The authors reviewed 7,065 new outpatients who visited the dermatology clinic of Gyeongsang National University Hospital in Chinju from Jan. 1st, 1987 to Dee. 31st, 1990 to study the prevalence of common dermatoses in this region as compared to other regions in Korea, The results suggest that age, sex, monthly and yearly distribution patterns around Chinju are similar to those of other areas in Korea except for higher prevalences of vitiligo, psoriasis, alopecia, and for lower prevalences of scabies, insect bites, and syphilis.
Alopecia ; Dermatology ; Gyeongsangnam-do* ; Humans ; Insect Bites and Stings ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Prevalence ; Psoriasis ; Scabies ; Skin Diseases* ; Syphilis ; Vitiligo

Septic arthritis in neonates is a rare condition. A failure to make an early diagnosis of septic arthritis in neonates may leave a permanent disability as a result of a delayed treatment. Thus, septic arthritis, requires a prompt diagnosis and a timely treatment especially in this subset of patients. In this case report, we describe our treatment protocol for septic arthritis and concurrent osteomyelitis in the right shoulder of a 28-day-old newborn. Using 2.4 mm wrist arthroscopy, we performed an arthroscopic irrigation and drainage, to remove intra-articular debris and inflammatory tissue, and multiple drilling. We report a satisfactory clinical outcome without any postoperative complications or side effects.
Arthritis, Infectious* ; Arthroscopy ; Clinical Protocols ; Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Osteomyelitis ; Postoperative Complications ; Shoulder Joint ; Shoulder* ; Wrist

OBJECTIVE: To examine a normal range for nuchal translucency thickness between 9 and 14 weeks' gestation in normal fetuses. METHODS: Nuchal translucency was measured prospectively in 124 fetuses between 9 and 14 weeks' gestation resulted in normal pregnancy outcome. The nuchal translucency measurement was expressed as the median and the 5th, 25th, 75th, and 95th percentiles according to complete weeks of gestation based on ultrasound measurement. RESULTS: The median nuchal translucency thickness was 1.8 mm at 9 weeks' gestation and it declined to 1.6 mm at 10 weeks. But the median thickness increased from 1.95 mm at 11 weeks to 2.3 mm at 12 weeks, after which it slightly declined to 2.25 mm at 13 weeks. And then it increased to 2.5 mm at 14 weeks. A nuchal translucency thickness greater than 2.5 mm was not found at 9 and 10 weeks' gestation, but found in 21.8% of fetuses from 11 weeks to 14 weeks. CONCLUSION: In normal fetuses, there is a physiologic variation in the thickness of nuchal translucency between 9 and 14 weeks' gestation. The calculation of risk for trisomies based on this thickness should take this variation into account. The adoption of a gestational age-dependent cutoff point, based on the deviation of a given measurement from the median, may reduce the invasive procedure for karyotyping. And this study suggest that if the nuchal translucency measurement is greater than 2.5 mm before 10 weeks, it may advise the karyotyping.
Female ; Fetus* ; Karyotyping ; Nuchal Translucency Measurement* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Prospective Studies ; Reference Values ; Trisomy ; Ultrasonography

Traumatic optic neuropathy is one of true ophthalmic emergencies and there is no proven form of treatment for traumatic optic neuropathy. 82 cases of traumatic optic neuropathy were investigated to evaluate the effectiveness of high dose corticosteroid for the visual improvement. Age, sex, initial visual acuity, final visual acuity, interval to treatment, the type of trauma and the affected region were studied retrospectively.250 mg of Methylprednisolone was administered intravenously every 6 hours for 3 days, and then followed by tapering using oral prednisone The vision was improved in 36 of 82 cases[43.9%]. It was difficult to interpret the relation-ships between the affected region and visual improvement, the interval for each treatment and final visual acuity. However, the vision was improved in 45 of 50 cases who had an initial visual acuity of above light perception, but in the two of 32 cases with no light perception. If indicated, fifteen cases were treated with a combination of high dose corticosteroid and optic nerve decompression. In initial treatment of traumatic optic neuropathy, high dose corticosteroid was effecive. Whether or not initial visual acuity was better than light perception was a key risk factor in the outcome.
Decompression ; Emergencies ; Methylprednisolone ; Optic Nerve ; Optic Nerve Injuries* ; Prednisone ; Risk Factors ; Visual Acuity

A 49-year-old male had erythematous to rusky red papules, indurated plaques and lichenified patches with hyperpigmentation on sun-exposed areas for 6 years. Phototest revealed the decreased rninimal erythemal dose to UVA(10J/cm. Photopatch test with 5% Trandate ointment, 5% hydrochlorthiazide ointment and vaselin. as a control were all negative. Two weeks after cessation of Trandate, an oral challenge of hydrochlorthiazide followed by phototest was perfrirmed resulting in exacerbation of skin lesions and photosensitivity with a decreased MED to UVA(10J/cm) again. After the cesation of Trandate containing hydrochlorthiazide, the skin lesions were improved with complete loss of photosensitivity. But, improvement of the infiltrated or licheified plaques were delayed. Presenile cataract previously noted in the patient seemed to be related to his longstanding intake of hydrochlorthiazide.
Cataract ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Labetalol ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Skin

We report a case of a phototoxic reaction in a 48-year-old female induced by griseofulvin ingestion. The patient hac! erythematous papules, vesicles and patches on the sun-exposed areas. Phototest revealed a decreased minimal erythemal dose to UVA (10J/cm). Photopatch tests with 1%, 5%, 10% Griseofulvin ointment and vaseline as a control and photoingestion tests with Griseofulvin (50mg b.i.d.) were all negative. After the cessation of Griseofulvin, her skin lesions were markedly improved with complete loss of photosensitivity.
Eating ; Female ; Griseofulvin ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Petrolatum ; Skin

Erythromelalgia is a rare disorder characterized by intense hun ing pain in the distal extremities associated with erythema and increased skin temperature. The patient was a 42- year-old woman with a 5 year history of burning pain, erythema, and warmth of the skin on both hands and feet. She had been suffering from bronchiali astalima since childhood. The onset of the symptoms were temporally related to the attacks of hei bronchial asthma. Physical examination revealed mottled dusky red patches on her both ha ids and feet, and purplish acrocyanosis on the finger and toe tips. We present a case of secondary erythromelalgia associated with bronchial asthma and acrocyanosis.
Asthma* ; Burns ; Erythema ; Erythromelalgia ; Extremities ; Female ; Fingers ; Foot ; Hand ; Humans ; Physical Examination ; Skin ; Skin Temperature ; Toes

BACKGROUND: Acute abdominal pain in children is one of the most common problems encountered in our daily practice. The children often are not able to tell us their exact complain symptoms and differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain is difficult in its first encounter. When family physicians encounter patients with acute abdominal pain in the ambulatory care settings, they must make an appropriate decision for proper management such as admission, referral, discharge and follow-up without firm diagnosis. If it is possible to predict the course or prognosis of acute abdominal pain by clinical data concerning patient, it will be helpful to make a decision for the management of acute abdominal pain. So we tested for hypothesis that patients with acute intermittent abdominal pain and normal simple abdomen X-ray finding is not serious and shows favorable outcome. METHOD: 82 patients with acute abdominal pain were assessed from Oct. in 1996 to Sep. in 1997 at the emergency department of Kyungju Hospital, Dongkuk University. 69 patients among 82 showed normal simple abdomen X-ray findings. 67 patients were discharged and 2 patients were admitted. 64 patients were contacted by phone call after 1 week and reported their outcome of the previous abdominal pain. RESULTS: Among 64 subjects 36 patients were male and 28 patients female. 57 patients complained of intermittent abdominal pain and 7 patients complained continous abdominal pain. Positive predictive value of intermittent abdominal pain and normal simple abdominal x-ray was 98%. Outcome of patients with intermittent abdominal paln was more favorable than that of continuous pain. CONCLUSIONS: Acute intermittent abdominal pain and normal simple abdomen x-ray findings in children shows favorable outcome and can be managedim ambulatory care settings.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Pain* ; Ambulatory Care ; Child* ; Decision Making* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Male ; Physicians, Family ; Prognosis ; Referral and Consultation

Classic pulmonary blastoma is a variant of carcinosarcoma which is seen almost exclusively in adults. By contrast, most cases of pulmonary blastoma in children have been described as having an exclusive mesenchymal composition, which was proposed as pleuropulmonary blastoma. Recently we experienced a case of pleuropulmonary blastoma, type 1. This 27-month-old male baby was transferred to our hospital due to the left tension pneumothorax. Chest CT revealed a subpleural pulmonary cystic lesion on the left upper lung and an open cystectomy was performed. Histologically the lesion was composed of variable-sized cystic structures lined with a single layer of respiratory-type epithelium. the underlying stroma was composed of sheets of small, round to oval, primitive tumor cells. Some of them had eccentric, eosinophilic cytoplasm, suggestive of rhabdomyoblastic differentiation. These rhabdomyoblastic cells were fuchsinophilic and positive with desmin and vimentin on immunohistochemistry.
Child ; Adult ; Male ; Female ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Acute abdominal pain is one of the most common problems in the family practice but the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain is difficult in first encounter. When family physicians are encountered with patients with acute abdominal pain in the ambulatory care settings, t,hey have to make a decision for management of acute abdominal pain such as admission, referral, discharge or follow-up without any definite diagnosis. If it is possible to predict the course or prognosis of acute abdominal pain by using certain data about patients, it will be helpful to make a decision for the management of acute abdominal pain. So we tested the hypothesis that acute abdominal pain with intermittent pain nature and normal simple abdomen X-ray finding is not serious and shows favorable outcome. METHODS: 126 patients with acute abdorninal pain were enrolled from Feb. to Aug. in 1995 at the emergency department of Kyungju hospital, Dongkuk University. 116 patients showed normal simple abdomen X ray finding and among them 94 patients were discharged and 21 patients were admitted. 92 patients were contacted in 1 week by phone call and they reported the outcome of their acute abdominal pain. RESULTS: Among 92 study populations, 44 patients were male and 48 patients were female. 72 patients complained intermittent abdominal pain and 21 patients complained continous abdominal pain. Frequencies of tentative diagnosis at emergency department were 45 acute gastroenteritis, 26 unknown, 14 functional gastointestinal disorders, 4 acute gastritis, 2 pelvic inflammatory diseases, and 1 ureter stone. Outcomes of patients with intermittent abdominal pain were more favorable than those with continous abdominal pain. CONCLUSIONS: If the patients with acute abdominal pain have intermittent pain nature and normal simple abdomen x ray finding, they will show favorable outcome and can be managed at ambulatory care settings.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Pain ; Ambulatory Care ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Family Practice ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastritis ; Gastroenteritis ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Male ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Physicians, Family ; Prognosis ; Referral and Consultation ; Ureter