showed a decrease in the amount of soft tissue and eight showed decreased attenuation. CONCLUSION: Follow-up abdominal CT is useful in the differentiation of cancer recurrence and postoperative change, and for observing changes in soft tissue surrounding the celiac axis.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra* ; Biopsy ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Diaphragm ; Endoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney ; Recurrence ; Spleen ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Hansens' disease is well known chronic inflammatory granulomatous disease by Macobacterium leprae., and occur rarely in these days. The wide range of clinical manifestations develop by status of the host resistant. These are from mild sensory change, erythematous macular patches, diffuse infiltrating plaque, and nodules to severe destruction of peripheral nerve and internal organ involvements. Vitilgo and xanthelasma rarely may occur in the lepromatous leprosy. The patient was a 60-year-old a farmer who complained erythematous diffuse ill defined infiltrative plaques or nodules on the face, trunk. He was diagnosed as lepromatous leprosy by skin biopsy and fite staining and had taken the standard 3 multidrug (dapsone, rifampicin, lamprene)therapy. About 3 months during the therapy, the existing skin lesions became erythematous and mild edematous, some of which show vitiligo like change, and severe general aching and neuralgia developed. Type 1 lepra reaction with upgrading was diagnosed by clinical symptoms and skin biopsy feature. The vitiligo lesions also appeared on the normal looking skin without previous lepromatous lesion. At that time, yellowish plaque appeared on both eyelid and diagnosed as xanthelasma without hypolipoproteinemia. The mutidrug therapy for lepsory continued and oral predinsolone was given for the general aching of neuralgia. The lepra skin lesions had been improved gradually and the vitiligo lesions also disappeared. Presenting case is very interesting in point of view that he had vitiligo related to type 1 lepra reaction, and simultaneously developed xanthelasma palpebrum.
Biopsy ; Eyelids ; Humans ; Hypolipoproteinemias ; Leprosy ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Middle Aged ; Neuralgia ; Peripheral Nerves ; Rifampin ; Skin ; Vitiligo

BACKGROUND: The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, introduced as a fast and sensitive diagnostic method, has been known to be useful in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Therefore the purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of an in-house PCR assay in the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by comparing PCR results with those of conventional diagnostic techniques. METHODS: We assessed the diagnostic yield of the in-house PCR assay retrospectively based on the patient's medical records using data from previously evaluated specimens submitted for PCR amplification IS6110 sequences by GeneAmp PCR system 9600 (Perkin Elmer, CT, USA). All samples had been examined for detection of M. tuberculosis by acid-fast stain and culture assay and the results from the 3 methods were analyzed. RESULTS: The majority of cases (1,727 cases, 96.6%) showed concordant results between in-house PCR, AFB stain, and culture methods; only 60 cases (3.4%) displayed discordant results. The sensitivities, specificities and positive and negative predictive values of each method were as follows: 81.0%, 99.6%, 95.0% and 98.4%, respectively for the in-house PCR; 63.4%, 100%, 100% and 96.9%, respectively for AFB staining method; and 83.8%, 100%, 100% and 98.6%, respectively for culture assays. CONCLUSIONS: The PCR assay shows a high sensitivity and specificity and is a reliable test for an early diagnosis of tuberculosis.
Early Diagnosis ; Medical Records ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tuberculosis

PURPOSE: To report a case of mycotic aneurysm of the cerebral basilar artery associated with bilateral endogenous aspergillus endophthalmitis. CASE SUMMARY: A 41-year-old man with no underlying disease presented with decreased vision in both eyes. The patient was diagnosed with bilateral endogenous endophthalmitis, and the authors performed a vitrectomy and lensectomy on the right eye. Hyphae were detected in the vitreous sample, and systemic amphotericin was administered. Three days after the operation, the patient became comatose due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Aspergillus antigen was detected in the vitreous sample and in the cerebrospinal fluid. Subarachnoid hemorrhage was due to the rupture of a mycotic aneurysm of the cranial basilar artery, complicated by aspergillus infection of the central nervous system.
Adult ; Amphotericin B ; Aneurysm, Infected ; Aspergillus ; Basilar Artery ; Central Nervous System ; Coma ; Endophthalmitis ; Eye ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Rupture ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Vision, Ocular ; Vitrectomy