PURPOSE: We studied CT findings of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma that manifestated varied clinical and radiologic characteristics. MATERIALS & METHODS: We studied presenting radiographic patterns and their characteristics and secondary findings of histologically proven 30 cases of bronchioloalveolar carcinomas on chest CT scan. RESULTS: Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma appeared radiologically as a solitary nodule(19 cases), consolidation (7 cases), and multinodules(4 cases). A solitary nodular type shows irregular or spiculated borders, peripheral or subpleural location, heterogenous density, pleural tags, pseudocavitation, and sometimes rim-enhancement of mass. A consolidation type shows air-brochogram, pseudocavitation and CT anglogram within homogenous low attenuated consolidated lung. Hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy as secondary findings of bronchioloalveolar carcioma appeared frequently(43.3%). Even in a solitary nodular form, hilar & mediastinal lymphadenopathy was noted in 36.8% and follow-up study in 6 cases showed lung-to-lung metastasis with 14.7 months in mean metastasis duration. CONCLUSION: It is difficulty in diagnosis of bronchioloalveolar carcioma with clinical or plain radiographic features alone because of theis variability. We found that CT scan can help the diagnosis of this tumor. We also found out that a solitary form of bronchioloalveolar carcioma as well as diffuse form does not have a good prognosis.
Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar* ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Lung ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Recently elderly people have increased in Korea and increased demands of medical service. This study was carried out to identify diseases and health service utilization patterns of geriatric inpatients to provide better understanding and basis planning to meet the needs of expanding geriatric population. METHOD: We use data of `Patient Survey in Korea` in 1999 and analyzed characteristics of disease structure and utilization patterns of health care service of 54,013 cases of discharged patients aged 65 years or more. RESULT: The proportion of the elderly in total discharged patients is 14.7%. Male to female ratio is 1:1.3 and most common age group was between 65 and 69 years old. 84.2% of elderly patients were admitted at secondary or tertiary health care facilities. The most common disease in geriatric inpatients is malig- nancy in male and vascular disease in female. The average duration of hospitalization is 14.2 days. They stay longer than the nation wide average hospital length and stay longest when they are admitted by mental and behavioral disorders. CONCLUSION: Geriatric patients are admitted mostly with chronic degenerative diseases such as neoplasm and vascular disease. Elders prefer to be admitted to tertiary hospitals and oriental hospitals. They stay more in hospital.
Aged ; Delivery of Health Care ; Female ; Health Services* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Korea ; Male ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Vascular Diseases

No abstract available.
Transplants*

No abstract available.
Transplants*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Drug Therapy* ; Stomach Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: Kimura's disease is an inflammatory condition of unknown etiology which usually occurs in salivary glands and cervical lymph nodes. This study was undertaken to evaluate the radiologic characteristics of Kimura's disease using CT and MRI. MATERIALS & METHODS: We evaluated CT & MR of 10 patients with histologically proved Kimura's disease in the head and neck. Six males and four females between 16 and 58 years old (mean age, 37.6 years) were included. Contrast enhanced CT scan was performed in all, and spin-echo MRI was performed in 2 patients. RESULTS: Both CT and MRI demonstrated the distinctive sites of involvement that were major salivary glands (4 cases) and lacrimal gland (1 case), periglandular soft tissue (8 cases), and cervical lymph nodes (8 cases). Majority of soft tissue lesions were ill-defined with infiltration to adjacent fascial planes, but nodal lesions were relatively well-defined and homogenous. The lesions were iso-intense on Tl-weighted image and hyper-intense on T2-weighted image. All but a few nodal lesions showed variable degree of contrast enhancement on CT and MRI. CONCLUSION: In diagnosis of Kimura's disease, CT & MRI of head & neck, especially salivary glands, are useful. In cases of recurrent periglandular soft tissue mass with contrast-enhancing cervical lymphadenopathy in adult patients, Kimura's disease should be included in the differential diagnosis.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Head* ; Humans ; Lacrimal Apparatus ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neck* ; Salivary Glands ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE:Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis is the most common thyroid disease in children and adolescents, and also is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in children and adolescents. We studied the clinical manifestations and natural courses of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis in children and adolescents. METHODS:We analyzed retrospectively twenty one children and adolescents who were diagnosed as chronic autoimmune thyroiditis before 15 years of age. The diagnoses were made from July 1997 to February 2004 at Ajou Univesity Hospital. We reviewed the clinical manifestations and thyroid functions of these patients. RESULTS:Nineteen patients were female and two were male. The mean age at diagnosis was 9.95+/-3.1 years, the mean duration of follow up was 23.52+/-22.98 months. At diagnosis, the most common chief complaint was goiter (15 patients/21 patients) and the others were short stature, easy fatigue, cardiac murmur and weight loss. Eighteen patients had goiters at diagnosis. Four had familial history of thyroid disease, Three of them had maternal history of thyroid disease and one had paternal history of thyroid disease. At diagnosis, Seven patients were euthyroid and four patients were hyperthyroid, eighteen patients had antithyroglobulin antibody, seventeen patients had antimicrosomal antibody, fourteen patients had both of them. At last follow-up, eight patients were euthyroid and ten patients were hypothyroid, three patients were hyperthyroid. CONCLUSION: Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis in children and adolescents can have the various important influences on the metabolism including the growth. The clinical manifestations and thyroid functions should be monitored in children and adolescents with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis.
Adolescent* ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Fatigue ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Goiter ; Heart Murmurs ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Male ; Metabolism ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune* ; Weight Loss

No abstract available.
Stomach Neoplasms*