No abstract available.
Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule*

No abstract available.
Osteoporosis* ; Radionuclide Imaging*

The authors presented 9 cases of surgically treated CSF rhinorrhea, two of which were spontaneous and 7 were traumatic delayed. The duration of leakage was longer than 1 month in most cases and seven of the nine cases were complicated by meningitis. The leakage site was most accurately detected by metrizamide computed tomographic cisternography(MCTC) and the most frequent leakage site was the cribriform plate. Good surgical results were obtained by direct repair and/or shunt without recurrence during follow-up period from 7 months to 2 years.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea ; Ethmoid Bone ; Follow-Up Studies ; Meningitis ; Metrizamide ; Recurrence

Tuberculosis of the thyroid gland is extremely rare with few cases reported in recent years. Tuberculosis may involve the thyroid gland in two main forms. The more common of theses is miliary spread to the thyroid as part of generalized dissemination and less commonly focal or caseous tuberculosis of the thyroid may occur, presenting as a nodule, as a thyroiditis, as a abscess, or as carcinoma like.We experienced two cases of tuberculosis of the thyroid gland presenting with palpable thyroid nodule in 26 year-old female and 65 year-old female patients. They have been clinically and biochemically euthyroid and their thyroid scans demonstrated a cold nodule at right thyroid gland. We found no evidence of tuberculosis elsewhere. The goiter was removed surgically and confirmed to be tuberculosis. They were medicated antituberculous agents after operation and followed up regulary out patient department.We report the cases of two patients with tuberculosis involving thyroid with reviews of literature.
Abscess ; Female ; Goiter ; Humans ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Nodule ; Thyroiditis ; Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Resting ankle brachial pressure index is a non-invasive method to assess the patency of lower extremity arterial system and it can be measured using traditional Doppler method or photoplethysmography. Automated blood pressure measurement is a easy and quick method for measurement of ankle brachial pressure index, but usefulness of this method have not been investigated. So we evaluated the accuracy of Automated blood pressure measurement device as flow detector in determining the ankle brachial pressure index in comparison to photoplethysmography. METHODS: A total 136 subjects containing 117 diabetic patients and 19 volunteers were included in the study. With each subject in the supine position, dorsalis pedis arterial pulses were palpated by examiner. And the brachial and ankle systolic blood pressure were recorded using photoplethysmography (Rheoscreen, Medis, Germany) and automated blood pressure measurement device (MD-800, Meditec, Korea). Ankle brachial pressure index for each leg was separately calculated by dividing the ankle systolic pressure by the higher brachial systolic pressure. Statistical analyses were performed by SPSS for Windows (version 10.0 SPSS Inc.) RESULTS: Brachial and ankle systolic pressure measured using automated blood pressure measurement device were higher than photoplethysmography and correlations between both method were significant (r=0.886, r=0.844). Ankle brachial pressure index derived using automated blood pressure measurement have a better correlation with photoplethysmography method (r=0.622) than pulse palpation (r=0.255). The subject was considered to have peripheral arterial disease if either leg ABI was 0.9 or less. Peripheral arterial disease was more frequent when it was defined using photoplethysmography (13.8%) vs automated blood pressure measurement device (6.3%). The sensitivity of the automated blood pressure measurement is 32.4%, the specificity is 97.8% and the accuracy is 88.8% for peripheral arterial disease defined using photoplethysmography. CONCLUSION: Automated blood pressure measurement was easier and quicker and less expensive as compared with photoplethysmography. Automated blood pressure measurement was not sensitive but more accurate as compared with pulse palpation. So we recommend that it be used on a routine screening basis of peripheral arterial disease in primary care.
Ankle* ; Blood Pressure* ; Humans ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Mass Screening ; Palpation ; Peripheral Arterial Disease ; Photoplethysmography* ; Primary Health Care ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Supine Position ; Volunteers

OBJECTIVES: High incidence of hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy is a major determinant in delay of discharge. Even though many studies have focused on the search for reliable early predictors of postoperative hypocalcemia, definitions of hypocalcemia are diverse; therefore, interpretation and application of previously reported findings may not be easy. We aimed to elucidate diverse patterns of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia and to provide reliable early predictors for these different types of hypocalcemia. METHODS: Retrospective chart review was performed and eligible 112 patients of thyroidectomy were categorized into four groups according to symptomatic and/or biochemical hypocalcemic criteria. A mismatch of occurrence and the timing of symptomatic or biochemical abnormalities were evaluated. Predictive values of commonly used biomarkers were compared in each group; levels of serum total calcium and ionized calcium, and intact parathyroid hormone (PTH). RESULTS: Among 62 hypocalcemic patients, 45 patients (72.5%) experienced both symptomatic and biochemical abnormalities during hospitalization. A mismatch on the timing of initial detection of symptomatic and biochemical hypocalcemia was observed in 21 patients (46.6%). Intact PTH level measured at 1 hour was a useful indicator in prediction of symptomatic hypocalcemia with 79.7-87.4% of diagnostic accuracy. Serum ionized calcium measured next morning after surgery was a reliable predictor of biochemical hypocalcemia with 77.9-94.8% of diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSION: For the safety of patients, the possibility of both symptomatic and biochemical hypocalcemia should be considered together before deciding early discharge. Using intact PTH for symptomatic hypocalcemia and day-1 ionized serum calcium level for biochemical hypocalcemia will be helpful for the reliable prediction of heterogeneous nature of postoperative hypocalcemia.
Calcium ; Early Diagnosis ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypocalcemia ; Incidence ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroidectomy ; Biomarkers

To evaluate the effectiveness and to find out which grade(clinical and computed tomography) of subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH) patients are most effected with the medication of the calcium antagonist, we did this study. We selected 339 cases(study cases) among a total of 603 cases of SAH who were admitted to our hospital from Sept. 1982 to Aprial 1991. The criteria of study cases are patients who were admitted and who had a brain computed tomography(CT) taken within 3 days after the SAH and who had a clinical grade(Hung & Hess) on admission between I-IV. We divided study cases into 3 groups. Group I:surgery was done more than 7 days after the SAH and together with non-surgical patients, no medication was used(N=126). Group II:surgery was done more than 7 days after teh SAH and together with non-surgical patients medication of the calcium antagonist was given orally(N=120). Group III:surgery was done more than 7 days after the SAH and together with non-surgical patients, medication of nimodipine intravenously was given, and also patients, medication of nimodipine intravenously was given, and also patients who received surgery did within 3 days after the SAH were given intravenous injection and cisternal irrigation of nimodipine(N=93). We compared the overall management outcome and the incidence of delayed ischemic dificit(DID) and unfavorable outcome due to DID in each group. We also analyzed the causes of unfavorable outcome according to the clinical grade on admission and the amount of blood in the cistern seen on the brain CT in each group. The results of this study showed that overall management outcome was improved by using the calcium antagonist. The calcium antagonist reduced the incidence of DID as well as the unfavorable outcome related to DID. In clinical grade III patients on admission, the unfavorable outcome due to DID was significantly lower in group II and III than in I(group I vs. II:p<0.05, group I vs. III:P<0.01). In cases with a large amount of blood in the cistern seen on the brain CT, the unfavorable outcome was significantly lower in groups II and III than in I(group I vs. II:p<0.01, group I vs. III:p<0.05). We conclude that the overall management outcome of aneurismal SAH patients may be improved by using a calcium antagonist and the effect of the calcium antagonist is prominent in clinical grade III patients on admission and patients with a large amounts of blood in the cistern seen on the brain CT.
Aneurysm* ; Brain ; Calcium* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Injections, Intravenous ; Nimodipine ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage*

In order to find out the relationship between blood viscosity and the development of an ischemic symptom(clinical vasospasm) following an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH), was checked daily the hematocrit(Hct), blood viscosity and plasma viscosity from admission day to 14 days after SAH in 33 patients. Twelve patients with diseases except those with a SAH were selected as a control group. We analyzed the difference of the average hematocrit, blood viscosity, and plasma viscosity between the control group, non-spasm group and spasm group on admission, and then the period of preoperative, postoperative with mannitolization, and postoperative without mannitolization. We also analyzed the change of those according to the SAH day, and the relationship between the blood viscosity and the level of hematocrit in each group. As a result, aneurysmal SAH patients with clinical vasospasm showed a higher plasma viscosity than the control(1.82+/-0.21 vs. 1.55+/-0.14, respectively : p<0.01) and clinical non-spasm(1.82+/-0.21 vs. 1.66+/-0.12, respectively : p<0.05) group of patients on admission statistically. In the spasm group, the blood viscosity was raised during the spasm risk period(SAH 7-10 days). The level of the hematocrit in the spasm group was lower than the non-spasm group and most of them checked below 30% after surgery. In the relationship between the level of hematocrit and the blood viscosity, the spasm group showed a relatively higher blood viscosity than the non-spasm group. These results suggest that the blood viscosity has some role in the development of ischemic symptoms after a subarachnoid hemorrhage, but major determinants such as erythrocyte aggregation, plasma fibrinogen concentration and platelet aggregation which affect the microcirculation have a more important role. Therefore, when hemodilution are used for prevention or improvement of ischemic symptoms after subarachnoid hemorrhage, the level of the hematocrit and the focus on decreasing the major determinants of the viscosity in microcirculation should be considered.
Aneurysm* ; Blood Viscosity* ; Erythrocyte Aggregation ; Fibrinogen ; Hematocrit* ; Hemodilution ; Humans ; Mannitol ; Microcirculation ; Plasma* ; Platelet Aggregation ; Spasm ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage* ; Viscosity*

It is well known that stereotaxic urokinase(UK) irrigation through a catheter is one of surgical methods in the management of hypertensive intracerebral hematoma(ICH) patients. Several authors recommended irrigation with 6000 IU UK, 4 times per a day. Based on authors' experience some patients who were managed with above protocol suffered from complications such as meningitis and/or pneumonia. It might be partially caused by prolonged duration of irrigation and immobilization of the patients. In order to reduce complications and to improve the final outcome of hypertensive ICH patients, we tried high dose UK irrigation(group II:irrigation with 50ml of normal saline mixed with 200,000 IU UK at immediate postoperative period, followed by two times of 20,000 IU UK irrigation per a day) to remove the ICH rapidly in those patients since Oct. 1991. We compared the rate of decreasing volume of hematoma, Glasgow coma scale(GCS) score change according to postoperative period, final outcome, and the rate of complications between this group(group II) and group I(4 times irrigation with 6,000 IU UK per a day). The results shows that the rate of decreasing volume of hematoma is slightly more rapid in group II than group I. The rate of poor outcome(vegetative and death) is lower in group II than I(group I vs. II:34% vs. 20% respectively). The rate of complication is lower in group II than I(group I vs. II:38.5% vs. 0.0%, respectively). One case(5%) of postoperative rebleeding was noted in group II. From this study, we concluded that, even if the beneficial effects are small, the high dose UK irrigation is one of protocols in the management of hypertensive ICH patients.
Catheters ; Coma ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Meningitis ; Pneumonia ; Postoperative Period ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator*

We undertook a retrospective analysis of 30 patients admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery Dongsan Medical Center Keimyung University utilizing Magnetic Resonanace Imaging(MRI) to make diagnosis and surgical indication of degenerative cervical spine lesions. All patients were taken T1 Weighted Image(T1W1) T2 Weighted Image(T2WI) and gradient echo image on 2.0 Tesla unit. Pre- and postoperative MRI were obtained seven of 15 cases with myelopathy. All patients could be evaluated the extent and degree of disc herniation, osteophytes and cord compression. A focal area of High-Signal-Intensity(HIS) was observed on T2WI in 15 patients with mydlopathy predominantly. HIS diminished postoperatively in the patients who improved clinically and remained the same in one case whose condition remained unchanged after decompression. We think MRI with high resolution images in the initial procedure of choice in decision-making of patients with degenerative cervical spine lesion. Furthermore HIS of the spinal cord produced by compressive lesions appears to be an important indicator for predicting prognosis of patients with myelopathy.
Decompression ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurosurgery ; Osteophyte ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spine*