BACKGROUND: Cosmetics are one of the common causes of contact dermatitis and many new cosmetic products are being introduced rapidly into our market. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the as is patch test result by several factors including age, cosmetic product and atopic diseases, and to compare as is patch result with those of standard and cosmetic patch tests. METHODS: The records of 240 patients were reviewed who had been patch tested with their own cosmetics and toiletries with a clinical impression of cosmetic contact dermatitis at the patch clinic of Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital in the period of 1991-1995. RESULTS: Of the 95 patients who were tested with European standard series 54 (56.8%) showed a positive reaction and nickel sulfate was the most common allergen. Eighteen (38.3%) of the 47 patients tested with a cosmetic series revealed a positive reaction and imidazolidinyl urea and dodecyl gallate were the most common allergens. In as is patch test, 99 (41.3%) of the 240 patients showed a positive reaction to 248 (7.3%) of the 3403 cosmetics. Common cosmetic products showing positive reactions were skin care products (26.2%), face make-ups (19.8%), and hair preparations (16.9%). There was no statistically significant difference in the positive reaction rate between atopy and non-atopy patients. The positive correlation rate of as is test with standard and cosmetic series was relatively low. CONCLUSION: Commercial standard patch test series including cosmetic series are not enough to detect causative allergen in cosmetic contact dermatitis. As is patch test should be encouraged to detect new allergens, because many cosmetic ingredients are developed and introduced in market.
Allergens ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Hair Preparations ; Humans ; Nickel ; Patch Tests* ; Skin Care ; Urea

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Bronchopulmonary Sequestration* ; Lung* ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal*

PURPOSE: To analyse complications and to review usefulness of large needle(18G) in percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage(PTBD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 46 patients underwent PTBD in 52 occassions using large needle. 44 of 46 patients had either definite or suspicious malignant biliary obstruction, and most patients were poor in general dondition. Complications were classified as acute type if developed within 30 days and as delayed type if developed after 30 days. Acute type was subdivided into severe and mild forms. RESULTS: Severe forms of complications were death(5.8%), septicemia(3.8%), and bile peritonitis(1.9%). There were not different from the rate of complication in PTBD using fine needle but the procedure was much more simple. CONCLUSION: We PTBD using large neddie is a simple and safe procedure for prompt bile decompression.
Bile ; Decompression ; Drainage* ; Humans ; Needles*

Myelopathy or dysfunction of the spinal cord, can be caused by degenerative processes of the cervical vertebrae. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy can be divided into five distinct syndromes on the basis of clinical presentation by Ferguson. Absolute indication for surgery is the progression of neurologic deficit. Decompression may be achieved using an anterior, posterior, or a combined approach, but each patient has unique clinical conditions that require individualized treatment. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the operative results by the clinical manifestation. In evaluating the results, the evaluation system established by the Japanese Orthopedic Association was employed. The average preoperative score in the 14 patient was 8.7 points and the average postoperative score was 12.7 points. The better results have been obtained for those who were managed with decompression within 1 year after onset of symptoms and those who had lateral type. In conclusion, the prognosis for the recovery of the spinal cord function is related with the onset of clinical symptoms and degree of neurological deterioration, so early detection and operative decompression for cervical spondylotic myelopathy may be the best method for the prevention of those unwanted and potentially devastating neurological deteriorations.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Decompression ; Female ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Orthopedics ; Prognosis ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Diseases*

No abstract available.
Korea* ; Moyamoya Disease*

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to investigate the correlation between the symptoms and the incidence of anatomical variant without mucosal abnormality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Out of 892 patients with CT performed for the evaluation of sinus disease symptoms between March 1991 and March 1993, we observed the anatomic variations in 82 symptomatic patients without mucosal abnormality(male:female=43:39, mean age 36. 4 years). The control group included 88 patients with facial bone CT performed for the evaluation of trauma during the same period while patients with recent paranasal sinusitis were excluded. (male:female=76:12, mean age 22. 4 years). The scouis were performed with 5-ram section thickness from posterior margin of sphenoid sinus to anterior margin of posterior ethmoid and then with 3 mm thickness from anterior margin of posterior ethmoid to anterior margin of frontal sinus. The artatomic variations included nasoseptal deviation, concha bullosa, Hailer cells, Agger nasi cells, etc. RESULTS: The anatomic variations were demonstrated in 71 our of 82 symptomatic patients(86. 5%), whereas they were seen 26 of 88 patients(29. 5%) in control group. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that there is a possible causal relationship between anatomic variations and symptomas. Even though without accompaning mucosal abnormalities, anatomic variations could contribute simply to its symptomas. ^natomic variants may obstruct or narrow the airway, leading to turbulating air flow or interrupting ucociliary movement, and finally may produce a series os symptoms.
Facial Bones ; Frontal Sinus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Sinusitis ; Sphenoid Sinus

Venous hemangioma is a vascular tumor that has been reported by such diverse names as; "cirsoid aneurysm", "arteriovenous hemangioma", "acral arteriovenous tumor" according to the author's opinions of its origin and histopathologic classification. It is benign and rarely biopsied, and it is also rarely reported in dermatology literature. We present two cases of venous hemangioma. The first case was a 64-year-old man who was presented with an elliptical dark-red plaque with overlying several grouped papules on the left periorbital area which had been present for 7 years. The second case was a 56-year-old man who was presented with a single red papule on the right postauricular area which had been present for 4 months. Histopathologically, there were a well-circumscribed proliferation of thick-walled muscle-containing blood vessels in the dermis. Intermingled with the thick-walled blood vessels, there were also thin-walled dilated blood vessels. In both cases, the thick-walled blood vessels resembled arteries, but they lacked elastic fibers on the Verhoeff van Gieson stain.
Arteries ; Blood Vessels ; Classification ; Dermatology ; Dermis ; Elastic Tissue ; Hemangioma* ; Humans ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: Tuberculous pleurisy treatment improve symptoms such as fever, chest pain, cough, and prevents the progression to active pulmonary tuberculosis and the development of residual pleural thickening that decrease diaphragm and rib cage movement. This study investigated how the degree of residual pleural thidkening affects the pulmonary function. METHODS: Fifty seven patients who were initially diagnosed as having tuberculous pleurisy, were treated with anti-tuberculous medication for 6 months and had residual pleural thickening between May 1998 and January 2000 at the Eulji university hospital were reviewed. A chest X-ray and pulmonary function test(PFT, Sensormedics 2200) were perfored. The predicted value (%) of the forced vital capacity(FVC), forced inspiratory vital capacity(FIVC) and total lung capacity(TLC) were measured. The residual pleural thickening was defined the average of the summation in the lateral chest at the level of the imaginary line intersecting from the cardiophrenic angle to the diaphragmatic dome and the lowest part of the costophrenic angle between them. The results were sorted into three grades according to pleural thickness; <2mm(grade I), 2~10mm(grade II), 10mm(grade III). RESULTS: 1. FVC(% pred) and FIVC(% pred) were statistically different between grade I and III, and II and III. However, there was no difference between the TLC(% pred) between each of the groups. 2. The pleural thickness that cause restrictive dysfunction(FVC<80%) and a statisticall difference, is 3 mm. CONCLUSION: The larger the extent of the residual pleural thickness after antituberculous medication, the greater the reduction in the FVC, FIVC, TLC. A pleural thickness of 3 mm is recommended as a guideline for diagnosing a restrictive pulmonary dysfunction.
Chest Pain ; Cough ; Diaphragm ; Fever ; Humans ; Lung ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Ribs ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis, Pleural* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

We report a case of cutaneous metastasis of thymic carcinoma in Korean. A 44-year-old female, who had been diagnosed as thymic carcinoma and treated with total thymectomy and post-operative radiation therapy, presented grouped erythematous papules on the left chest. CT scans revealed metastatic lesions in the left pleura and abdominal cavity. Histopathologic examination of skin biopsy showed extensive infiltration of malignant cells in dermis and subcutis. The morphology of infiltrating cells was similar to that of tumor cells from primary thymic carcinoma specimen. The results of immunohistochemical study for skin biopsy were consistent with the features of non-neuroendocrine thymic carcinoma. Histopathologic and immunohistopathologic similarity between cutaneous lesion and previous tumor suggested that malignant cells in the skin lesion could originate from progressing thymic carcinoma.
Abdominal Cavity ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Dermis ; Female ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pleura ; Skin ; Thorax ; Thymectomy ; Thymoma* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed