When the non-union gap in a long bone is more than half of the diameter of the bone at that level, it presents a significant challenge to traditional bone grafting technique. Even if there are several good ways for this problem, such as shortening, traditional various bone grafting, electrical stimulation and free vascularized bone graft, most of these techniques have some difficulties to maintain the stability of fracture post-operatively, and we have to keep their extremities into a cast or external fixator so long. So we have attempted to treat the large osseus gap non-union in long bone with fixation of heavy duty or condylar plate on one side of fracture for fracture stability, a long tibial corticocancellous strut graft on the other side of fracture for fracture stability and rapid bony union, and extensive cancellous chip bone graft between the plate and tibial graft to enhance the bony union. We have experienced 9 cases of large osseus gap non-union in long bone with this technique from March 1981 to September 1986 at the department of orthopaedic surgery, St. Mary's hospital, Catholic University Medical College. 1. Their, 7 males and 2 females, average age was 38 years old, with a range of 24 to 53 years old. The distribution of the involved bone was 6 femur, 2 humerus, 1 radius and ulna with 1.4 years of average duration of non-union, ranged from 7 months to 2.4 years. The average gap from normal bone to normal bone was 4.8cm, with a range of 2.7cm to 7.4cm. The average number of previous surgical procedures was 4, with a range of 2 to 7. Four of the nine patients had quiescent osteomyelitis. 2. Post-operative immobilization with splint or cast was applied for 6 weeks for upper extremity and 8 weeks for lower extremity followed by active R.O.M. exercise and non-weight bearing crutch walking. 3. Five of the nine cases(55.6%) had completely bony union. This occured on an average 8 months post-operatively and was faster in the forearm bones and femur than in the humerus. An additional cancellous bone graft was done in two. But other two of the patients had subsequent amputation because of recurrent and uneontrollable osteomyelitis stirred up by the surgery. 4. This procedures was proved to be one of valuable adjuvant method in treatmqnt of large osseous gap non-union of long bones.
Amputation ; Bone Transplantation ; Electric Stimulation ; External Fixators ; Extremities ; Female ; Femur ; Forearm ; Humans ; Humerus ; Immobilization ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Methods ; Osteomyelitis ; Radius ; Splints ; Transplants ; Ulna ; Upper Extremity ; Walking

PURPOSE: MRI is known to be an effective imaging modality of the aorta and its role is steadily increasing in the evaluation of acquired aortic diseases including aortic dissections and aortic aneurysms. However, differentiation of the aortic dissections with thrombosed false lumen from the aortic aneurysm with mural thrombus in MRI has not been easy. Therefore, the authors tried to find the characteristic MR featrses which would to differentiate the two diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR images of 6 patients with thrombosed aortic dissection and 7 patients with thrombosed aortic aneurysms were reviewed retrospectively and compared in regand to shape and extent of thrombus, dimension of aorta, and luminal flow signal. RESULTS: Thrombosed aortic dissections showed sharply demarcated crescent shaped aortic wall thickening of even thickness involving long segment of the aorta, whereas thrombosed aortic aneurysms showed irregular aortic wall thickening of uneven thickness localized in the short dilated segment of the aorta. Characteristically aortic aneurysm with mural thrombus showed eccentric intraluminal slow flow signal. In contrast to the signal void of the true lumen in aortic dissections, the residual lumen of the aortic aneurysm with mural thrombus revealed intraluminal signal due to slow flow. CONCLUSION: Familiarity to these MRI findings of thrombosed aortic dissections and aortic aneurysms may lead to the accurate differential diagnosis in majority of cases.
Aorta ; Aortic Aneurysm* ; Aortic Diseases ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Phenobarbital ; Recognition (Psychology) ; Retrospective Studies ; Thrombosis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of T-tube cholangiography(TTC), selective cholangiography (SC) and noncontrast CT(NCT) in the evaluation of intrahepatic stone disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the radiological findings of these methods in thirty patients with intrahepatic stones proved by percutaneous removal. Findings of each procedure were reviewed and correlated with findings of stone removal procedure. RESULTS: Detection of stones was possible in 87. 0% for TTC, 90. 0% for SC, 96. 7% for NCT(p > 0.05). Selective cholangiography was as good as or superior to 1-I'C in determining the presence and extent of the stones in all patients(p < 0. 01). NCT was better than SC in 9;as good as SC in 18;inferior to SC in 3 patients in determining the extent and location of the stones(p > 0.05). Of 12 patients who had additional findings such as biliary cirrhosis or accompanied cholangiocarcinomas, only NCT could detect the lesions in 11 patients. CONCLUSION: Although there was no statistically significant difference between NCT and SC, one procedure sometimes gave valuable informations for interventional procedure which the other could not. Thus we conclude that both procedures are complementary studies and should be done in all patients who are subjected to biliary intervention.
Cholangiocarcinoma ; Cholangiography* ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary ; Retrospective Studies

Balloon pulnounary valvuloplasty is an established method in the treatment of congenital valvular pulmonary stenosis. Balloon valvuloplasty was performed by using one or two balloons in a total of 19 mongrel dogs. Cross sectional area ratio ranging 145-406% was used to compare the relative sizes of the pulmonary annulus the balloon Hemodynamic changes and cardiac damages in single and double balloon groups were analyzed. Survival time of double balloon group was longer than that of single balloon group(P<0.05). Increment of the right ven?dular systolic pressure in single balloon group (mean 38 mmHg) was greater than that in double balloon group (mean 18 mmHg) (p<0.05). Decrement of the femoral arterial pressure in single balloon group (mean 87 mmHg) was greater than in double balloon group (mean 41 mmHg) (p<0.05). The locations of trauma were mainly the right ventricular free wall, the main pulmonary artery, the anterior leaflet of the pulmonary valve and in a less degree, anterior wall of the right atrium, the right ventricular outflow tract and the left pulmonary artery in the order of frequency. There were no significant differences in cardiac damages between single and double balloon groups (P>0.05). Major microscopic findings were sloughing of the endotheliu, fibrin deposition, hemorrhage, localized myocardial infarction and so on. In conclusion, double balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty is superior to single balloon technique in survival time and hemodynamics. Therefore, double, balloon technique is recommended for the pulmonary valvuloplasty.
Animals ; Arterial Pressure ; Balloon Valvuloplasty ; Blood Pressure ; Catheters* ; Dogs ; Fibrin ; Heart Atria ; Hemodynamics ; Hemorrhage ; Methods ; Myocardial Infarction ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Valve ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

Balloon pulnounary valvuloplasty is an established method in the treatment of congenital valvular pulmonary stenosis. Balloon valvuloplasty was performed by using one or two balloons in a total of 19 mongrel dogs. Cross sectional area ratio ranging 145-406% was used to compare the relative sizes of the pulmonary annulus the balloon Hemodynamic changes and cardiac damages in single and double balloon groups were analyzed. Survival time of double balloon group was longer than that of single balloon group(P<0.05). Increment of the right ven?dular systolic pressure in single balloon group (mean 38 mmHg) was greater than that in double balloon group (mean 18 mmHg) (p<0.05). Decrement of the femoral arterial pressure in single balloon group (mean 87 mmHg) was greater than in double balloon group (mean 41 mmHg) (p<0.05). The locations of trauma were mainly the right ventricular free wall, the main pulmonary artery, the anterior leaflet of the pulmonary valve and in a less degree, anterior wall of the right atrium, the right ventricular outflow tract and the left pulmonary artery in the order of frequency. There were no significant differences in cardiac damages between single and double balloon groups (P>0.05). Major microscopic findings were sloughing of the endotheliu, fibrin deposition, hemorrhage, localized myocardial infarction and so on. In conclusion, double balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty is superior to single balloon technique in survival time and hemodynamics. Therefore, double, balloon technique is recommended for the pulmonary valvuloplasty.
Animals ; Arterial Pressure ; Balloon Valvuloplasty ; Blood Pressure ; Catheters* ; Dogs ; Fibrin ; Heart Atria ; Hemodynamics ; Hemorrhage ; Methods ; Myocardial Infarction ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Valve ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

Percutaneous transhepatic intervention for removal of common bile duct stones is introduced as a secondary choice of treatment in the high-risk patient. Through a percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage catheter, a Dormia basket was inserted and the stone was entraped. Then the stone was crushed and fragments were passed spontaneously to the duodenum through the Ampulla of Vater. We experienced one case of successful treatment of a common bile duct stone using percutaneous transhepatic insertion of the Dormia basket.
Ampulla of Vater ; Catheters ; Common Bile Duct* ; Drainage ; Duodenum ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative collection of bile and a bile culture are of use in predicting bacterial infection in the biliary system. The aim of this study was to identify chronological changes in the bacteriology of the bile in the age and sex distributions for biliary tract disease of the patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 722 patients who had been operated on for biliary tract disease at the Department of Surgery Ewha Womans University Hospital, from Jan. 1979 to July 1998 and on whom intraoperative bile culture had been performed. We divided the 722 patients into two group based on the time of their treatment, period A being 1979-1988 and period B being 1989-1998. The statistical analysis was done by using the Mantel-Haenszel Chi-Square test. RESULTS: The overall bile culture positive rate was 56% (404 cases), and the male-to-female ratio was 1:1.64. There was no significant statistical difference in the sex ratio between the two periods (period A: 1:1.78, period B: 1:1.55) (p>0.05). Overall, the most commonly isolated organism in the bile was Escherichia coli (137 cases, 30%). Comparing the two periods, we found that the Enterococcus species was an organism found increasingly in biliary tract infections (period A: 0%; period B: 17%) whereas infection by Escherichia coli was significantly decreased in the latter period (period A: 43%; period B: 28%) (p<0.05). The sixth decade (29.1%) was the most prevalent age overall. The age distribution for period A showed no statistical difference between the 5th (21.58%) and the 7th decades (21.94%), but there was significant difference between the 7th (29.95%) and the 5th decades (16.89%) in the age distribution for period B (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: According to the above results, we concluded that there were significant chronological changes in the bacteriology of the bile & in the age distributions between the two periods, but no such difference was observed between the sex distribution.
Age Distribution ; Bacterial Infections ; Bacteriology* ; Bile* ; Biliary Tract ; Biliary Tract Diseases ; Enterococcus ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Distribution ; Sex Ratio

The authors experienced three cases of cholangiocarcinoma associated with profuse mucin production. We intended to review and summarize the clinical features of these patients to emphasize the clinical importance of mucin-producing cholangiocarcinoma. All patients were female. Symptoms were mainly right upper quadrant pain and jaundice. Diagnosis was made by characteristic endoscopic retrograde cholangiographic findings and computed tomography. Bile ducts were dilatated and obstructive jaundice had developed as a result of the accumulation of mucin realeased by the tumor. Treatments were hepatic lobectomies for two intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients and extrahepatic bile duct resection and hepaticojejunostomy for one patient. There was no postoperative complication. Pathologies were well differentiated papillary adenocarcinoma in two cases. Two patients are still living without recurrence for over three and four years respectively. One patient who had T4 lesion died of recurrence 38 months after operation. Conclusively, aggressive surgical treatment may be justified in the treatment of mucin hypersecreting cholangiocarcinoma even in advanced stage in view of the favorable outcome after radical operation. Further study is needed to clarify its biological behavior.
Adenocarcinoma, Papillary ; Bile Ducts ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic ; Cholangiocarcinoma* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Jaundice, Obstructive* ; Mucins ; Pathology ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of Gd-DTPA enhanced MR imaging in determining the metastatic lymph nodes in uterine cervical carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty nine patients with histologically proven cervical carcinoma underwent Gd-DTPA enhanced MR imaging. One hundred and thirty-eight pelvic regions(69 right,69 left) in 69 patients were analyzed for lymph node metastases. Pelvic lymph nodes were considered to be abnormal if they were greater than lcm in diameter and were enhanced on postcontrast T1 weighted images. RESULTS: Metastatic lymph nodes were found in 22 pelvic regions by surgicopathologic examinations. On MR imaging there were 14 true positives, 106 true negatives, 10 false positives and 8 false negatives. Gd-DTPA enhanced MR image had an accuracy of 86.9%, a sensitivity of 58.3%, a specificity of 91.4%, a positive predictive value of 58.3% and negative predictive value of 92.9% in evaluation of pelvic lymph node metastases. CONCLUSION: MR imaging with contrast enhancement may be useful in the evaluation of pelvic lymph node metastases in patients with uterine cervical carcinoma.
Gadolinium DTPA ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pelvis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Congenital chylothorax is a rare disorder and can be diagnosed by prenatal ultrasonography recently. Most cases of congenital chylothorax were characterized by different clinical courses of respiratory distress. We describe two female cases with congenital chylothorax observed by ultra- sonography prenatally. In the first case, left-sided pleural effusion was noted by prenatal ultrasonography taken at 34 weeks of gestation, and then pleural fluid was extracted by intrauterine thoracentesis under sonography guidance. After birth, this patient was managed by TPN(total parentral nutrition) and intermittent thoracentesis without surgical treatment. But, pleural fluid was accumulated recurrently and respiratory distress was aggravated. At 15th hospital day, shock state was developed and patient died. In the second case, bilateral pleural effusion and ascites were noted by prenatal ultrasonography, and then patient was delivered immediately without intrauterine thoracentesis. After birth, the second case received conservative therapy including mechanical ventilation, TPN, intermittent thoracentesis and paracentesis. The patient was discharged with complete regression of chylothorax. We report the two cases with brief review of related literatures.
Ascites ; Chylothorax* ; Female ; Humans ; Paracentesis ; Parturition ; Pleural Effusion ; Pregnancy ; Respiration, Artificial ; Shock ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal*