PURPOSE: The commonly accepted diagnostic algorithm for hematuria includes excretory urography (IVU) and cystoscopy at a urologic department. The clinical courses was determined and a less invasive algorithm for young male patients with asymptomatic microscopic hematuria is suggested. MATERIALS AND MTHODS: A total of 310 males with an asymptomatic microscopic hematuria were enrolled retrospectively in the study at our clinic between January 1997 and December 2000. The mean age of the patients was 20.9 years (range 19 to 25). The initial urologic evaluation consisted of a urinalysis. If the results of the initial urologic evaluation were within the normal range, a cystoscopic examination was recommended as a further evaluation. Ninety-two patients underwent a cystoscopy. All patients were followed by urinalysis. The grade of microscopic hematuria with persistency, and the detection rate of abnormal findings in urologic evaluation were compared. RESULTS: There was a relationship between the grade of hematuria and the rate of the persistency of hematuria, but no relationship between the grade of hematuria and the detection rate of abnormal findings in a urologic evaluation was found. The results of the excretory urography and ultrasound showed an interdependence. There were no significant findings in the cystoscopic examination. CONCLUSIONS: A periodical follow-up of urinalysis is a proper study for young male patients with asymptomatic microscopic hematuria. In order to rule out upper urinary tract diseases, ultrasound and excretory urography can be useful. Furthermore, it is recommended that cystoscopy be done for selected cases in young male patients.
Cystoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematuria* ; Humans ; Male* ; Reference Values ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography ; Urinalysis ; Urography ; Urologic Diseases

PURPOSE: The commonly accepted diagnostic algorithm for hematuria includes excretory urography (IVU) and cystoscopy at a urologic department. The clinical courses was determined and a less invasive algorithm for young male patients with asymptomatic microscopic hematuria is suggested. MATERIALS AND MTHODS: A total of 310 males with an asymptomatic microscopic hematuria were enrolled retrospectively in the study at our clinic between January 1997 and December 2000. The mean age of the patients was 20.9 years (range 19 to 25). The initial urologic evaluation consisted of a urinalysis. If the results of the initial urologic evaluation were within the normal range, a cystoscopic examination was recommended as a further evaluation. Ninety-two patients underwent a cystoscopy. All patients were followed by urinalysis. The grade of microscopic hematuria with persistency, and the detection rate of abnormal findings in urologic evaluation were compared. RESULTS: There was a relationship between the grade of hematuria and the rate of the persistency of hematuria, but no relationship between the grade of hematuria and the detection rate of abnormal findings in a urologic evaluation was found. The results of the excretory urography and ultrasound showed an interdependence. There were no significant findings in the cystoscopic examination. CONCLUSIONS: A periodical follow-up of urinalysis is a proper study for young male patients with asymptomatic microscopic hematuria. In order to rule out upper urinary tract diseases, ultrasound and excretory urography can be useful. Furthermore, it is recommended that cystoscopy be done for selected cases in young male patients.
Cystoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematuria* ; Humans ; Male* ; Reference Values ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography ; Urinalysis ; Urography ; Urologic Diseases

Because nonspecific colonic ulcer is an unusual condition and varies markedly in clinical presentation and course, preoperative clinical diagnosis of nonspecific colonic ulcer is very difficult, But now, preoperative clinical diagnosis can he made by advent of colonofiberscopy. And, it is very important to diagnose this disease early, because late diagnosis make a poor prognosis. We report a case of nonspecific colonic ulcer diagnosed by repeated colonofiberscopy and treated with surgery.
Colon* ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Diagnosis ; Prognosis ; Ulcer*

OBJECTIVE: While the prognostic factors of survival for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) are well known, the clinical significance of performing selective TACE for HCC patients has not been clearly documented. We tried to analyze the potential factors of disease-free survival for these patients, including the performance of selective TACE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 151 patients with HCC who underwent TACE were retrospectively analyzed for their disease-free survival (a median follow-up of 23 months, range: 1-88 months). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for 20 potential factors by using the Cox proportional hazard model, including 19 baseline factors and one procedure-related factor (conventional versus selective TACE). The parameters that proved to be significant on the univariate analysis were subsequently tested with the multivariate model. RESULTS: Conventional or selective TACE was performed for 40 and 111 patients, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that tumor multiplicity, venous tumor thrombosis and selective TACE were the only three independent significant prognostic factors of disease-free survival (p = 0.002, 0.015 and 0.019, respectively). CONCLUSION: In our study, selective TACE was a favorable prognostic factor for the disease-free survival of patients with HCC who underwent TACE.
Adult ; Aged ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic/administration & dosage ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/mortality/*therapy ; *Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Contrast Media/administration & dosage ; Disease-Free Survival ; Doxorubicin/administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Iodized Oil/administration & dosage ; Liver Neoplasms/mortality/*therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography(CT) is currently considered as the initial imaging procedure of choice for the localization of pheochromocytomas in most of the cases. 131I-or 123I-Metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy(MIBG scan) was proven to be a highly specific tool for the detection of adrenal and extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas, but was less sensitive than CT. The present study is aimed to evaluate the usefulness of a MIBG scan in diagnosis and localization of pheochromocytoma when compared to CT. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 27 patients who underwent a MIBG scan for a pheochromocytoma at the Seoul National University Hospital from the year 2000 and 2002. According to the pathological and clinical findings, in 16 the patients pheochromocytoma was confirmed to be positive and the rest 11 of the patients were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Pheochromocytomas was identified in 16 patients. Eleven of them were localized in adrenal gland and 5 were extra-adrenal lesions. The sensitivity to MIBG scan in adrenal lesions and extra-adrenal lesions, was 72%(8/11) and 40%(2/5) respectively. In our study, the overall sensitivity to MIBG scan was 62%(10/16), and overall specificity was 90.9%(10/11). By CT four were identified to have equivocal biochemical abnormalities, but were definite and extraadrenal tumors by MIBG scan showed abnormal uptakes in two of them. CONCLUSION: The MIBG scan was especially useful in 2 of the 27 patients but we had no experienced about the additional benefits of a MIBG scan in the other 25 cases. Our results reveal that a MIBG scan should be performed carefully for the diagnosis and localization of a pheochromocytoma, while considering cost and time of operation.
3-Iodobenzylguanidine* ; Adrenal Glands ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Pheochromocytoma* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Seoul