High output heart failure due to congenital arteriovenous fistula is a rare disease and is difficult to treat. A 27 year old man, suffering from dyspnea, palpitation, lower extremity edema, and abdominal distension admitted May, 1987. At admission there were continuous thrill and bruit at left supraclavicular and infraclavicular area. The heart sound was irregular and rapid, and grade IV/VI pansystolic murmur was audible at the apex. Chest PA showed marked cardiomegaly with pleural effusion and notching at superior aspect of left 2nd rib. Selective left subclavian artery angiogram showed extensive congenital arteriovenous fistula at the area of left subclavian artery and its branches. After setrial feeding artery embolization and palliative operation, the fistula size decreased much with clinical improvement.
Adult ; Arteries ; Arteriovenous Fistula* ; Cardiomegaly ; Dyspnea ; Edema ; Fistula ; Heart Failure ; Heart Sounds ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Pleural Effusion ; Rare Diseases ; Ribs* ; Subclavian Artery* ; Thorax

Self-expanding metallic stent insertion has been widely applied for the palliative treatment of malignant esophageal strictures. Although it is known as an easy, safe, and effective procedure, complications are well known and include things such as stent migration and esophageal stent occlusion caused by tumor ingrowth. However, metallic stent fractures have been rarely reported in the esophagus, especially for nitinol stents. We report a case of a stent fracture associated with migration in a patient with a malignant esophageal stricture near the gastroesophageal junction. It is highly probable that the stent fracture was due to chemical erosion of the stent caused by gastric juice.
Alloys ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Esophageal Stenosis ; Esophagogastric Junction ; Esophagus ; Gastric Juice ; Humans ; Palliative Care ; Stents

Corneal thickness is not only a major indicator of corneal diseases but an important parameter for the safety and the prevention of complications in various refractive surgeries widely performed nowadays.Therefore, we tried to acquire the basic data of corneal thickness in normal Koreans through this study. Central corneal thickness was measured using ultrasonic pachymeter in 460 eyes of 238 normal Koreans and analyzed according to the difference in age, sex, left &right, refractive error, and mean keratometry.Mean CCT was 529.67+/-32.18 micrometer.There is no statistically significant difference in CCT according to the difference in age, sex, left and right, refractive error, and mean keratometry in normal Koreans.
Corneal Diseases ; Refractive Errors ; Refractive Surgical Procedures ; Ultrasonics*

The adrenal gland is the second most common site of metastasis from a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for these tumors has been reported to be a potentially effective alternative to an adrenalectomy, especially for inoperable patients. However, for intermediate or large adrenal tumors, combination therapy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and RFA can be attempted as it may reduce the heat sink effect. A 74-year-old patient presented with abdominal discomfort. Abdominal CT images revealed a 5.0 cm sized right adrenal mass. A percutaneous biopsy of the adrenal mass revealed a metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. TACE was performed on the adrenal mass. However, a one-month follow-up CT image revealed a residual viable tumor. RFA was performed for the adrenal tumor six weeks after the TACE. No procedure-related major complications were noted. The serum alpha-fetoprotein level had also been normalized after the treatment, and 10-month follow-up CT images showed no definite evidence of viable adrenal tumor.
Adrenal Glands ; Adrenalectomy ; Aged ; alpha-Fetoproteins ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Catheter Ablation* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Elastofibroma dorsi is a rare, slow-growing, ill defined soft tissue tumor that's typically found between the inferior scapula and chest wall. The characteristic findings on ultrasonography, MRI and CT usually allow the correct diagnosis and so prevent unnecessary surgical procedure. We experienced a case of bilateral elastofibroma dorsi in an 87-year-old man, and we report on this case along with a review of the literature.
Aged, 80 and over ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Scapula ; Thoracic Wall ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Fetal Blood* ; Humans ; Leukemia* ; Siblings*

No abstract available.
Herpes Simplex ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Methylmethacrylates ; Polystyrenes

OBJECTIVE: Using immersive virtual environment technique, we aimed to preliminarily examine whether nicotine affects the interpersonal distance, as the size of personal space, in schizophrenic patients, which have extraordinarily high smoking rate. METHOD: Ten male schizophrenic patients who were at least moderate current smokers smoked a high (0.9 mg nicotine as an active drug) or low (0.1 mg nicotine as a placebo) nicotine-yielding cigarette after overnight-abstinence in randomized, double blind, cross-over design. Following the smoking session, subjects performed the 'self-introduction task' in virtual environment by introducing themselves consecutively to six different avatars, which varied in gender and facial/verbal expressions (neutral, angry, and happy). In the tasks, subjects were asked to step forward to each avatar until they felt most comfortable to greet the avatar first. The distance was measured by the head-tracking device, which was transmitting real-time data to the computer. Affective valence and arousal to each avatar were also rated by subjects following the tasks. RESULTS: The overall interpersonal distance of the drug group was significantly greater than that of placebo group (Z = -2.93, p = 0.022). The distances with emotionally neutral avatars (male/female) of the six were significantly different between the two groups (Z = -2.19, p = 0.028 ; Z = -2.09, p = 0.037). Within-group analysis revealed a significant difference among the distances with the six avatars in the placebo group (x2 = 17.03, df = 5, p = 0.004), but there was no significant within-group difference in the drug group (x2 = 6.11, df = 5, p = 0.295). CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings suggest that nicotine may increase the size of personal space of schizophrenic patients probably by enhancing the social stimuli perception through affecting the patients' cognitive function.
Female ; Male ; Humans

No abstract available.
Hemorrhage* ; Kidney Transplantation*

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ultrasonographic findings of little leaguer's shoulder among adolescent baseball players. Forty-two little leaguer's shoulder patients (age, 11–16 years; mean, 13.8 years; right, 39; left, 3), based on plain X-ray, were examined by bilateral shoulder ultrasonography. All patients were divided into groups on the basis of sonographic abnormalities and bilateral differences of physeal gap were measured in the cases of significant physeal widening. Sonographic abnormalities of dominant shoulder were physeal irregularity (45%), physeal fragmentation (21%), periosteal thickening (36%) and physeal widening (83%) that was the most common abnormalities. Seven of 42 patients (group A) had only physeal irregularity with minimal physeal widening, 26 patients (group B) had more than 1-mm physeal widening compared with nondominant shoulder. Nine patients (group C) had both physeal widening and fragmentation. Mean physeal gaps of the dominant and nondominant shoulders in 35 patients (group B and C) were 3.4±0.8 mm and 1.4±0.1 mm, respectively (p=0.013) and increased average physeal gap of dominant shoulder was 2.0±0.8 mm. Among three groups of patients, the duration of symptom was significant longer in group C (p=0.011). Physeal widening and fragmentation were associated with progression of the disease, but physeal irregularity was relatively early sonographic finding. Ultrasonography is a useful tool to evaluate the status of proximal humeral epiphysis and can aid early diagnosis of little leaguer's shoulder in the field.
Adolescent ; Baseball ; Early Diagnosis ; Epiphyses ; Humans ; Humerus ; Shoulder* ; Ultrasonography