35 neurogenic tumors of the thorax were analyzed with plain film and CT scan. Radiological analysis emphasizedshape, location calcification, bone change, pleural change in plain film and calcification, cystic change, bonechange, pleural change, presence of contrast enhancement in CT scan. The results were as follows; 1. Age may bethe most important clinical factor for differential diagnosis. 2. Plain film findings(35 cases); 1) The mostcommon shape in the ganglion series tumor (ganglioneuroma, ganglioneuroblastoma, neuroblastoma), was elongation(80%) and these tumors generally had tapered borders(50%). In contrast with those of the genglion series, nervesheath tumors(schwannoma, neurofibroma, malignant Schwannoma) showed a definite tendency to be roudn (95%) and thesulcus effect was more frequetnly seen(67.5%). Most of the masses were smooth. The lobulated masses were commonlymalignant ganglion series tumors. 2) Though overall incidence of calcification was low(8.6%), it was observed morefrequently in ganglion series tumors(20%). 3) Associated bony abnormality were generally observed in large tumorsabove 5cm in long axis, especially in neuroblastoma and ganglioneuroblastoma. 4) Tumors showed pleural effusionwere all malignant. 3. CT findings (17 cases); 1) The overall incidence of cystic change of the mass was 23.6%. Itwas most common in Schwannoma(60%). 2) The contrast enhancement was noted in 64.7%. It's degree was variable andshowed no predilection to any specific tumors. 3) The incidence of calcification, associated bony abnormality andpleural effusion were similiar to plain film. Confident specific diagnosis can be made in most of the neurogenictumors of the thorax by shape of the mass in plain film and internal architecture in CT combined with patient'sage as clinical information.
Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Ganglion Cysts ; Ganglioneuroblastoma ; Incidence ; Neuroblastoma ; Neurofibroma ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

One case of bilateral congenital vertical talus was experienced, which was combined with multiple congenital anomalies on the elbows and hands. Open reduction and internal fixation was carried out in talonavicular and talocalcaeeal joints anatomically with satisfactory result.
Elbow ; Hand ; Joints ; Talus

No abstract available.
Vesicovaginal Fistula*

Anesthesia for the patients with mediastinal mass may be associated with significant respiratory and cardiovaacular complications due to compression of traeheobronchial trees, the pulmonary artery, heart and superior vena cava The authors present a case of a 6-year-old girl with a large mediastinal tumor located in anterior and superior mediaetinum. Preoperatively, the patient was asymptomatic and anesthesia was induced and maintained uneventfully. Operative finding was that 8 X 14 cm sized hemangioma was extended superiorly over thoracic outlet, posteriorly aorta and SVC, medially pericardium and right hilum and inferiorly right upper lung and pleura. Because difficulties in removal of the hemangioma were expected, exploratory thoracotomy was discontinued. On emergence, as soon as the patient was extubated due to irritability, the patient became cyanotic and was noticed bulging mass on right supraclavicular area, Intubation was attempted and during direct laryngoscopy, anesthesiologist also noticed a bulging mass in right oral cavity. Postoperatively, the patients airway was kept with endotracheal tube, but cyanosis appeared on the face and skin over the chest, but not below the abdomen. Bulging mass on right supraclavicular area, distension of neck vein and conjunctival edema were noticed only when the patient was crying or suctioned. Symptoms improved by deep sedation. We assumed that enlargement of hemangioma due to increased central blood volume occasionally compressed tracheobronchial tree and sup. vena cava when patient was irritable, crying and coughing. On 11th postoperative day, patient was transferred to the another hospital for the better treatment with endotracheal intubation.
Abdomen ; Airway Obstruction* ; Anesthesia ; Aorta ; Blood Volume ; Child ; Cough ; Crying ; Cyanosis ; Deep Sedation ; Edema ; Female ; Heart ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngoscopy ; Lung ; Mouth ; Neck ; Pericardium ; Pleura ; Pulmonary Artery ; Skin ; Suction ; Thoracotomy ; Thorax ; Veins ; Vena Cava, Superior

No abstract available.
Wilms Tumor*

No abstract available.

The surgical stapling technique has been recognized as an indispensable tool in rectal cancer surgery. A personal experience in one-hundred patiens is presented for the purpose of appropriate use of the surgical staplers. Three anastomotic techniques used were end-to-end anastomosis in 75 cases, double-stapling in 11 cases, and side-to-end anastomosis in 14 cases. In 88 cases, level of anastomosis was below the peritoneal reflection. Eight cases of stapling errors were found during operation. Among them, 5 cases of instrumental failure were 2 cases of blade defect and each one of difficult extraction, misfiring or tearing over trocar. The other 3 cases of surgical errors come from uneven perirectal excision causing one incomplete doughnut and 2 deficient anastomosis. Distal resection margin was closely related to the location of tumor(p < 0.01), but local recurrence did not associated with it. Two cases of postoperative hematochezia showed self-limiting. Anastomotic leakage occurred in 3 female patients and they were converted into resection. Excluding one leakage from skipped proximal foci, 2 cases occurred in the ultra-low anastomosis. Postoperative stricture was found in 5 cases and they were not associated with internal diameter of circular stapler. They were treated by manual dilatation and bulk-forming laxatives without surgical intervention. Bowel frequency or inability of deferrment was found in 9 cases on 1 month and 5 cases on 6 months postoperatively. They were not related to anastomotic level or stapling method. In conclusion, the stapling technique in rectal cancer surgery is a safe as well as a comfortable technique whenever complication can be amenable to the surgeon.
Anastomotic Leak ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dilatation ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Laxatives ; Medical Errors ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Recurrence ; Surgical Instruments ; Surgical Staplers* ; Surgical Stapling

OBJECTIVE: Although unilateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) is widely used because of its benefits, it does have some technical limitations. Removal of disk material and endplate cartilage is difficult, but essential, for proper fusion in unilateral surgery, leading to debate regarding the surgery's limitations in removing the disk material on the contralateral side. Therefore, authors have conducted a randomized, comparative cadaver study in order to evaluate the efficiency of the surgery when using conventional instruments in the preparation of the disk space and when using the recently developed high-pressure water jet system, SpineJet(TM) XL. METHODS: Two spine surgeons performed diskectomies and disk preparations for TLIF in 20 lumbar disks. All cadaver/surgeon/level allocations for preparation using the SpineJet(TM) XL (HydroCision Inc., Boston, MA, USA) or conventional tools were randomized. All assessments were performed by an independent spine surgeon who was unaware of the randomizations. The authors measured the areas (cm2) and calculated the proportion (%) of the disk surfaces. The duration of the disk preparation and number of instrument insertions and withdrawals required to complete the disk preparation were recorded for all procedures. RESULTS: The proportion of the area of removed disk tissue versus that of potentially removable disk tissue, the proportion of the area of removed endplate cartilage, and the area of removed disk tissue in the contralateral posterior portion showed 74.5 +/- 17.2%, 18.5 +/- 12.03%, and 67.55 +/- 16.10%, respectively, when the SpineJet(TM) XL was used, and 52.6 +/- 16.9%, 22.8 +/- 17.84%, and 51.64 +/- 19.63%, respectively, when conventional instrumentations were used. The results also showed that when the SpineJet(TM) XL was used, the proportion of the area of removed disk tissue versus that of potentially removable disk tissue and the area of removed disk tissue in the contralateral posterior portion were statistically significantly high (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, respectively). Also, compared to conventional instrumentations, the duration required to complete disk space preparation was shorter, and the frequency of instrument use and the numbers of insertions/withdrawals were lower when the SpineJet(TM) XL was used. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that hydrosurgery using the SpineJet(TM) XL unit allows for the preparation of a greater portion of disk space and that it is less traumatic and allows for more precise endplate preparation without damage to the bony endplate. Furthermore, the SpineJet(TM) XL appears to provide tangible benefits in terms of disk space preparation for graft placement, particularly when using the unilateral TLIF approach.
Boston ; Cadaver ; Cartilage ; Diskectomy ; Spine ; Transplants ; Water

Sclerosing mucoepidermoid carcinoma (SMEC) is a very rare tumor of the salivary gland. There have been eight cases of SMEC reported in the medical literature; this is the first reported case in Korea. A 51-year-old woman presented with a right infra-auricular mass that she had for 3 years. We performed superficial parotidectomy. Grossly, the resected parotid gland showed a well-circumscribed firm mass. Histologically, the tumor consisted of central solid or ductal tumor nests within a dense fibrous stroma surrounded by peripheral lymphoid infiltration. The tumor nests were composed of squamous, intermediate and mucin-secreting cells. However, the tumor cells lacked mitosis and nuclear anaplasia. The lymphoid cells were mostly composed of lymphocytes and plasma cells with occasional eosinophils and neutrophils. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for high- and low- molecular weight cytokeratins, cytokeratin 7, p16INK4A, Bcl-2 and cyclin D1. The patient also underwent radiation therapy. We report here on a case of SMEC of the parotid gland along with the immunohistochemical characteristics, and we review the relevant literature.
Anaplasia ; Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid* ; Cyclin D1 ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Humans ; Keratin-7 ; Keratins ; Korea ; Lymphocytes ; Middle Aged ; Mitosis ; Molecular Weight ; Neutrophils ; Parotid Gland* ; Plasma Cells ; Salivary Glands ; Sclerosis

PURPOSE: Simple closure, regardless of using an omental patch, continues to be the preferred option for many surgeons. It is a easy, quick and safe operation, and it can be applied to all situations by every surgeon. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of routinely using laparoscopic repair for treating perforated peptic ulcer. METHODS: A retrospective review was carried out on 68 consecutive patients who underwent patch repair for a perforated peptic ulcer; 11 underwent laparoscopic repair and 57 underwent open repair. Laparoscopic repair was performed by one surgeon at the same hospital between March, 2006 and February, 2009. Both groups were compared according to the Mann-Whitney U-test. A p value <0.05 was considered to be significant. RESULTS: Statistical significance (p<0.05) between two groups (laparoscopic vs. open) was present regarding to the postoperative morbidity (0 vs. 16 cases, respectively), the hospital stay (4.8 vs. 12.7 days, respectively), the postoperative day of resuming an oral diet (3 vs. 5.7 days, respectively). The mean operative time of laparoscopic repair (78 minutes) was shorter than that of open repair (82 minutes) but this was not statistically significant (p=0.81). We excluded using a pain scale or assessing the use of analgesics in this study because of the popularity of IV PCA (intravenous patient-controlled analgesia). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic primary repair is a safe emergency procedure for treating perforated peptic ulcer patients.
Analgesics ; Diet ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Operative Time ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Peptic Ulcer ; Retrospective Studies