Torn discoid lateral meniscus has been numerously reported in diagnosis and treatment. But discoid meniscus in children of which clinical pictures were thought to be different from adults was rarely known. We experienced 2 cases of discoid meniscus tear in children whose ages were below 4 years old and report with references.
Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Menisci, Tibial*

This paper introduces a safe arthroscopic technique passing through the posterior septum from the posteromedial cotnpartment to the posterolateral compartment, or vice versa, without damage to the PCL, capsule, and/or neurovascular structures. The posterior septum is triangular, bounded by the PCL anteriorly, the posterior portion of the femoral I.ntercondylar notch superiorly, the posterior capsule posteriorly, and devicles the posterior compartment of the knee joint into the posteromedial and posterolateral compartments. The middle genicular vessel pierces the posterior capsule and runs along the superior border of the posteriorseptum. There are no dangerous important structures at the central portion of the triangle of the posterior septum. This arthroscopic posterior portal technique is devided 4 steps. The first step is to make a posteromedial portal under direct arthroscopic visualization. The second step is to make a posterolateral portal. The third step is to make a hole at the posterior septum and to examine throposterolatera] compartment. The fourth step is to examine the posteromedial compartment through the posterior septum. This technique provides complete visualization of the posterior compartment of the knee joint, including the posterior aspect of the both femoral condyles, the posterior hom of both menisci, the PCL, the meniscofemoral ligament (Wrisberg s ligament), the posterior aspect of the pop liteal tendon, the femoral attachment of the ACL, the posterior septum and the posterior capsule. We have used this technique from October, 1994 to June, 1996 in 58 knees; arthroscopic total synovectomy in 43, removal of the loose bodies located behind the PCL in 8, PCL re!construction in 4, meniscal repair with all inside suture technique in 3. In conclusion, this procedure is very helpful in performing arthroscopic total synovectomy in chronic, acute, hemophilic, and crystal induced synovitis, in removing encapsulated loose bodies located behind the PCL, and in suturing peripheral tears of the posterior hom of the medial rneniscus with an all inside suture technique.
Knee Joint* ; Knee* ; Ligaments ; Suture Techniques ; Synovitis ; Tendons

The purposes of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic modalities of the acute rupture of anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) and to know the differences hetween complete and partial ACL rupture preoperatively, analyzing the methods of physical examimation and the clinical features in acutely injured patient. We analyzed the anterior drawer test, Lachman test, KT-2000 arthrometer, MRI findings and associated injuries in the 35 patients who were confirmed to have ACL rupture by arthroscopy of the knee joint, performed within a month after trauma. We divided the patients by arthroscopy into 2 groups: complete rupture group and the partial rupture group. Among the 35 cases of ACL rupture, there were 10 cases of partial rupture and 25 cases of complete rupture. The Lachman s test was the most sensitive method of the physical examinations in detecting acute ACL injuries, with 90% and 92% positive rate in each group retrospectively. KT-2000 arthrometer with more than 3mm side-to-side difference showed all positive findings except one. The findings of ACL rupture in MRI were discontinuity, increased signal intensity, ahnormal course of ACL fibers and so on. The sensitivity of MRI in diagnosing the acute injuries of ACL was 97.2% hut had difficulties in differentiating the complete from partial rupture. Associated injuries of the ACL injured knee were medial and lateral meniscus tear and medial collateral ligament injury. The diagnosis of acute ACL rupture was made possihle hy physical examinations and with use of the KT-2000 arthrometer and MRI was useful in detecting the ACL rupture or associated injuries but not in differentiating complete from partial rupture of the ACL.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament* ; Arthroscopy ; Collateral Ligaments ; Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Menisci, Tibial ; Physical Examination ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture

PURPOSE: The conventional surgical treatment for patients with potentially curable low rectal cancer is abdominoperineal resection. Recently there has been increasing interest in the use of preoperative radiation therapy and sphincter-saving procedure as primary therapy for selected low rectal cancers. We report our institutional experience with this approach. METHODS: From 1995 to 1997, Twelve patients with resectable distal rectal cancer were offered sphincter-saving procedure, excluding the patients whose pretreatment tumor presentation demonstrated fixation to anal sphincter or puborectalis muscle. The distance from the anal verge to the distal tumor margin at initial diagnosis ranged from 1 to 5 cm. Patients received a median 50.4 Gy and chemotherapy Surgery was carried out 4 to 8 weeks after radiation. RESULTS: No patient had toxic reaction that required interruption of chemoradiation. Four patients (33%) had complete pathologic response, but one patient with complete clinical response had residual cancer. Seven patients underwent hand-sewn coloanal anastomosis and five patients transanal excision en bloc. All patients were able to successfully undergo a sphincter-saving procedure. With a mean follow-up of 23 months (range, 6~32), the authors noted no recurrence or complication. Sphincter function was good in 92%. Daily bowel movements was two (range, 1~10). CONCLUSION: Preoperative chemoradiation appears promising in terms of better patient compliance, lesser toxicity, and downstaging tumor, making the sphincter-saving procedure feasible in carefully selected cases. Surgical resection remains essential to confirm and to achieve complete clinical remission. The results of preoperative chemoradiation and sphinctersaving procedure are encouraging, but more experience is needed to determine whether this approach ultimately has similar local control and survival rate compared to standard surgery.
Anal Canal ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Patient Compliance ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate

No abstract available.
Knee ; Ligaments* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Vascular ingrowth is essential for the survial of the graft tissue. The purposes of this study were to evaluate any changes in signal intensity of cqropreserved meniscal allograft with time in the magnetic resonance images(MRI) and to demonstrate the viability of the grafts. Eight patients underwent meniscal transplantation with cryopreserved allcgrafts using the bone block technique. MRIs of the knee were taken at 3 days, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 month, 6 months. And I year after the implantation. A second-look arthroscopy and a small meniscal biopsy(sized 2mm x 2mm1 at the peripheral and central part of the meniscus were conducted at 3 months and 1 year. Three days after the operation, the signal intensity of the implanted meniscus revealed a homogenrous low signaJ intensity that could not be differentiated from that of' a contralateral normal meniscus. At 3 weeks, a high signal intensity appeared at the periphery of the meniscus. This signal, which did not communicate into the joint space, fuither intensified at 6 weeks. The high signal intensity of the meniscus, though still higher than that of the normal meniscus, decrexsed slightly at 3 months and continued to decrease progressively even a year after the implantation. The second-look arthroscopy revealed that the grafts were viable and that there was no tearing or shrinking of the meniscus. Cellular proliferation was also found at the central edge oi' the meniscus at 3 months. This cellular pattern differentiated from that of a nonmal meniscus in that the d stribution of cells was not in an even, but in a clonal pattem. The cellularity after a year, however, was sirnilar to that of normal meniscus except some area with deficiency of cells. It can be concluded that increased signal intensity of' the implanted meniscus with time indicates hypervascularity caused by vascular ingrowth, similar to the high signal intensity ot>tained from normal meniscus in young children. Increasecl signal intensity in the chronological postoperative MRls demonstrates the viability of the implanted cryopreserved meniscal allograft.
Allografts* ; Arthroscopy ; Cell Proliferation ; Child ; Humans* ; Joints ; Knee ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Transplants

PURPOSE: To assess the difference between auditory and visual stimuli when determining hemispheric language dominance by using functional MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In ten healthy adult volunteers (8 right-handed, 1 left-handed, 1 ambidextrous), motor language activation in axial slices of frontal lobe was mapped on a Simens 1.5T Vision Plus system using single-shot EPI. Series of 120 consecutive images per section were acquired during three cycles of task activation and rest. During each activation, a series of four syllables was delivered by means of both a visual and auditory method, and the volunteers were asked to mentally generate words starting with each syllable. In both inferior frontal gyri and whole frontal lobes, lateralization indices were calculated from the activated pixels. We determined the language dominant hemisphere, and compared the results of the visual method and the auditory method. RESULTS: Seven right-handed persons were left-hemisphere dominant, and one left-handed and one ambidextrous person were right-hemisphere dominant. Five of nine persons demonstrated larger lateralization indices with the auditory method than the visual method, while the remaining four showed larger lateralization indices with the visual method. No statistically significant difference was noted when comparing the results of the two methods(p>0.05). CONCLUSION: When determining hemispheric language dominance using functional MRI, the two methods are equally appropriate.
Adult ; Frontal Lobe ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Volunteers

No abstract available.
Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor* ; Granulocytes* ; Humans* ; Macrophages* ; Methotrexate*

PURPOSE: Radiation-induced fibrotic mass might masquerade as a true hilar tumor mass on a plain chest radiograph. We attempted to differentiate radiation fibrosis from a true hilar tumor using only a plain radiograph. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plain chest radiographs were obtained from seven patients who had developed radiation fibrosis simulating hilar mass after radiation therapy for lung cancer, and from 19 patients with lung cancer, a comparison group, who had not received radiation therapy. They were reviewed for the obliteration of the overlapped mediastinal and hilar anatomical silhouettes by the mass : pulmonary artery, heart or aorta border, and paraspinal line. RESULTS: All seven patients with radiation-induced fibrotic mass(bilateral lesion in twopatients) showed obliteration of all three overlapped anatomical silhouettes of the mediastinum and hilum on chestradiographs. in the comparison group of 19 patients with a true hilar mass, there was, however, no case which demonstrated obliteration of all landmarks. CONCLUSION: Obliteration of all anatomical landmarks at the hilum and mediastinum may be a helpful clue in the differential diagnosis of radiation-induced fibrotic mass from true hilarmass on a plain radiograph, particularly when clinical information on previous radiation therapy is unavailable.
Aorta ; Arteries ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Fibrosis ; Heart ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mediastinum ; Pulmonary Artery ; Radiation Pneumonitis* ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Thorax*

STUDY DESIGN: A review of literature including definition, diagnosis and treatment of neuropathic pain. OBJECTIVES: To review and discuss the treatment guideline for neuropathic pain. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Neuropathic pains are characterized by partial or complete somatosensory change caused by various disorders affecting central and peripheral nervous system, and are especially problematic because of their severity, chronicity and resistance to simple analgesics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Review of literature. RESULTS: Tricyclic antidepressants and the anticonvulsants gabapentin and pregablin were recommended as first-line treatments for neuropathic pain. Opioid analgesics and tramadol were recommended as second-line treatments that can be considered for first-line use in selected clinical circumstances. Other medications such as dual reuptake inhibitors of both serotonin and norepinephrine would be used in severe cases. More invasive interventions (e.g., spinal cord stimulation) may sometimes be helpful. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment must be individualized for each patient and aggressive, combinatory pharmacotherapy and multidisciplinary approach are recommended for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
Amines ; Analgesics, Opioid ; Anticonvulsants ; Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic ; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Humans ; Neuralgia ; Norepinephrine ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Serotonin ; Spinal Cord ; Tramadol