No abstract available.
Cholecystectomy* ; Common Bile Duct* ; Humans

PURPOSE: To evaluate surface configuration of intervertebral disc on three dimensional CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three dimensional surface images reconstructed from CTscans(1 mm thick) of 20discs in 14 healthy adults were reviewed. Disc surface was classified into peripheral and central zones in contact with consecutive peripheral ring and central endplate. Local irregularity incidence, pattern in radial, concentric, or mixed form, size, location, and extension were observed. Incidence and severity ranges in 4 grades of general irregularity, and peripheral width relative to central radius were evaluated. RESULTS: Normal disc mostly showed smooth surface with few display of small local irregularity(6/20) which was mainly radial in pattern(4/5), posterolaterally located(4/6), and confined within peripheral zone(5/6). General irregularity displayed(5/20) was all grade I and peripheral width was 0.82 of central radius. CONCLUSION: Normal disc shows smooth surface but few may display small local irregularity maybe due to very early degenerative change.
Adult ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intervertebral Disc* ; Radius

The present study was designed to evaluate the efficiency of total lactate dehydrogenase, total creatine kinase, LD1/LD2 ratio, CK-MB and newly developed troponin T in acute myocardial infarction. The level of troponin T was 0.010.02 pg/L in 34 healthy person, but the peak vaule of acute myocardial infarction ranged in 4.7-24.2 pg/L. Total lactate dehydrogenase was peaked in 1 to 3 days after chest pain and then progressively decreased, but LD1/LD2 ratio was persistently higher than 1.0 for 10 days in most patients. Total creatine kinase and CK-MB were peaked in 1-2 days, and normalized in 3-4 days, so they, were useful in early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, but not for the late stages of acute myocardiz l infarction. Troponin T is early elevated and persistently high level for more than 10 days. Comparing with total lactate dehydrogenase, total creatine kinase, LD1/LD2 ratio and CK-MB, troponin-T test improves the efficiency of serodiagnostic method for the detection of ischemic myocardial damage.
Chest Pain ; Creatine Kinase ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Infarction ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase* ; Lactic Acid* ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Phosphotransferases* ; Troponin T* ; Troponin*

Major pathogenic Gramnegative organisms such as P. aeruginosa, Serratia species, E. coli, Enterobacter species which are isolated from the specimens in large medical centers are greatly resistant to the commonly used antibiotics. Gramnegative bacilli, which had been isolated in Yeungnam Uni rersity Hospital during the period from December 1992 to April 1993 and turned out to be resistant to the primary antibiotics susceptibility test for chloramphenicoi, ampicillin, eephaiothin,- geniamicitt, tetracyclin, amikin and tobramycin, were subjected to the secondary antibiotics susceptibility test for aztreonam, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacine, cefotaxime, cefamandole, piperacillin, ticarcillin and sulfamethoxazole trimethopime. Out of 315 tested organisms, 167 organisms (53%) were resistant to all secondary antibiotics in vitro. Antimicrobial activity of ceftazidime (37.1%), aztreonam (11. %), ciprofloxacine (7.9%) against Gram negative bacilli were slightly more active than other antibiotics tested, while cefamandole was not active to all the Gramnegative bacilli tested. According to the specimens, E. coli was the most frequently resistant organisms to the primary antibiotics from urine, A. baumanii, from respiratory system and wounds, and P. aeruginosa from various specimens. In summary, Gram negative bacilli resistant to the primarily applied antibiotics also were resistant to the secondary antibiotics. Rearrangement of the antibiotics disks for the antibiotic susceptibility test should be considered.
Amikacin ; Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents* ; Aztreonam ; Cefamandole ; Cefotaxime ; Ceftazidime ; Ciprofloxacin ; Enterobacter ; Piperacillin ; Respiratory System ; Serratia ; Sulfamethoxazole ; Ticarcillin ; Tobramycin ; Wounds and Injuries

Fat containing masses, except mediastinal lipomatosis, of the thorax are uncommon. In spite of uncommonoccurences, as CT can detect not only the fat content but also the presence and character of the non-fattycomponent of the mass, accurate preoperative diagnosis can usually be made in most cases of fat containingmediastinal masses. Authors report 6 cases of fat containing mediastinal masses, that were diagnosedpreoperatively by CT scan, comprising 2 cases of limpoma(combined with plexiform neurofibroma in a case), 1liposarcoma, 1 thymolipoma, and 2 cases of omental hernia through Morgagni foramen.
Diagnosis ; Hernia ; Lipomatosis ; Neurofibroma, Plexiform ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: To evaluate the frequently of low ahetenuation area in enhanced CT scans of non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL) and to find out if there is any pertinent relationship between this and the histopathologic classification. MATERIALS & METHODS: The authors reviewed CT scans in the newly diagnosed 53 patients with NHL. We defined the-low attenuation area as the one with CT attenuation value lower than that of the muscle, surrounding lesion, or other lymph nodes after contrast enhancement. NHL with the low attenuation areas were correlated with the histopathologic findings according to the classification based on the Working Formulation and the frequency of the lesion was evaluated. RESULT: Of the 53 patients, the low attenuation area was found in 13 patients (25%) at CT. The histopathologic classification could be made in 12 patients, among whom one patient was classified as low grade, six as intermediate grade, and five as high-grade. Concerning the specific cell typing, the diffuse large cell type was most common in intermediate-grade NHL seen in five patients and the large cell, immunoblastic type was most common in high-grade NHL seen ih three patients. CONCLUSION: The authors concluded that the low attenution area within lymphoma is not an infrequent finding at CT, and there was no stastistically significant correlation between this finding and the prognostic grading of the Working Formulation.
Classification ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Antigen-Antibody Complex* ; Humans ; Interleukin-2* ; Ovarian Neoplasms*

We measured fasting Serum Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (SACE) in 100 healthy controls and 75 coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) patients by a commercial kits (ACEcolor®, Fujirio Inc., Japan) and evaluated this manual method. The linear range extends to an activity of 80U/L. Precision on a commercial control serum (ACE control-N®, Sigma Co.) with a mean value of 9.47U/L yielded a within-run and between-run CVs are 5.6% (N=15) and 6.9% (N=14) respectively. Save in 75 CWP was 20.3±5.7U/L (mean±s.d.); higher than in healthy controls (13.4±3.9U/L, P<0.01). No correlation was found between SACE, sex, and age. The results suggest that the measurement for SACE and follow-up SACE in coal workers may be a useful diagnostic tools for CWP.
Anthracosis* ; Coal* ; Fasting ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Methods

No abstract available.
Free Tissue Flaps* ; Head* ; Neck*

PURPOSE: To compare image quality of storage phosphor digital radiography(DR) with film-screen radiography in portable chest imaging, and to assess the minimum X-ray dose that can be applied to DR in adults without image degradation, and also to compare image qualities of low dose and standard dose DR. Materials and Methalos: A geometrical phantom similar to the human thorax was imaged by a portable radiographic unit with fixed kVp and variable m^s in both film-screen and DR systems. Three radiologists scored the images by four grades in four categories of 1) contrast between mediastinum and lung, 2) definition of the nodule in the lung, 3) definition of another nodule through the mediastinal shadow, and 4) grainess(noise : assessed only in DR). Additionally, portable chest images were obtained in 10 patients in a intensive care unit by film-screen, standard dose and half dose DR in consecutive days. The same readers scored the images by four grades in six categories of 1) the lungs and hila, 2) the mediastinum, 3) subphrenic area. 4) musculoskeletal shadow, 5) tubes and lines, and 6) grainess (only in DR). The images with superior quality were assessed by paired t-test. RESULTS: In phantom study, the minimum dose of digital images scored 3 or more by all readers was 39% of the standard dose. In patient study, DR was superior to film-screen radiography in all categories except tube and line. Low dose DR was not inferior to standard dose DR in five categories other than grainess to two readers or more. CONCLUSION: In portable chest imaging, storage phosphor DR image was superior to conventional film-screen radiography and half dose DR was comparable to standard dose DR despite of more noise.
Adult ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Lung ; Mediastinum ; Noise ; Radiographic Image Enhancement* ; Radiography ; Thorax*