Computerized image analysis of simultaneous stereoscopic videographic images has been used to study structural parameters of the optic nerv head. Although these instruments are of great interest as research tools, the current economic climate and the great cost make their utility for the average ophthalmologist unlikely. Seventy unselected optic nerve heads of 44 normal subjects(22 men, 22 women, mean age 45.8) were evaluated by magnification-corrected morphometry of optic disc photographs. The radius and angle were measured by a computer graphic program(Adobe Photoshop(TM)). The mean disc area(2.48 +/- 0.46 mm2), the mean cup area(0.59 +/- 0.25mm2), and the mean rim area(1.90 +/- 0.35mm2) were evaluated. The coefficients of variation of intraobserver determination were as follows: vertical disc diameter 0.92%. horizontal disc diameter 1.40%, vertical cup diameter 3.64, horizontal cup diameter 3.14%, disc area 1.33%, cup area 3.28%, and neuroretinal rim area 1.82%. The median interobserver percentage differences were as follows: vertical disc diameter 0.80%, horizontal disc diameter 0.83%. vertical cup diameter 3.75%, horizontal cup diameter 1.59%, disc area 1.57%. cup area 3.03%, and neuroretinal rim area 2.53%. While it is similar to the method of measuring the manual planimetry. the measuring of optic nerve head can be done directly on the monitor of personal computer by scanning the photograph. This method of measurement can be used clinically since it has a high reproducibility.
Climate ; Computer Graphics* ; Female ; Head ; Humans ; Male ; Microcomputers ; Optic Disk ; Radius

Persistent remnants of the pupillary membrane are common but a thick dense persistent pupillary membrane covering all or most of pupil is not often encountered. The authors have recently experienced a case of extensive persistent pupillary membrane in a 4 year-old Korean boy. A well-formed membrane run out from the lesser circle may strectch across the pupil it to a greater exent. This may be provided with five to six irregular apertures. Optical iridotomy was performed in left eye with improvement of vision from L.P to 20/30.
Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Male ; Membranes* ; Pupil

No abstract available.
Family Practice* ; Hospitals, Community* ; Humans

Mitomycin C may change the time course for effective releasable scleral-flap suture removal. The authors evaluated the safety and efficacy of releasable scleral-flap sutures in 83 eyes of 61 patients undergoing mitomycin C(MMC) filtering operation. Of these eyes, 38 underwent scleral-flap suture removal and these eyes were divided into three groups according to the timing of suture removal(Group 1: within 3 days after trabeculectomy, Group 2: from 4 to 14 days, Group 3: from 15 to 30 days). The pre-release IOP was 26.0 +/- 7.6, 23.8 +/- 8.5 and 18.4 +/- 4.6 mmHg, respectively. Immediately after releasable suture removal, the percent IOP reduction was 46 +/- 18, 46 +/- 17 and 30 +/- 20%, respectively. The percent IOP reduction after releasable suture removal was greater in the group 1 and group 2 compared with group 3(p<0.05). Mean follow-up period was 9.0 +/- 5.3, 14.4 +/- 7.2 and 12.6 +/- 7.6 months, respectively. Twelve eyes(80%), 12 eyes(100%), 10 eyes(91%) achieved successful control of final IOP of 21 mmHg or less with or without topical antiglaucoma medications, respectively. After releasable suture removal, the shallow anterior chamber was noted in 1 eye, 2 eyes and 1 eye, respectively. One eye developed a hypotony in the group 3. Adjunctive MMC therapy extended the period that releasable scleral-flap suture removal is effective beyond first 2 postoperative weeks. Also these results indicate that this method is efficient for IOP reduction and relatively safe.
Anterior Chamber ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mitomycin* ; Sutures* ; Trabeculectomy*

The use of mitomycin C as an adjunct improves the success rate of filtering surgery. Blebs after trabeculectomy with mitomycin C tend to be relatively transparent, thin-walled and cystic. Such a bleb is associated with low intraocular pressure but tends to leak and may predispose an eye to endophthalmitis. However, the incidence and risk factors associated with this complication are not known. To determine the incidence and possible risk factors for the development of thin-walled blebs, case records of 160 eyes of 112 patients who received mitomycin C during trabeculectomy were reviewed. Thin-walled, cystic blebs developed postoperatively in 38 (23.8%) of 160 eyes that underwent trabeculectomy with mitomycin C between 1992 and 1995. As the postoperative follow-up time became longer, a greater development of thinwalled cystic blebs was noted. Characteristics of patients after trabeculectomy with mitomycin C in whom thin-walled blebs developed were compared with those of patients in whom thin-walled blebs did not develop. Factors associated with increased risk were: thin conjunctiva and Tenon's capsule (odds ratio 12.7, 95% confidence interval 2.2 to 73.4, P=0.002), uncomplicated glaucoma (primary open-angle glaucoma >or=50 years, primary angle-closure glaucoma) (odds ratio 3.3, 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 7.0, P=0.002), and systemic hypertension (odds ratio 3.8, 95% confidence interval 1.7 to 8.6, P=0.001).
Blister* ; Conjunctiva ; Endophthalmitis ; Filtering Surgery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glaucoma ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Intraocular Pressure ; Mitomycin* ; Risk Factors* ; Tenon Capsule ; Trabeculectomy*

Saccular coronary artery aneurysm, associated with coronary artery fistula, is a very rare condition. A 48-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for the evaluation of an abnormal shadow on the left cardiac border from a chest X-ray film during regular medical health examination. A huge saccular aneurysm with organized thrombi in the proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD) and coronary artery fistulae from LAD and conus branch of the right coronary artery to pulmonary artery was diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography, multi-detector computer tomography (MDCT), and coronary angiography. The patient received surgical treatment, including thrombectomy of aneurysm, ligation of the inlet and outlet of aneurysmal sac, coronary artery bypass graft (left internal mammary artery-to-distal LAD), and ligation of fistulae. The postoperative course was uneventful, and postoperative echocardiography and MDCT revealed patent bypass graft; however, a small fistula from proximal LAD across aneurysmal sac to pulmonary artery was observed.
Aneurysm ; Arteries ; Coronary Aneurysm ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Vessels ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Fistula ; Humans ; Ligation ; Pulmonary Artery ; Thorax ; Thrombectomy ; Transplants ; X-Ray Film

Saccular coronary artery aneurysm, associated with coronary artery fistula, is a very rare condition. A 48-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for the evaluation of an abnormal shadow on the left cardiac border from a chest X-ray film during regular medical health examination. A huge saccular aneurysm with organized thrombi in the proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD) and coronary artery fistulae from LAD and conus branch of the right coronary artery to pulmonary artery was diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography, multi-detector computer tomography (MDCT), and coronary angiography. The patient received surgical treatment, including thrombectomy of aneurysm, ligation of the inlet and outlet of aneurysmal sac, coronary artery bypass graft (left internal mammary artery-to-distal LAD), and ligation of fistulae. The postoperative course was uneventful, and postoperative echocardiography and MDCT revealed patent bypass graft; however, a small fistula from proximal LAD across aneurysmal sac to pulmonary artery was observed.
Aneurysm ; Arteries ; Coronary Aneurysm ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Vessels ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Fistula ; Humans ; Ligation ; Pulmonary Artery ; Thorax ; Thrombectomy ; Transplants ; X-Ray Film

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the colonic mucosa that characteristically affects the rectum and involves the large bowel in a contiguous distribution. Upper gastrointestinal inflammation was not believed to be present in UC, but a few recent studies have reported a high incidence of gastroduodenal inflammation in patients with UC, although such occurrences are apparently rare and the stomach and duodenum are not generally considered target organs in UC. Here, we present the case of a 29.year.old man with UC who was found to have diffuse ulcerative duodenitis with endoscopic and histologic features identical to UC
Colitis, Ulcerative ; Colon ; Duodenitis ; Duodenum ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Mucous Membrane ; Rectum ; Stomach ; Ulcer

No abstract available.
Cyclophosphamide* ; Doxorubicin* ; Drug Therapy* ; Sarcoma* ; Vinblastine*

BACKGROUND & METHODS: Approximately 10% of the essential hypertensive patient have overt proteinuria due to renal target organ damage, which indicates poor prognosis. Recently microalbuminuria has been prove to be a good early predictor for renal damage in patients with diabetes or hypertension. Some authors reported that near 40% of the essential hypertensives have microalbuminuria. To determinate prevalence of microalbuminuria in Korea essential hypertensives, 24-hr ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and radioimmunoassay to detect BP and UAER were performed after 4 weeks wash-out period in 137(78 hypertensive and 54 normotensive) consecutive cases. RESULTS: Among 78 hypertensives, overt proteinuria was seen in 8.97%(7/78). And prevalence of microalbuminuria were 29.4%(23/78) in hypertensives and 16.7%(9/54) in normotensives. Urine microalbumin excretion rate(UAER) was significantly correlated with mean arterial pressure(MAP) in total subjects(r=0.286, p=0.0012), but not in total hypertensives(r=0.135, p=NS) or in hypertensives with UAER(r=-0.098, p=NS).UAER of female hypertensives was increase than that of male hypertensives(13.17+/-16.28microg/min vs 22.87microg/min, p=0.027). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of microalbuminuria in Korean hypertensives was relatively lower then other reports. Overt proteinuria was noted in 8.97% of the hypertensives which is same prevalence as other countries. Moreover MAP was well correlated with UAER in total subjects. Further evaluation should be done to detect exact role of UAER in hypertensives as an early predictor for renal target organ damage.
Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory* ; Blood Pressure* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence* ; Prognosis ; Proteinuria ; Radioimmunoassay