The gallstones from one hundred consecutive patients having stones in the gallbladder only were analyzed using both gross appearance and infrared spectrophotometry. There were 47 males and 53 females, and the sex ratio was 1:1.13. The most prevalent age was in the fifties in both sexes. Grossly, the number (and also the percentage) of cases of pure cholesterol, mixed cholesterol, calcium bilirubinate, black pigment, and combination stones were 4, 42, 23, 30, and 1, respectively. In the analysis by infrared spectrophotometry, the number of cases of cholesterol, calcium bilirubinate, and calcium carbonate stones were 44, 42, and 14, respectively. The accordance of gross appearance with infrared spectrophotometric classification was statistically significant (p=0.049). A comparison of cholesterol stones with pigment stones showed no difference based on either the sex or the age distribution, but there was a significant difference not only in terms of color, shape, and cut-surface (p=0.000) but also in terms of the number of stones (p=0.045). In conclusion, gallstone classification by gross appearance may be a rapid and relatively accurate method. Further study to standardize gallstone classification by various analytic methods is recommanded.
Age Distribution ; Bilirubin ; Calcium Carbonate ; Cholesterol ; Classification ; Female ; Gallbladder* ; Gallstones* ; Humans ; Male ; Sex Ratio ; Spectrophotometry, Infrared

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Because the saccule, next to the cochlea, is the second most frequent site of hydrops formation, we evaluated whether vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) responses can reflect the diagnosis and the stage of Meniere's disease. And we studied about other vestibular disease such as vestibular neuritis and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospectively, we analyzed the results of VEMP in 22 patients (12 men and 10 women) with unilateral definite Meniere's disease, 21 patients (5 men and 16 women) with vestibular neuritis, and 23 patient (4 men and 19 women) with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). All subjects underwent VEMP testing using ipsilateral 1 KHz-tone burst sound with 105 dB nHL. RESULTS: VEMP was present in 86% of Meniere affected ear. The latency of p13 of affected ears in patients with Meniere's disease, vestibular neuritis (VN), BPPV was not significantly prolonged than that of normal ears in the control group except left n23 latency in meniere's disease. In the patients with Meniere's disease, the amplitude-ratio was larger than that of the control group, statistically (p=0.006). And relationship was found in amplitude ratio among groups classified by the stage of Meniere's disease. CONCLUSION: This study shows that amplitude ratio of VEMP response is useful method to determine the severity and prognosis of Meniere's disease. We recommend VEMP to explain to the patient about severity of Meniere's disease quantitatively.
Cochlea ; Dizziness ; Ear ; Edema ; Humans ; Male ; Meniere Disease ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Saccule and Utricle ; Vertigo ; Vestibular Diseases ; Vestibular Function Tests ; Vestibular Neuronitis