No abstract available.
Hypertension, Renovascular ; Takayasu Arteritis

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to analyze factors associated with recurrence and reoperation in intermittent exotropia. METHODS: The medical records of 285 patients who had undergone the bilateral lateral recti recessions for intermittent exotropia with at least 1 year of postoperative follow-up were reviewed retrospectively. Surgical success was defined as a final deviation less than 10PD, overcorrection more than 10PD and recurrence less than 10PD at postoperative 3 months but recurring later, so being exodeviated more than 10PD in primary gaze at postoperative 1 year. Reoperation was performed when the eye was excessively exodeviated with follow-up, requiring surgical revision clinically. We investigated factors associated with recurrence, comparing recurrence group to success group, and also investigated factors associated with reoperation, comparing reoperation group to recurrence group. RESULTS: Alignment at postoperative 1 day was proved to be significant factor influencing on recurrence. The age at the time of operation, preoperative alignment, stereopsis, etc were not associated with recurrence. Also, stereopsis was associated with reoperation, but there were no relationship between reoperation and other factors. CONCLUSIONS: Alignment at postoperative 1 day was related to recurrence and poor stereopsis (> or =400 sec) was associated with reoperation. Therefore, sensory function, such as stereopsis should be considered more important than motor control when considering reoperation.
Depth Perception ; Exotropia ; Eye ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Recurrence ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensation

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to investigate and analyze bilateral incidence and morphology of complete discoid lateral meniscus (DLM) with possible relation to tears and symptoms in knee joints. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight consecutive patients with symptomatic or already-torn complete DLM on magnetic resonance imaging in a unilateral knee underwent diagnostic arthroscopy on both knee joints upon agreement. The presence and shape of complete DLM as well as presence and pattern of tear were recorded accordingly. RESULTS: In total, 89.5% (34 of 38 patients) showed bilateral complete DLM, and 84.2% yielded bilateralism with identical shape. Cape-slab was the most frequent shape, comprising 68.8% of patients with identically-shaped bilateral DLM overall. Tear patterns were more frequent, in the order of longitudinal, simple horizontal, radial, and degenerative; however, the morphological shape of complete DLM was not significantly related to tear incidence or pattern. Meniscus tears and knee symptoms occurred in the contralateral knee with incidences of 32.4% and 26.5% in patients with bilateral complete DLM, respectively. CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, more aggressive warning on the presence of discoid pathology and the need for evaluation on the contralateral knee should be considered during consultation with patients with symptomatic complete DLM in a unilateral knee in the outpatient clinic.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Arthroscopy/*methods ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Knee Joint/*pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods ; Male ; Menisci, Tibial/*injuries/surgery ; Middle Aged ; Musculoskeletal Abnormalities/complications/diagnosis/epidemiology/*surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Induction Chemotherapy* ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms*

Pseudotumor cerebri syndrome is characterized clinically by raised intracranial pressure without ventriculomegaly. Several conditions known to interfere with CSF absorption pathways at the level of the arachnoid villi can produce the pseudotumor cerebri syndrome. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune, inflammatory and chronic disorder characterized by multi-organ involvement including the nervous system. Clinical evidence of central nervous system involvement includes headache, seizure, psychosis and altered mental status. However, pseudotumor cerebri syndrome has been reported infrequently as a primary feature of central nervous system involvement or a complication of SLE. A 19 year-old female was admitted with seizure preceded by headache and blurred vision. Ophthalmoscopic examination showed papilledema. The diagnosis of pseudotumor cerebri syndrome was confirmed by increased intracranial pressure(>550mmH2O) in the absence of any abnormal radiological findings of the brain. We described a 19-year-old girl whose first clinical manifestation was pseudotumor cerebri syndrome, which was diagnosed as SLE later. Therefore pseudotumor cerebri syndrome may be the part of the spectrum of clinical manifestation of SLE.
Absorption ; Arachnoid ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Intracranial Pressure ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Nervous System ; Papilledema ; Pseudotumor Cerebri* ; Psychotic Disorders ; Seizures ; Young Adult

Pseudotumor cerebri syndrome is characterized clinically by raised intracranial pressure without ventriculomegaly. Several conditions known to interfere with CSF absorption pathways at the level of the arachnoid villi can produce the pseudotumor cerebri syndrome. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune, inflammatory and chronic disorder characterized by multi-organ involvement including the nervous system. Clinical evidence of central nervous system involvement includes headache, seizure, psychosis and altered mental status. However, pseudotumor cerebri syndrome has been reported infrequently as a primary feature of central nervous system involvement or a complication of SLE. A 19 year-old female was admitted with seizure preceded by headache and blurred vision. Ophthalmoscopic examination showed papilledema. The diagnosis of pseudotumor cerebri syndrome was confirmed by increased intracranial pressure(>550mmH2O) in the absence of any abnormal radiological findings of the brain. We described a 19-year-old girl whose first clinical manifestation was pseudotumor cerebri syndrome, which was diagnosed as SLE later. Therefore pseudotumor cerebri syndrome may be the part of the spectrum of clinical manifestation of SLE.
Absorption ; Arachnoid ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Intracranial Pressure ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Nervous System ; Papilledema ; Pseudotumor Cerebri* ; Psychotic Disorders ; Seizures ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study investigates the current state of and future trends in the field of cataract surgery in Korea. METHODS: Since 1995, the members of the Korean Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (KSCRS) have made annual surveys on cataract and refractive surgery. The 2005 annual survey, consisting of 76 multiple-choice questions, was mailed in February 2005 to 300 KSCRS members. Sixty-six (22.0%) members answered the questions. Current data were compared with those of previous annual surveys and with those of surveys in the United States. RESULTS: Forty-six percent of the respondents were in the fifth decade. The duration of hospital stay has decreased annually and the use of topical anesthesia (44%) did not change. Self sealing wound construction was the main wound closure technique in phacoemulsification (63%). The implantation of phakic IOL was performed by 38% of the respondents and the most preferred intraocular lenses for small incision cataract surgery were acrylic (79%). Interest in the value added IOL has increased annually. CONCLUSIONS: This survey summarized current trends and changes in cataract surgery in Korea.
Anesthesia ; Cataract* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Korea* ; Length of Stay ; Lenses, Intraocular ; Phacoemulsification ; Postal Service ; Refractive Surgical Procedures ; United States ; Wound Closure Techniques ; Wounds and Injuries

Background: Many studies have reported that minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) provides satisfactory treatment comparable to other fusion methods. However, in the case of MI-TLIF, there are concerns about the long-term outcome compared to conventional bilateral PLIF due to the small amount of disc removal and the lack of autogenous bone graft. Long-term follow-up studies are still lacking as most of the previous reports have follow-up periods of up to 5 years. Methods: Thirty patients who underwent MI-TLIF were followed up for > 10 years (mean, 11.1 years). Interbody fusion rates were determined using a modified Bridwell grading system.Adjacent segment disease (ASD) was defined as radiological adjacent segment degeneration (R-ASDeg) as seen on plain X-rays; reoperated adjacent segment disease referred to the subsequent need for revision surgery. Clinical outcomes after surgery were assessed based on back and leg pain as well as the Oswestry disability index (ODI). Results: The overall radiological fusion rate, at the 1-, 5-, and 10-year follow-up was 77.1%, 91.4%, and 94.3%, respectively. The incidence of R-ASDeg 1, 5, and 10 years after surgery was 6.7%, 16.7%, and 43.3% at the proximal adjacent segment and 4.8%, 14.3%, and 28.6% at the distal adjacent segment, respectively. R-ASDeg at either the proximal or distal segment was determined in 50.0% of the patients 10 years postoperatively. All clinical parameters improved significantly during follow-up, although the ODI and the visual analog scale (VAS) for leg pain at the 10-year follow-up were significantly worse in the R-ASDeg group than in the other patients (P = 0.009, P = 0.040). Conclusion MI-TLIF improved both clinical and radiological outcomes, and the improvements were maintained for up to 10 years after surgery. However, R-ASDeg developed in up to 50% of the patients within 10 years, and both leg pain on the VAS and the ODI were worse in patients with R-ASDeg.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Markers of inflammation have been associated with outcomes in various cancers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether systemic inf lammatory markers and their f luctuations can predict survival and chemotherapy response in patients with metastatic gastric cancer (mGC). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 502 patients who received first-line palliative chemotherapy for mGC between 2007 and 2013. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) were assessed before and after chemotherapy to evaluate their association with survival. The NLR values were categorized into two groups based on a cut-off value of 3; mGPS values were classified as high versus low. RESULTS: High prechemotherapy NLR was significantly associated with poor overall survival on univariate analysis (p = 0.002). On multivariate analysis, high prechemotherapy NLR (hazard ratio, 1.43; p < 0.001) was an independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival. However, the prechemotherapy mGPS was not significantly associated with survival. Continuously high NLR or a shift to high NLR postchemotherapy was associated with poor chemotherapy response as well as survival, while NLR reduction was associated with a good response (linear by linear association, p < 0.001) and a favorable prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Prechemotherapy NLR can be used as a prognostic factor in mGC, while the postchemotherapy NLR value may predict the chemotherapeutic response and prognosis. In contrast, mGPS has limited prognostic utility in mGC.
Biomarkers ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neutrophils ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of treadmill running and swimming exercise for the functional and electrophysiological recovery in rats with sciatic nerve damage, and to evaluate the patterns of recovery according to various degree of intensity and duration of injury. METHOD: Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats (200~250 g) were used, and divided into the control and the experimental groups. Crushing injuries to the sciatic nerve at the sciatic notch was manipulated using a hemostatic forcep, treadmill and swimming exercise programs were performed for 30 minutes on a daily basis, 5 days a week during the 4 week period. The experimental group was divided into 2 sub-groups in correlation with the intensity of injury, and into 5 and 30 seconds group in correlation with the duration of injury. The test results were analysed by sciatic nerve functional index (SFI) that was obtained through walking tract analysis, and by the amplitude of compound muscle action potentials in calf muscles through the sciatic motor nerve conduction study. RESULTS: 1) After 4 weeks following sciatic nerve injuries, the SFI were -21.8+/- 10.8, -23.1+/- 7.0, -32.5+/- 9.1 in treadmill, swimming, and control groups, respectively. Treadmill and swimming groups showed markedly improved function compared to the control group. Amplitudes of sciatic nerve compound muscle action potentials in calf muscle were 21.2+/- 6.5, 15.9+/- 5.8, 12.5+/- 2.0 mV in treadmill, swimming, and control groups respectively, and revealed marked electrophysiological improvement in treadmill group. 2) The results concerning the intensity and the duration of injury, nerve recovery patterns showed the most significant improvement in the first degree-5 seconds group in both treadmill and swimming exercise programs. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the treadmill and swimming exercises have significantly better effect in the regeneration of damaged sciatic nerve than that of control, and the intensity of injury was a more important factor in the recovery of nerves compared to the duration of injury.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Exercise ; Humans ; Male ; Muscles ; Neural Conduction ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Regeneration ; Running ; Sciatic Nerve* ; Surgical Instruments ; Swimming ; Walking