In complete urethral stricture, visual internal urethrotomy has not so high success rate because of the difficulty in determining the precise direction of incision and the inadequacy in scar tissue removal. Nd:YAG laser internal urethrotomy vaporizes the fibrotic scar tissue on strictured urethra and make for re-epithelization of urethra without scar tissue formation. We report experiences of 11 cases of two-staged Nd:YAG laser internal urethrotomy for complete urethral stricture. Age of patients was ranged from 25 to 61 (mean; 42) years old. All of 11 cases developed after urethral injury and was complete urethral stricture. The aim of first stage of operation is to make communication through region of urethral stricture. At second stage of operation, we reconfirmed the direction of neourethra, excised and vaporized the fibrotic scar tissue on strictured urethra using Nd:YAG laser at all directions to achieve normal appearance as possible. Follow-up duration was 6-18 (mean; 14) months. There was no recurrence at all. After 6 months, maximal flow rate was 21-29 (mean; 23.7) ml/sec, and we could not find any stricture portion on retrograde urethrogram. As a conclusion, two-staged Nd:YAG laser internal urethrotomy for complete urethral stricture is a new alternative method, which has many advantages such as technical simplicity, clear operative field due to less bleeding, unnecessity, of adjuvant urethral dilation, and no recurrence rate after the operation.
Cicatrix ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Urethra ; Urethral Stricture*

We report two human cases of tick bite. A 63-year-old male had a pruritic pea-sized brownish nodule on the left popliteal area. Another 41-year-old male had an asymptomatic bean-sized black nodule in the pubic area. The ticks were identified as Ixodes nipponensis, which are the 18th and the 19th cases in Korea.
Adult ; Animals ; Bites and Stings/*parasitology/pathology ; Human ; *Ixodes/anatomy & histology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Skin/*parasitology/pathology ; Tick Infestations/*parasitology/pathology

No abstract available.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast*

No abstract available.
Foot* ; Leg* ; Lichen Planus* ; Lichens*

PURPOSE: A large number of studies have demonstrated that rhinitis and asthma commonly occur together, and that a temporary relationship between the onset of rhinitis and asthma with rhinitis frequently preceding the development of asthma. We studied to know whether there were asthmatic airway inflammations in subjects with allergic rhinitis with bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine who had no asthma symptoms. METHODS: Thirty seven children with an allergic rhinitis who visited the pediatric allergy clinic from January 1998 through June 1999 were enrolled. They were grouped into two groups according to the degree of airway responsiveness to methacholine, and 19 bronchial asthma patients with had no asthma attacks for 2 months were compared as control group.; AR-Mch (+) group (n=19) had a PC20-Methacholine lower than 10 mg/mL: AR-Mch (-) group (n=18) had a PC20-Metacholine greater than 10 mg/mL. The relationship of PEFR variability, sputum eosinophils, and nasal eosinophils with bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine in each groups was compared. RESULTS: 1) The PC20-Methacholine was 5.7+/-3.5 mg/mL in the AR-Mch (+) Group, 1.9+/-2.7 mg/mL in the BA Group. 2) Sputum eosinophil was 14+/-6.9% in the AR-Mch (+) Group, 8.1+/-5.2% in the AR-Mch (-) Group, 29.6+/-16.9% in the BA Group, and sputum eosinophils of the AR-Mch (+) Group was higher than that of the AR-Mch (-) Group. 3) PEFR dinural variation was 7.0+/-2.6% in the AR-Mch (+) Group, 5.0+/-2.9% in the AR-Mch (-) Group, 14.0+/-6.0% in the BA Group, and PEFR dinural variation in AR-Mch (+) Group was higher than that of the AR-Mch (-) Group. 4) The PC20-Methacholine was not correlated with PEFR dinural variation in both the AR-Mch (+) Group and the BA Group. 5) The PC20-Methacholine was correlated with sputum eosinophils only in the BA Group. 6) Nasal eosinophils were not correlated with sputum eosinophils in the AR-Mch (+) and the BA Group. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that patients with allergic rhinitis who had bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine might have eosinophilic inflammation in the lower airway and increased dinural PEFR. Further studies are necessary to evaluate whether asthma symptoms will be developed in these allergic rhinitis children.
Asthma ; Child* ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Inflammation ; Methacholine Chloride ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Rhinitis* ; Sputum*

As a modality of effective treatment for trichiasis, authors performed experimental study of the radio frequency application(Mehl's method) to the cilia of four rabbit eyes with the different application times(10, 30, 60, 180 seconds). For the control, electrolysis to the cilia of the two eyes, and two eyes without any application were observed histopathologically. Regardless of the radio frequency application time, the radio frequency applied eyelids did not reveal any gross changes, and the selective degenerative changes(pyknotic, vacuolar, and karyorrhaxis) were observed microscopically in the hair regeneration part(internal root sheath of hair, hair matrix, and papillae of hair). In the electrolysed eyelids, gross scar and severe necrotic changes were appeared in microscopic findings. As a result of our observation, it is indicated that the application of radio frequency as a treatment for trichiasis, in compare with the electrolysis, revealed less destructive to the adjacent tissue, with more selective changes on the portion for hair regeneration.
Cicatrix ; Cilia* ; Electrolysis ; Eyelids ; Hair ; Regeneration ; Trichiasis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of magnetic resonance(MR) imaging in the differentiation of benign and malignant soft tissue masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR examination of 47 patients with pathologically proven soft tissue masses were reviewed. This series included 19 malignant and 28 benign masses of upper and lower extremities, body, and neck. Lesions were evaluated for their margin, signal intensity and homogeneity, pattern and degree of enhancement, involvement of the adjacent tissue, and degree of surrounding edema. RESULTS: Sixteen of benign lesions(57.1%) had well-defined and smooth margin. The tumor margin was irregular in nine lesions(47.4%), however, smooth margin was noted in five cases(26.3%) of malignant lesions. On T2-weighted images, signal inhomogeneity was noted in 84% of malignant lesions and 32% of benign lesions. On Gd-DTPA enhancement study, all malignant lesions(n=18) showed enhancement and 89% showed heterogeneously enhancing pattern. Neurovascular involvement was observed more often in malignancy(n=7) compared to benign lesion(n=1). Direct invasion of the adjacent bone was noted only in malignant lesions(n=3). Surrounding edema was revealed in two benign and 11 malignant lesions. CONCLUSION: MR imaging appears useful for differentiating malignant and benign lesions by identifying tumor margin, signal homogeneity of tumor, pattern and degree of enhancement, involvement of adjacent tissue, and surrounding edema. The nature of the lesion can be determined in the majority of cases although no unique criterion to differentiate benignancy and malignancy is identified.
Edema ; Gadolinium DTPA ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neck

No abstract available.
Isotretinoin* ; Papilloma*

PURPOSE: We performed a study to determine the best appropriate wearing site of a triaxial accelerometer at different exercise speeds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an observational study with 66 healthy Korean adults (26 men and 40 women). Resting metabolic rate (RMR) before exercise, physical activity-related energy expenditure (PAEE) by cardiorespiratory gas analyzer and Signal Vector Magnitude (SVM) were measured while wearing four triaxial accelerometers on four different sites (wrist, waist, upper arm, and ankle) at exercise speeds from 2-10 km/h. RESULTS: The mean RMR was 4.03 mL/kg/min and Actual METs (oxygen consumption at different exercise speeds divided by individual RMR) compared with the calculated METs (oxygen consumption divided by 3.5 mL/kg/min) showed relatively low value. The overall correlation between PAEE and SVM was highest when the accelerometer was worn on the wrist at low exercise speed (r=0.751, p<0.001), waist at a moderate speed (r=0.821, p<0.001), and ankle at a high speed (r=0.559, p<0.001). Using regression analysis, it was shown that the ankle at a low speed (R2=0.564, p<0.001), high speed (R2=0.559, p<0.001), and the waist at a moderate speed (R2=0.821, p<0.001) were the best appropriate sites. CONCLUSION: When measuring the PAEE and SVM at different exercise speeds, the ankle in low and high exercise speed, and waist in moderate speed are the most appropriate sites for an accelerometer.
Adult ; Anthropometry/*methods ; Basal Metabolism/physiology ; Energy Metabolism/*physiology ; Exercise/*physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oxygen Consumption/physiology ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Leg*