PURPOSE: Despite recent progress in the procedures of revascularization, acute limb ischemia continues to account for a wide variety of complications, culminating very often in limb loss or death. These poor results after treatment of acute limb ischemia still remains a major challenge in vascular surgery. METHOD: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and risk factors for early limb loss in acute limb ischemia, the clinical data of 87 limbs (8 upper and 79 lower limbs) in 83 patients. that underwent revascularization for acute limb ischemia at Yeungnam University Hospital from January 1995 to February 2003 were analyzed retrospectively. A Log-Rank test of Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard analysis were performed to identify those main effects predictive of amputation free survival. RESULT: The patients, 78 males and 9 females, ranged from 30 to 83 years of age, with a mean age of 67. The highest incidence occurred among people in their 50s and 60s. The underlying causes of acute limb ischemia were arterial embolism in 42 limbs (42/87, 48.2%), arterial thrombosis in 36 (36/87, 41.3%), bypass graft occlusion in 9 (9/87, 10.3%). The primary sources of embolism were cardiac origin in 25 cases (25/42, 59.5%), aneurysmal origin in 2 (2/42, 4.8%) and unknown origin in 15 (15/42, 35.7%). As for the severity of ischemia according to SVS/ISCVS classification, 40 limbs (40/87, 46.0%) were classified as category IIa, 39 (39/87, 44.8%) as category IIb, and 8 (8/87, 9.2%) as category III. For the treatment, 66 thromboembolectomies (including 20 cases treated with intraoperative thrombolytic therapy), 19 arterial bypasses and 2 catheter directed thrombolytic therapies were performed. There were 13 major amputations and 8 mortalities at 6 months after revascularization. Cumulative 15 day, and 1, 2, 4, and 6-month amputation-free survival rate of all survival patients were 88.8%, 85.7%, 83.9%, 83.9% and 81.4% respectively. Among the univariate analysis of 26 clinical variables, 10 factors were identified as being associated with amputation-free surviva: age (P=0.01), preoperative tissue gangrene (P=0.03), preoperative skin color change (P=0.00), preoperative muscle status (P=0.00), preoperative motor and sensory deficit (P=0.00, P=0.00), severity of ischemia by clinical category (P=0.00), symptom duration (P=0.02), length of occlusion (P=0.01), and cause of occlusion (P=0.01). In multivariate analysis, age (P=0.04), and preoperative skin color change (P=0.00) predicted a poorer response to therapy. The major limb amputations were performed in 2 limbs (2/41, 4.9%) of the emboli group, and 11 limbs (11/42, 26.2%) of the thrombi group. For the limb with thrombosis, the major limb amputations were performed in 9 limbs (9/26, 34.6%) of the thromboembolectomy group and in 2 limbs (2/16, 1.3%) of the arterial bypass group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that prompt and appropriate treatment is critically important in the management of acute limb ischemia. In thrombi cases Especially, a more aggressive surgical approach may be necessary for limb salvage.
Amputation ; Aneurysm ; Catheters ; Classification ; Embolism ; Extremities* ; Female ; Gangrene ; Humans ; Incidence ; Ischemia* ; Limb Salvage ; Male ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Skin ; Survival Rate ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Thrombosis ; Transplants

Linear focal elastosis (LFE) is characterized by several asymptomatic, yellow, palpable, irregularly indurated, striae-like lines extending horizontally across the middle and lower back. A focal increase in elastic fibers is a hallmark of the disease as seen from biopsy specimens. The pathogenesis of LFE is unclear, as is the association between LFE and striae distensae (SD). However, the prevailing opinion is that LFE represents an excessive regenerative process of elastic fibers and is analogous to keloidal repair of SD. Although the timing of onset of LFE and SD was not synchronous in our patient, the triggering factor was the same, which was the growth spurt. This case is supporting the putative association between LFE and SD.
Biopsy ; Elastic Tissue ; Humans ; Keloid ; Striae Distensae

Boerhaave's syndrome, which was first described by Herman Boerhave in 1724, is a spontaneous esophagcal rupture resulting from severe nausea and vomiting. It is a very rare disorder, frequently developed in the 4th to 6th decade of life, and affects males more commonly than females. A typical clinical triad of chest pain, fever, and subcutaneous emphysema was manifested in only 20-30% of cases involving an esophageal rupture and most patients complained of many nonspecific symptoms such as dyspnea and hematemesis. In cases of vomiting resulting from alcohol ingestion, gastrofiberscopy can be performed in hematemetic patients under the assumption of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in most cases of Boerhaave's syndrome. We report 3 patients of Boerhaave's syndrome who visited our hospital because of hematemesis. Their endoscopic findings were, 1) a large, deep oval-shaped laceration with a sharp margin on the distal esophagus 2) a cavitary lesion with internal multiple hematomas and/or necrotic debris, and 3) a formation of air bubbles in the hematoma relating to respiration.
Chest Pain ; Dyspnea ; Eating ; Esophagus ; Female ; Fever ; Hematemesis ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Lacerations ; Male ; Nausea ; Respiration ; Rupture ; Subcutaneous Emphysema ; Vomiting

Cutaneous changes after local corticosteroid administration may include dermal atrophy, hyperpigmentation, alopecia, and hypopigmentation. Linear hypopigmentation and atrophy after intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide has been reported in the literature as a very rare side effect. A 30-year-old woman visited our dermatology department for a linear hypopigmented patch with atrophy from her left foot to the lower margin of the knee. The lesion developed after injection of an intralesional corticosteroid. The patient was diagnosed with linear hypopigmentation and atrophy secondary to the triamcinolone injection.
Adult ; Alopecia ; Atrophy ; Dermatology ; Female ; Foot ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Hypopigmentation ; Injections, Intralesional ; Knee ; Triamcinolone ; Triamcinolone Acetonide

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery using a radial artery interposition graft (RAIG) for surgical management of cerebrovascular diseases. METHODS: The study involved a retrospective analysis of 13 patients who underwent EC-IC bypass surgery using RAIG at a single neurosurgical institute between 2003 and 2009. The diseases comprised intracranial aneurysm (n=10), carotid artery occlusive disease (n=2), and delayed stenosis in the donor superficial temporal artery (STA) following previous STA-middle cerebral artery bypass surgery (n=1). Patients were followed clinically and radiographically. RESULTS: Bypass surgery was successful in all patients. At a mean follow-up of 53.4 months, the short-term patency rate was 100%, and the long-term rate was 92.3%. Twelve patients had an excellent clinical outcome of Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) 5, and one case had GOS 3. Procedure-related complications were a temporary dysthesia on the graft harvest hand (n=1) and a hematoma at the graft harvest site (n=1), and these were treated successfully with no permanent sequelae. In one case, spasm occurred which was relieved with the introduction of mechanical dilators. CONCLUSION: EC-IC bypass using a RAIG appears to be an effective treatment for a variety of cerebrovascular diseases requiring proximal occlusion or trapping of the parent artery.
Arteries ; Carotid Arteries ; Cerebral Arteries ; Cerebral Revascularization ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glasgow Outcome Scale ; Hand ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Parents ; Radial Artery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Spasm ; Temporal Arteries ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants*

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis is a rare form of chronic gallbladder inflammation that is characterized by a severe proliferative fibrosis and has rarely been described in the radiologic literature. Like xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis, it is an entirely benign but unusual expression of a reactive process and may be confused with a malignant neoplasm. Histologically, foamy histiocytes, multinucleated giant cells, other inflammatory cells, fibrous reaction with spindle cells, cholesterol cleft and noncaseating granuloma were found. Treatment of this benign inflammatory condition requires cholecystectomy to remove the focus of inflammation, control subsequent infection and relieve symptoms A case of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis mimiking carcinoma of the gallbladder on abdominal USG, abdominal CT, and ERCP examination is presented with brief review of the literature.
Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystitis* ; Cholesterol ; Fibrosis ; Gallbladder ; Giant Cells ; Granuloma ; Histiocytes ; Inflammation ; Pyelonephritis, Xanthogranulomatous ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE:This study was undertaken to announce our experience of the 1st Daegu- Gyeongbuk Multicenter Epilepsy Camp for children and their parents to improve the understanding of epilepsy. METHODS:We held the camp on February 25th to 26th, 2006 at Gyeongju. 33 families with epileptic childlend joined the camp. At the end of the camp, we performed a survey with 37 questionnaires to obtain data concerning the parents' understanding of epilepsy and the satisfaction with the camp. Data was analyzed with SPSS 10.0 program using frequency analysis. RESULTS:Parents knew about epilepsy but for some degrel still wanted to get more information about epilepsy. Parents were satisfied with the educational programs but not with the recreation programs. CONCLUSION:This study suggests that more social approaches such as an epilepsy camp is needed to provide the families with more information fot the understanding about epilepsy.
Child* ; Epilepsy* ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Parents* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Recreation

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Treatment of gastric neuroendocrine tumors is determined by type and size of the lesion. This study aimed to compare the long-term efficacy of observation and endoscopic resection for type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors without metastasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among the 223 cases of gastric neuroendocrine tumors diagnosed between January 1996 and December 2011, 104 cases were type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors. Sixty-seven patients were treated endoscopically and 27 patients were observed without treatment. Endoscopic mucosal resection, endoscopic submucosal dissection, and polypectomy were the methods used for endoscopic treatment. Therapeutic efficacy and rates of complication and recurrence were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: In the endoscopic resection group, complete resection was observed in 53 patients (79.1%), and recurrence was observed in 14 patients (20.9%). On analysis of the observation group, no change was observed in 19 patients (70.4%), and tumor progression was observed in 8 patients (29.6%). Median follow-up duration was 49 months (31~210 months). No mortality was reported in either group during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Observation of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors without metastasis yields results similar to those produced by endoscopic resection. Observation alone may be a safe treatment.
Endoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neuroendocrine Tumors* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies* ; Stomach

Splenic artery aneurysms are the most common visceral artery aneurysms, which are usually found incidentally. The most common complication of splenic artery aneurysms is spontaneous rupture into the peritoneal cavity, which leads to acute peritonitis and shock. Less commonly, it may rupture directly into the stomach, small bowel or pancreatic duct and may present with acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage. We report a rare case of the ruptured splenic artery aneurysm, presenting as acute massive hematochezia which was treated with transcatheter embolization.
Aneurysm, Ruptured/diagnosis/*therapy ; *Embolization, Therapeutic ; English Abstract ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; *Splenic Artery

Left pulmonary artery agenesis, accompanied by a coronary arterial fistula, is a very rare anomaly. Although unilateral pulmonary artery agenesis is associated with other cardiovascular defects, like as ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and tetralogy of fallot, this anomaly, accompanied by a coronary arterial fistula, has not yet been reported. Most patients with no associated cardiac anomalies have only minor, or absent, symptoms, and survive to adulthood, but some patients may suffer from recurrent respiratory infections and hemoptysis. The vessel to the affected lung in many of the proved cases has been described as arising from either the bronchial artery or the aortic arch. The blood supply from the coronary artery to the affected lung has never been reported. Recently, a case of left pulmonary artery agenesis, accompanied with a coronary arterial fistula was experienced, which was diagnosed by coronary angiography and a chest CT, which is presented, with the review of relevant literature.
Aorta, Thoracic ; Arteries* ; Bronchial Arteries* ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Fistula* ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Lung ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Tetralogy of Fallot ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed