PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the accuracy of impression body taking by the closed and the open tray impression technique with 3 types of impression tray. Individual tray, metal stock tray and polycarbonate tray were used. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine closed tray impressions were taken by individual tray, metal stock tray and polycarbonate stock tray, respectively with polyether impression material. 9 open tray impressions were also acquired by same manner. Precision analysis on the master models was performed by attaching the reference frameworks with alternate single screws and measuring the vertical fit discrepancy of respective analogues in working cast with a stereo microscope. Data were analyzed by 1 way ANOVA and independent t-test. RESULTS: The average fit accuracy of impression bodies was calculated. With the closed tray impression technique, there were significant statistical differences in vertical fit discrepancy according to the types of tray. The individual tray group showed the lowest value and the polycarbonate stock tray group represented the highest. With the open tray impression technique, there was no significant difference in vertical fit discrepancy. Significant statistical difference in vertical fit discrepancy was found between the open and the closed impression technique with the polycarbonate stock tray. CONCLUSION: From the results above, more precise impressions could be acquired by the rigid individual tray compared with the polycarbonate stock tray. It was hard to get consistent accuracy impressions by the closed tray impression technique with polycarbonate stock trays.
Dental Impression Technique ; Polycarboxylate Cement

The main trend moves towards early excision and skin grafting as treatment for the deep second degree burns and the third degree burns. The ability to excision & skin grafting. This study prospectively evaluated the ability of laser doppler flow measurements obtained within 72 hours after burn injury to predict the depth of burn wounds. A Periflux system 4001 laser doppler flowmetry had been used to measure cutaneous microflow circulation of 100 selected points of burn wounds in 44 admitted patients from March 1993 to February 1994. The mean value of superficial second degree burn checked by laser doppler was 194.6 perfusion unit(PU). The deep second degree burn was 59.7 PU and third degree burn was 5.1 PU. The blood flow of more than 100 PU reliably predicted the superficial second degree burn with 90.2 percents accuracy. The blood flow between 100 PU and 10 PU predict the deep second degree dermal burn with 96.2 percents accuracy. That of less than 10 PU predict the third degree burn with 100 percents accuracy. There was also a significant correlation between initial flow measurements and the depth of burn wounds. We conclude that laser doppler flow measurements performed early after burn injury are useful in predicting the depth of burn wounds. The laser doppler flowmetry has the advantage of being easy to use, noninvasive, provide immediate result for early determination of burn depth. The laser doppler flowmetry is useful in selecting patients for early excision and grafting of burn wounds.
Burns* ; Humans ; Laser-Doppler Flowmetry* ; Perfusion ; Prospective Studies ; Skin Transplantation ; Transplants ; Wounds and Injuries

The juxtaglomerular cell tumor is a rare benign tumor which causes surgically correctable hypertension. We report a case of hypertension caused by juxtaglomerular cell tumor in a 17-year old man. He presented with hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis and hyperreninemic hyperaldosteronism. Renal angiography showed no evidence of renal artery stenosis. Though no mass was suspected in renal angiography, CT scan showed a well demarcated mass, 3 cm in diameter, in the upper portion of left kidney, which was resected and diagnosed to be a juxtaglomerular cell tumor. After resection of the tumor, blood pressure was normalized with resolution of hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis and hyperreninemic hyperaldosteronism.
Adolescent ; Alkalosis ; Angiography ; Blood Pressure ; Humans ; Hyperaldosteronism ; Hypertension ; Hypokalemia ; Kidney ; Renal Artery Obstruction ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

STUDY DESIGN: A Case report. OBJECTIVES: We report 4 cases of transverse fracture of upper sacrum with good clinical results. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: There is no clear guideline for the treatment of transverse fracture of upper sacrum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four patients, who visited our institute for transverse fracture of upper sacrum, were reviewed from January 2006 to July 2009. RESULTS: All patients had good clinical results after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In all cases, patients were managed conservatively without reduction or internal fixation. Only for Roy-Camille type 2 and 3 transverse fracture of the upper sacrum with neurologic deficit, decompression was performed, yielding good clinical results.
Decompression ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Sacrum

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to investigate risk factors for perioperative periods between general anesthesia (GA group) and thoracic epidural blockade combined with general anesthesia (CEA group) for consecutive hepatic resections. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was carried out regarding 85 patients who had undergone hepatic resections. We compared the effects of postoperative pain control in the two groups, including pulmonary complications and durations of hospital stay. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in demographic data between the two groups. The perioperative fluid requirement and transfusions were lower in the CEA group. Supplemental analgesics requirement was significantly lower in the CEA group than the GA group in the 3 days postoperatively. There were no statistical difference between the two groups in nausea, vomiting, urticaria, constipation or urinary retention, but hypotension was more pronounced in the CEA group than the GA group. Postoperative pulmonary and surgical complications were similar between the two groups, but the duration of hospital stay was longer in the GA group than the CEA group. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the thoracic epidural blockade combined with general anesthesia provided lower surgical blood loss and better postoperative analgesia and hospital stay than general anesthesia for hepatic resections.
Analgesia ; Analgesics ; Anesthesia, General* ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Constipation ; Hepatectomy* ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Length of Stay ; Nausea ; Pain, Postoperative ; Perioperative Period ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Urinary Retention ; Urticaria ; Vomiting

Aneurysms of the vertebral artery are relatively uncommon. Diagnois and treatment of such condition aneurysm has a potentially higher degree of technical difficulty. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical features and therapentic outcomes of 12 consecutive patients with vertebral aneurysms that we have encountered during the last 11 years. Most of these aneurysms occured in females (9 of 12). Eight patients presented as classic subarachnoid hemorrhage, three were diagnosed incidentally, and the other one patient had fusiform aneurysm presented with mass effect. Among the 12, there were 7 saccular aneurysms, 2 fusiform aneurysms, and 3 dissecting aneurysms. Eight of these were located at the origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery(PICA), two were at the junction of the vertebral and basilar arteries, and two were at the distal portion of PICA. Direct neck clipping was performed in 8 patients and proximal ligation of the vertebral artery was done in 4 patients due to the impossibility of direct neck clipping. Eleven of them experienced no major morbidity. However, one patient with fusiform aneurysm treated by vertebral artery clipping developed right cerebellar hemispheric infarction. Unfortunately this patient died 10 months after surgery due to lung abscess related to Behcet's disease.
Aneurysm* ; Aneurysm, Dissecting ; Basilar Artery ; Female ; Humans ; Infarction ; Ligation ; Lung Abscess ; Neck ; Pica ; Retrospective Studies ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Vertebral Artery

Adenoma malignum (minimal deviation adenocarcinoma) is an extremely well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of uterine cervix. Despite its benign histological appearance, this tumor is thought to be malignant and has a poor prognosis. Because Pap smear and punch biopsy have low sensitivity, accurate diagnosis of the tumor may be difficult. If it is diagnosed, it must be treated same as in cervical cancer. We presented one case of preoperatively diagnosed adenoma malignum by deep cone biposy with a brief review of literature.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adenoma* ; Biopsy ; Cervix Uteri* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Prognosis ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

This study aimed to assess the effects of different dialysate bicarbonate concentrations in correcting acid-base imbalance in 53 stable hemodialysis patients in a university-hemodialysis unit. Three different bicarbonate concentrations were assigned, i.e. 25 mEq/L in 10, 30 mEq/L in 30, and 35 mEq/L in 13 patients. Blood gas analyses from arterial line blood samples before and after dialysis in the mid-week were performed for the determination of pH and serum bicarbonate concentration ([HCO3-]). The mean values of predialysis arterial [HCO3-] were mildly acidotic in all 3 groups, but not significantly different among them, whereas those of post-dialysis arterial [HCO3-] were alkalotic, especially in the group of 35 mEq/L as compared with the other two groups. The mean blood pH was not significantly different among the 3 groups. As expected, there was a positive correlation between pre-dialysis pH and post-dialysis pH (r=0.45, p=0.001), and pre-dialysis [HCO3-] and post-dialysis [HCO3-] (r=0.58, p=0.000), but with a negative correlation between pre-dialysis [HCO3-] and the increment of intradialytic [HCO3-] following hemodialysis (r=-0.46, p=0.001). In conclusion, this study shows that the impact of conventional dialysate bicarbonate concentrations ranging from 25 to 35 mEq/L is not quite different on the mild degree of predialysis acidemia, but the degree of postdialysis alkalemia is more prominent in higher bicarbonate concentrations. Base supply by hemodialysis alone does not seem to be the main factor to determine the predialysis acidosis in end-stage renal disease patients on chronic maintenance hemodialysis.
Acid-Base Imbalance ; Acidosis* ; Alkalosis* ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Dialysis ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Renal Dialysis* ; Vascular Access Devices

BACKGROUND: A ring implantation in the tricuspid annulus requires many interrupted mattress sutures for correction of tricuspid regurgitation (TR). In this study, tricuspid ring annuloplasty was performed by 2-0 polypropylene continuous suture instead of multiple interrupted 2-0 polyester mattress sutures, and the efficacy of the method was evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 20 patients who underwent tricuspid ring annuloplasty by continuous suture between May 2009 and July 2010. Four of the patients had an isolated TR, and the rest had a left-sided cardiac lesion. The concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty was performed after the left-sided heart surgery was completed and a Duran flexible ring prosthesis was used. RESULTS: There was no perioperative mortality or conduction problem. More than a moderate degree of TR was improved to less than a mild degree after the procedure. After the ring annuloplasty, the right atrial volume decreased from 123.7+/-69.2 mL to 74.5+/-37.4 mL, and the mean right atrial pressure was lowered from 18.7+/-12.2 mmHg to 8.9+/-5.5 mmHg. CONCLUSION: The continuous "over and over" suture may be a useful procedure for fixing the ring to the annulus and making an intentional annular placation in performing tricuspid ring annuloplasty.
Atrial Pressure ; Humans ; Polyesters ; Polypropylenes ; Prostheses and Implants ; Sutures ; Thoracic Surgery ; Tricuspid Valve ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the prognostic factors of postpsychotic depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty patients were selected based on the diagnostic criteria from the DSM-IV, PANSS and ESRS. For all patients information was collected on demographic and clinical characteristics. The subjective depressive symptoms and the objective depressive symptoms, as well as patients insight regarding psychosis were evaluated. The subjective depressive symptoms were evaluated by BDI and ZDS; the objective depressive symptoms were evaluated by HDRS and CDSS, and patient insight into the psychosis was evaluated by KISP. RESULTS: The comparisons using demographic and clinical characteristics showed that HDRS and CDSS had significant difference with regard to gender and suicide attempts; the BDI was associated with difference in education level and age of onset. The patients with scores above cuff-off score for each scale were 20 (25.0%) for the BDI, 16 (20.0%) for the ZDS, 18 (22.5%) for the CDSS and 6 (7.5%) for the HDRS. The results of the stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the scores for the KISP, education levels, gender and suicide attempts were the main prognostic factors in patients with the psychotic depressive disorder of schizophrenia. CONCLUSION: The main prognostic factors in psychotic depressive disorder of schizophrenia included: insight into psychosis, suicidal attempts. Insight into the psychosis was the most reliable prognostic factor but this characteristic had a negative relationship to the with depressive symptoms.
Age of Onset ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder* ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Education ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Psychotic Disorders ; Schizophrenia* ; Suicide