No abstract available.
Scrub Typhus*

The purpose of this study was to examine the trends of length of hospital stay (LOS), which is most likely to be a major attribute to hospital performance From 1984 to 1994, an average LOS of each hospital was analyzed by factors such as medical departments, bed size, occupancy rate, region and ownership. This study was analyzed changing rate of LOS during 11 years. This rate was calculated by simple regression, which was used only with hospital without missing data during 11 years. This study findings are as follows. 1. The results indicated that the average LOS was steadily increased until 1990 but it was slightly decreased after 1990. 2. This trend could be found in all hospital scale and all group of occupancy rate. Specifically this trends of LOS were found in internal medicine, corporate owned hospitals, and hospitals in major city. But LOS of individual owned hospital was continuously increased until 1994. 3. Means of changing rates of LOS were calculated from 1984 to 1994. If we divided it into two parts, before 1990 and after 1990, most changing rates of LOS before 1990 except individual owned hospital were found positive sign. The changing rates after 1990 were negative sign but small hospital(lesser then 200 bed), individual owned hospital, national & public hospital and hospital in small urban have little change of LOS after 1990. Finally from this results we thought that most hospitals in korea began to be concerned with LOS. Nevertheless LOS of several hospital such as small hospital or individual owned hospital was increased. And this trend may be caused by a few patients, low occupancy rate, or low profit. This trend of LOS is different from that of other countries. Perhaps this phenomenon is resulted from the reimbursement method. Because of fee for service reimbursement system in korea the hospitals didn't need to shorten LOS in order to save the cost and increase the profit. Therefore reform of hospital cost reimbursement method will be reduced to reduce hospital cost in korea. we thought that the korean health authority should consider the reimbursement method by unit of bundle of services, for example DRG and prepayment in the united states. This study presents some limitations such as on insight of severity of disease, case-mix measurement of hospital, and other clinical characteristics that can possibly affect LOS, However, this study reports an important trend in LOS from 1984 to 1994.
Diagnosis-Related Groups ; Fee-for-Service Plans ; Hospital Bed Capacity ; Hospital Costs ; Hospitals, Public ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Korea* ; Length of Stay* ; Ownership ; United States

The lymphoepithelial cyst (LEC) rarely occurs in the thyroid gland. The LEC has been thought to be related to developmental rest, namely solid cell nest, which is derived from ultimobranchial body. We report a case of lymphoepithial cyst in a 34- year-old woman clinically diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The cyst was located in mid to lower portion of the left lobe. It was a single unilocular cyst, which for the most part was lined with squamous epithelium, and at certain foci with ciliated columnar epithelium. The cyst wall showed a dense lymphocytic infiltration, numerous lymphoid follicles with germinal centers and admixed thyroid follicles. This morphology is similar to the branchial cleft cyst, with the exception of the thyroid follicles in the cyst wall. Near the cyst were several solid epidermoid cell nests. Immunohistochemical stain of this cyst-lining epithelium and solid cell nests showed CEA positivity. In view of the similarity in histomorphology and CEA positivity to branchial cleft cyst of the lateral neck, the LEC of the thyroid could also have been of branchial origin. However, the admixed thyroid follicles in the cyst wall suggests that the LEC of the thyroid gland might have derived from another branchial cleft as a ultimobranchial body, because it has the potential for thyroid follicular differentiation.
Branchial Region* ; Branchioma ; Epithelium ; Female ; Germinal Center ; Humans ; Neck ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroiditis ; Ultimobranchial Body

No abstract available.
Child ; Male ; Female ; Humans

On the length, strength, free lateral motion, and perfect mobility of the thumb, depends the power of the human hand. The thumb is called pollex because of its strength and that strength is necessary to the power of the hand being equal to that of all the fingers."So stated Sir Chales Bell in the fourth Bridgewater Treatise, first published in 1833. Morrison and O'Brien advocated reconstruction of the thumb with a free wrap around flap from the big toe to recreate a stable, sensate and functional digit including the nail in 1980. From March, 1982 to July, 1988, Twelve thumb reconstructions were performed using the wrap around procedure at Hanyang University Hospital;12 successful thumb reconstructions were reviewed at an average of 16 months after surgery. There were several complications;these included skin necrosis(4), malunion(1), resorption of the bone graft(7). We considered that cosmesis and function were good;pinch grip averaged 68% of normal, sensibility returned in all patients as assessed by two-point discrimination(average 9.5mm). Over all the results are as follows. 1. The wrap around technic provides a good method of reconstruction. 2. The wrap around technic is one stage operation and can be used in the level of metacarpal amputation. 3. The surgeon should be familiar with microsurgical technic.
Amputation ; Hallux ; Hand ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Methods ; Skin ; Thumb

Many types of meniscal anomalies were reported. Authors found a double-layered lateral meniscus, with one meniscus overlying another. The 39-year old male patient had torn medial and lateral menisci. We performed partial medial and lateral meniscectomy, and incidentally found that lateral meniscus was double-layered. It was characteristic that the upper small accessory meniscus was firmly connected from the posterior horn to middle segments of the lower main meniscus along its peripheral edge. We left it alone. The symptoms were gone, So, it was thought that this anomaly was not related to the patient's symptoms.
Animals ; Horns ; Humans ; Male ; Menisci, Tibial

In recent years the rate of the spine Injury tends to be on the increase year by year as the rate of traffic and industrial accidents are increased. During industrial, sports and automobile accidents are occurred, the various forces were exerted by the mechanism, “flexion, extension, flexlon-rotation, vertlcal compression and shearing.” These exercise their effects on the vertebral bodies, the neural arches and intervertebral disc and the contents of the spinal cord, depending on direction and intensity of the trauma, and the posture and muscular attitude existent at the movement. Once the neurological Iesion has been diagnosised and the type of vertebral injury has been established and particularly after a decision has been made as to whether the spinal injury is stable or unstable, a rational method of treatment can be decised upon: Our treatment consists of providing the best condition for recovery from the spine injury, preventlng further neurologlcal damage in the unstable area, achieving stable bone and llgament heallng ln satisfactory position, preventing metabolic compllcations from being fatal, mobllizing the patient early, and rehabilitating to provide maximum fuctlonal independence with the remaining-muscle power avallablc to the cord injury patient. One hundred and fifty seven spine fracture and dislocation patients were clinically observed and evaluated from Jan. 1972 to Dec. 1978 in our study. The result of this study may be summerized as follows: 1. Out of the patients, there were 135 male and 22 female cases. The ratio between male and female was 6.1:1. The majority (84.7%) of the spine injuries was found in the age of 20 to 50 years. Fifty-two percent of the cases was caused by industrial accidents. 2. The most common site of the lesion occurred between T-11 and L-2 vertebrae (71.8%). 3. In cervical injury, fracture dislocation type was most common (50%), and especially, pure dislocation by extension mechanism was 12.5% but in thoracolumbar iniury, simple anterior wedge compression fracture was most common (66.6%) and there were no pure dislocations just like cervical spine injury cases. 4. Fifty seven cases of the total were complicated by paraplegia, of which 62.5% in cervical region and 31.6% in thoracolumbar region were noticed. The most frequent type of the injury in which paraplegia developed was the fracture dislocation (73.8%) and the most common site of the lesion was between the T-12 and the L-2 vertebrae. 5. Open reduction was performed in 9 cases out of 24 cervical spine injury patients and in 41 cases out of 133 thoracolumbar injury patients. 6. Prognosis of neurologic recovery in initially complete lesion was poor, regardness of treatment. In the cervical lesion cases there were no patients who were recovered. But in the other sites about 10.5% of initially complete lesion showed partial neural recovery comparing to 62.5% of initially incomplete lesions. 7. Progressive deformity is often noted as a complication of spine fracture or dislocation when solid fusion fails to develop. The increment of kyphosis after treatment is as follows: Simple wedge fracture
Accidents, Occupational ; Automobiles ; Catheterization ; Catheters ; Clinical Study ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Diagnosis ; Dislocations ; Female ; Fractures, Compression ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Kyphosis ; Laminectomy ; Male ; Methods ; Paraplegia ; Posture ; Prognosis ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Injuries ; Spine ; Sports ; Urinary Bladder

Five cases of tennis elbow seen during the time period from Jaunary 1983 to January 1985 had operative treatment. Of the five clinical cases, four elbows in three patients were treated with Nirschl and Pettrone operation. This operative technique included exposure of the extensor carpi radialis brevis, excision of the identified lesion, and repair. The following results were obtained. 1. Correct analysis of the patient's emotional stability was essential prior to undertaking surgical procedure for tennis elbow. 2. The results of Nirschl and Pettrone operation were graded as excellent in three elbows and fair in one.
Elbow ; Humans ; Mortuary Practice ; Tennis Elbow ; Tennis

The study was undertaken to assess the CT density of the antibiotics solution. CT scan of six antibioticssolution-streptomycin, chloramphenicol, Na-penicillin, ampicillin, kanamycin and cefamezine-in concentration ofabout 33% (approximatly single dose of intramuscular injection) was performed, using plastic syringes. Variousconcentrations of striptomycin, chloramphenicol and Na-panicillin were also examined for evaluation of relationbetween concentration and the CT density of the antibiotics. In addition, relationship between CT number andmathematically calculated effective atomic number and electron density of the antibiotics was evaluated. Theresults are as follows; 1. The CT densities of all antibiotics reveal high density (CT number 80–150) inconcentration of single intramuscular injection dose. 2. CT number of striptomycin, chloramphenicol andNa-penicillin gradually increased with increase of concentration of the antibiotics, producing linear proportionto concentration, effective atomic number and electron density of the antibiotics. 3. Therefore, density ofantibiotics should be included in differential diagnosis when high density on CT scan is observed.
Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Chloramphenicol ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Kanamycin ; Plastics ; Syringes ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Since Green et al has introduced a new technique of retrograde intramedullary nail, the use of retrograde interlocking intramedullary nails has been recommended as one of the treatment options for the distal femoral fracture. However there are some disadvantages that an arthrotomy is required for insertion and the knee joint could often be violated. Authors present a simple, arthroscopically assisted method using the retrograde intramedullary nailing for distal femoral fractures with minimal invasiveness to the knee. From March 1995 to March 1997, the retrograde intramedullary nail was used to treat 9 distal femoral fractures. Five of 9 patients were fractured at the distal shaft of the femur and others were fractured at the supracondylar region of the femur. Only one of the fractures was open injury(Gustilo-Anderson grade II). Significant concomitant knee joint injuries were revealed through the arthroscopy in 3 patients. Eight of 9 fractures healed by 5 months, but one fracture was not healed and required bone grafting. Average knee range of motion was 130. Complications included 1 nonunion and 1 hardware failure. There were no patellofemoral problems and no posttraumatic arthritis of the knee joint. This arthroscope-assisted method have some potential benefits that include decreased risk of damage to the knee joint, early evaluation and treatment of the associated knee joint injuries, and accurate placement of the nail.
Arthritis ; Arthroscopy* ; Bone Transplantation ; Femoral Fractures* ; Femur ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Humans ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Range of Motion, Articular