The systemic lupus erythematosus is a self-perpetuating disease with multisystem involvement, i.e.; skin, kidney, serous membrane, nervous system and other organs. The mortality in SLE is determined primarily by the extent of renal involvement and the degree of immunosuppression resulting from the therapy. We experienced two cases of lupus nephritis in SLE with clinical, serologic, immunologic and pathologic evaluations. Renal biopsy revealed focal and segmental proliferative glomerulonephritis and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis. Both patients have been improving with prednisolone on follow-up studies.
Biopsy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glomerulonephritis ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Kidney ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lupus Nephritis* ; Mortality ; Nervous System ; Prednisolone ; Serous Membrane ; Skin

The need for film recording in endoscopic practice is important with the present demand for documentation and teaching (legal problem). The electronic endoscopy which has a very small charge coupled device (CCD) at the distal end of an endoscope yields several times more resolving power than conventional optical endoscopes. However the system has not been utilized in Urologic field because there has not enough space for CCD at the end of the telescope comparing to the endoscope in Gastroenterology field. However the video converter with CCD could be adapted to the eyepiece of the telescope, and the automatic monitor photo unit (CVP 600, SAMSUNG, KOREA), video system and monitor were used for imaging, which is so called Urologic Video Information System (UV1S). The image processing was done by instantaneous system (CCD color camera, EC-202 II, ELMO, Japan) with conventional optical light source. From September 1992 to August 1996, we did cystoscopic examination with CCD in 1079 cases.
Cystoscopy ; Endoscopes ; Endoscopy ; Gastroenterology ; Information Systems ; Telescopes

Aggressive fibromatosis is a neoplastic lesion derived from musculoaponeurotic tissue. By its ability to spread locally and infiltratively, it mimics a low-grade malignant tumor. Wide excision is the recommended primary therapy but recurrences are numerous. We report a primary pelvic fibromatosis arising from retroperitoneum, which managed by surgical excision and radiation therapy.
Fibroma* ; Fibromatosis, Aggressive ; Recurrence

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is one of the most common causes of abdominal emergency with a life time risk of 6-8%. Children are unable to give an accurate history, and since acute nonspecific abdominal pain is more common than appendicitis at this age, diagnosis and management of appendicitis are often delayed. This results in more frequent complications and difficult management. In order to evaluate whether pediatric appendicitis should be thought as more urgent and serious because of the delay in its diagnosis, we compared the clinical characteristics and outcomes of appendicitis in children with those of adults. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 106 adults and 43 children who were pathologically verified with appendicitis after an appendectomy. RESULTS: There was no difference in the duration of symptoms. Advanced appendicitis was more frequent in children (60.5% vs. 53.7%). In children, the symptom durations of advanced appendicitis were similar to those that of early appendicitis, but were significantly longer in adults. Children showed no increase in cumulative rate of advanced appendicitis in relation with prolonged symptom duration whereas adults showed a steady increase after 72 hours of onset. The complication rate was higher in advanced cases in both, but children had a lower complication rate than adults. The postoperative hospital stay was significantly longer in advanced cases in both, but children had a relatively shorter hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric appendicitis was more prone to early perforation with a relatively higher perforation rate. However, children had a lower morbidity rate and a shorter admission stay. Therefore, appendicitis in children is not necessarily more serious and urgent than in adults.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult* ; Appendectomy ; Appendicitis* ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Retrospective Studies

Primary pulmonary hypertension is a rare and progressive disease with poor prognosis. Despite much previous studies, there is neither clear explanation in the etiology and the pathogenesis nor confirmative treatment modalities. Its main cause of death is due to the right ventricular failure but the left ventricular function is relatively well preserved. The chest pain mimickig the angina pectoris is common and it is mostly due to the right ventricular ischemia or distension of pulmonary artery, but left ventricular ischemia or infarction is very rarely seen. We experienced a case of primary pulmonary hyperetension with left ventricular hypertrophy that complicated to acute myocardial infarction in 14-year-old male.
Adolescent* ; Angina Pectoris ; Cause of Death ; Chest Pain ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular* ; Infarction ; Ischemia ; Male* ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Artery ; Ventricular Function, Left

Mucoceles of the paranasal sinuses are chronic expanding lesions containing inspissated mucus, which occurs when sinus ostium is obstructed. A variety of conservative and radical surgical procedures have been introduced, with each approach having advantages as well as disadvantages. Diseased frontal sinus mucosa and bone were commonly ablated by radical frontal sinus surgery such as osteoplastic flap surgery in the past. During the last decade, endoscopic sinus surgery has become the major choice for the treatment of paranasal sinus mucoceles, and the technique of endoscopic sinus marsupialization has been considered non-invasive and successful. But the technique has limitation in cases with small frontal recess or mucocele in the lateral portion of the frontal sinus which is not accessible via the nose, and hypertrophic mucosa obstructing the entire sinus. A 52-year-old man was presented with a supraorbital cell mucocele located in the lateral side of frontal sinus mucocele, which could not be treated by endoscopic surgery alone. Endoscopic surgery with sinus marsupialization, trephination and transillumination technique was introduced. We report this case with a review of related literatures.
Endoscopy ; Frontal Sinus ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mucocele* ; Mucous Membrane ; Mucus ; Nose ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Transillumination* ; Trephining*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We studied the correlation between radiologically identified bony osteitis and prognosis of the functional endoscopic sinus surgery in chronic rhinosinusitis patients. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A retrospective review of medical records were carried out on 77 patients who had been diagnosed as chronic paranasal sinusitis and undergone endoscopic sinus surgery from 2002 through 2003 at our institution. Computed tomography scans were used for grading according to the Lund-Mackay radiologic grading system and diagnosis the pansinusitis coexistence. Medical records were used for grading according to the Lund-Mackay surgical grading system and for follow-up observation and age. Statistical analysis was done for correlation between radiologically identified indices and post-operative prognosis. RESULTS: The study revealed that radiologically identified bony osteitis need a longer post-operative medical management period and also found that if pansinusitis coexist with osteitis, poorer outcome would be accompanied. CONCLUSION: This study provides further evidence that radiologically identified bony osteitis and pansinusitis may act as poor prognostic factors.
Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Osteitis* ; Prognosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sinusitis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Cerebral air embolism is a rare, potentially catastrophic iatrogenic complication of central venous catheter removal. Cerebral air embolism can lead to serious neurological sequelae, resulting from cerebral infarction. Early radiological diagnosis of cerebral air embolism is critical for emergent hyperbaric oxygen treatment. In this study, we report the case of a 68-year-old man who developed cerebral air embolism after the removal of a central venous catheter that was immediately diagnosed using brain CT and brain diffusion-weighted imaging.

BACKGROUND: The role and future of family physician are not yet clearly determined even when 20 years lapsed since its introduction to Korea. This study was conducted to establish identity of family physician, to develop pragmatic curriculum of training, and to sort out frame of certification exam by analysing the job of family physicians who were practicing in community. METHODS: We analysed the job of practicing family physician by using DACUM(Development of Curriculum) method from March 11, 2000 through March 12. Job analysis team was composed of five practitioners, four professors, one facilitator, and one scriber. Six sessions of 2 hours were mainly devoted to brain storming of the idea related to family physician. RESULTS: Job analysis results are as follows. Family physician was defined as "primary care physician who provides primary medical service continuously and comprehensively by offering individual patient and/or family health promotion, disease prevention, and treatment of common illness". Family physician had seven duties and 129 tasks. The duty of physical exam had 18 tasks, duty of test, 21 tasks, duty of treatment, 40 tasks, duty of health promotion and disease prevention, 15 tasks, duty of patient/client management, 12 tasks, duty of clinic management, 15 tasks, and self development, 8 tasks respectively. Number of tasks whose impotance was classified as `A'(very important) were 43 as total, 3 in physical exam, 7 in test, 9 in treatment, 11 in health promotion and disease prevention, 2 in patient/client management, 9 in clinic management, and 2 in self development respectively. Number of tasks whose difficulty was classified as `A'(very difficult) were 19 as total, 2 in physical exam, 7 in test, 7 in treatment, 1 in clinic management, and 2 in self development respectively. Number of tasks whose frequency was classified as `A'(very frequent) were 22 as total, 6 in physical exam, 1 in test, 8 in treatment, 3 in health promotion and disease prevention, 3 in patient/client management, and 1 in clinic management respectively. Number of tasks which were required for entry level were 74 as total, 18 in physical exam, 14 in test, 29 in treatment, 9 in health promotion and disease prevention, 3 in patient/client management, and 1 in clinic management respectively. CONCLUSION: Family physicians in Korea perform 7 duties and 129 tasks. Seventy four tasks are required to enter into the job.
Brain ; Certification ; Curriculum ; Family Health ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Job Description ; Korea* ; Physicians, Family*

BACKGROUND: The anterior spinal artery infarction constitutes a classical syndrome of vascular myelopathy. The causes of the anterior spinal artery syndrome are various, but most episode probably occur as the result of atherosclerosis or dissection of the aorta and its branches. However, few cases reported developed with spinal structural abnormalities. CASE: A 65-year-old man presented with sudden paraparesis. There was no evidence of hypertension, diabetes and smoking. Motor weakness was more prominent on the left side and progressed. Loss of pain and temperature senses were shown at the level of 71 with preservation of touch, joint perception and vibration senses. The DTR's of legs were depressed and extensor toe signs were presented. A C-spine MRI showed high signal intensity on 72 weighted image and low signal on 71 weighted image(C6-71) with cervical spinal stenosis at the C4-C7 spinal level and mild cervical disc protrusion (C6-C7, C7-T1). After three months later, follow up cervical MRI showed somewhat decreased size of high signal intensity on 72 weighted image and more prominent low signal on 71 image. DISCUSSION: In our case, we could not find any usual cause of anterior spinal artery infarction. However only cervical spinal stenosis associated with mild cervical disc protrusion was present. In stenotic cervical canal, the anterior spinal artery can be more vulnerable to extrinsic compression and the infarction may early develop with insignificant trigger event, such as disc protrusion. We concluded that the ischemic change of anterior two thirds of cervical spinal cord might develop due to the compression of the anterior spinal artery by cervical stenosis and mild cervical intervertebral disc protrusion.
Aged ; Anterior Spinal Artery Syndrome* ; Aorta ; Arteries ; Atherosclerosis ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Infarction ; Intervertebral Disc ; Joints ; Leg ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Paraparesis ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spinal Stenosis* ; Toes ; Vibration