To evaluate the characteristics of MR findings in osteomyelitis, retrospective MR image interpretations were made in 18 patients with osteomyelitis proved either either by surgery(n=17) or clinical course(n=1). Osteomyelitis was acute in five patients, subacute in five, chronic in seven, and healed in one. Area of active inflammation had low marrow marrow signal intensity on T1-weighted images, high signal intensity on T2-weighted images inhomogeneously. It has been said that morrphologic characteristics of osteomyelitis in MR improved the accuracy in diagnosis of osteomyelitis and that gadolinium enhanced MR image further assisted in the planning of surgery. Out study was performed to observe the signal intensity change or morphologic change of bone marrow, cortex, periosteal reaction, and soft tissue which are specific for osteomyelitis. Multiple inhomogensous round marrow lesions were noted with central high signal intensity and peripheral low signal intensity on T1-weighted images, and central low signal intensity and peripheral high signal intensity on T2 weighted images in two patients. Intra and extraosseous abscesses showed rim enhancement after gadopentetate dimeglumine injectron. The signal intensity of the relatively higher than the internal area of the abscess on T1-weighted images. Cortical bone destruction showed high signal intensities T2-weighted images with destruction patterns of fine radial, circumferential, vertical or wedge shaped. MR imaging, by displaying specific signal intensities and morphological changes of bone marrow, cortex, periosteal reaction and soft tissue, would be an aid in early diagnosis and in planning for appropriate conservative and operative therapeutic procedures for osteomyelitis.
Abscess ; Bone Marrow ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Extremities* ; Gadolinium ; Gadolinium DTPA ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Osteomyelitis* ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Keloids and hypertrophic scars are benign fibrous growths which usually occur in predisposed individuals after trauma. Numerous modalities have been used to treat keloids and hypertrophic scars, but the final results have been so far unsatisfactory. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of tlis study was to evaluate the effect of the combination of cryosurgery and intralesional corticoster oid for treatment of these scars. METHOD: Thirty patients, aged 17 to 45 years old, with keloids or hypertrophic scars(mean duration, 6.4 years) were treated using solid CO2 followed by intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide(13.3 mg/ml). Two freeze-thaw cycles per lesion were employed. Freezing time was chosen arbitrarily from 7 to 20 sec depending on the characteristics of each scar. RESULTS: The results are summarized as follows. 1. Excellent and good results were achieved in 57% of all subjects on average, 77% of those who were treated more than 3 times, and 48% of those treated less than twice. 2. The keloid of less than 2 years duration showed better results than older ones. 3. No recurrence was seen in 63% of patients, but partial recurrence in 21% of patients and complete recurrence in 10% were observed. Lesions on the trunk showed less improvement (p<0.05) and were more recurrent than other lesions. 4. There were complications in 9 patients, such as hyperpigmentation(6), hypopigmentation(1), infection(1) and telangiectasia(1). CONCLUSION: Cryosurgery and intralesional corticosteroid injections produced synergistic advantages. A cornbination of these modalities might be an effective treatment modality in keloids and hypertrophic scars.
Cicatrix ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic* ; Cryosurgery* ; Freezing ; Humans ; Injections, Intralesional ; Keloid* ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Triamcinolone

No abstract available.
Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract*

A 26-year-old man presented with a bluish speckled patch on the dorsum of the left hand. It had apperaed at birth as a bluish spot. Since adolescence the lesion extended and at the time of visiting hospital it covered the most part of the dorsum of the left hand and even some palmar aspect. The histopathological and ultrastructural examination revealed numerous dermal melanocytes, mainly in the upper dermis. Clinically and pathologically, the patient was diagnosed as having dermal melanocyte hamartoma, a distinct type of dermal melanocytosis.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Dermis ; Hamartoma* ; Hand ; Humans ; Melanocytes* ; Parturition

No abstract available.
Humans ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Survival Analysis*

Background: Gastric juice volume and acidity are influenced by food, drugs, and patient factors such as age, sex, weight, and fasting time. But almost studies were performed without controlling of these confounding variables. This study was designed to determine the change of gastric juice volume and acidity in relation to the fasting time within a constant food intake. Methods: Fifty-seven healthy patient randomly allocated to one of two groups. Group I was instructed to ingest 200 ml of milk up to 8 hours before anesthesia and Group II was instructed to drink 200 ml of water up to 1~2 hours before anesthesia. After the endotracheal intubation the volume and acidity of gastric juice were measured. Relationships between gastric volume or acidity and fasting time were analysed using correlation analysis. The data were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum test, comparing Group I with Group II. Results: There is no significant relationship between gastric juice volume or acidity and the fasting time within the same food intake. Gastric juice volume and acidity of the patients who ingested milk at 8~9 hours before anesthesia were similar to that of those patients who drank water at 1~2 hours before anesthesia. Conclusion: It is necessary to individualize the fasting time of the patients and it seems that water ingestion up to 1~2 hours before anesthesia may be safe.
Anesthesia ; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Eating ; Fasting* ; Gastric Juice* ; Humans ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Milk ; Water

No abstract available.
Ligaments* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Tendons* ; Transplants*

There have been controversies on the rationale, surgicl indication, technique and results of meniscus repair.. Authors comparatively studied 100 cases of meniscus injury in 88 patients (arthroscopic total menisectomy: 16 cases, arthroscopic partial menisectomy: 68 cases, arthroscopic meniscus suturing: 16 cases) from February 1985 to March 1992. The results were as follows: 1. Male (61.4%) was much more affected than female. 2. The third decade group was most commonly affected and the most common causes was sports injury (43.2%) 3. The lateral meniscus was more injured (71%), than the medial (29%) 4. In arthroscopic finding, longitudinal tear (37%) was the most common. 5. According to the Tapper and Hoover's criteria, satisfactory result was 56.3% in arthroscopic meniscus repair group.
Athletic Injuries ; Female ; Humans ; Knee ; Male ; Menisci, Tibial ; Tears

Pigmented neurofibroma, a variant of neurofibroma, has rarely been observed in patients with or without neurofibromatosis. Pigmented neurofibroma is characterized histologically by the coexistence of scattered melanin-laden cells and benign spindle cells with neural differentiation. We report a case of pigmented neurofibroma in a 22-year-old female patient.
Female ; Humans ; Neurofibroma* ; Neurofibromatoses ; Young Adult

The formation, maintenance, and regeneration of bone is a complex precess involving the interactions of many cellular elements with systemic and local regulators. TGF-β is one of growth factors that play an important role in the formation and remodeling of bone. In vitro studies have suggested that TGF-β regulates chondrogenesis and possibly osteogenesis by affecting replication, gene expression, and structural protein synthesis in bone formation. We investigated the effect of TGF-β1 upon fracture callus formation and maturation in mature rate. Closed femoral shaft fracture was made consistently by three point stress technique after percutaneous intramedullary nailing. TGF-β1 was injected subperiosteally at the fracture site daily for 2 weeks. We examined the effect of TGF-β1 on the fracture healing process with the radiographic, densitometric, histologic, and immunohistochemical methods. The following results were obtained. 1. Radiographic examination demonstrated that TGF-β1 injection group appeared to have more abundant callus formation and earlier callus maturation as compared to the control group. 2. Bone densitometric examination revealed that TGF-β1 injection group had higher bone mineral density and content that the control group. 3. Thermographic examination revealed that TGF-β1 injection group had higher local temperature at the injection area than the control group. 4. Histologic examination suggested that TGF-β1 stimulates and accelerates fracture callus formation and endochondral bone formation. 5. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that chondrocytes at the fracture site in the TGF-β1 injection group seemed to produce type I collagen.
Bone Density ; Bony Callus ; Chondrocytes ; Chondrogenesis ; Collagen Type I ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Fracture Healing ; Gene Expression ; In Vitro Techniques ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Osteogenesis ; Regeneration