PURPOSE: The present study was aimed to examine the usefulness of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the evaluation of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with oral cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients who underwent neck dissection to treat oral cancer were subjected for examination. The cervical node metastasis was evaluated by means of clinical examination, CT scan, PET, and histologic examination. By comparing the results of each examination modality with those of histologic examination, it's sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were determined. RESULTS: The oral cancer was more frequent in males with a ratio of 2.14:1. The sixth decade showed the highest incidence in age distribution with mean of 56+/-16. Histologic findings showed that squamous cell carcinoma was the most common (15 patients), and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (3), malignant melanoma (2), and adenoid cystic carcinoma and ghost cell odontogenic carcinoma (1 each), in order. In most cases, wide surgical excision of the primary cancer and neck dissection was performed, followed by reconstruction with free flaps when necessary. When comparing the results of each examination modality with those of the histologic examination, clinical examination showed sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value at 11%, 85%, 33%, and 58%, respectively. CT scans showed at 67%, 77%, 67%, and 77%, while 18F-FDG PET/CT at 78%, 77%, 70%, and 83%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that PET is more useful, compared with clinical examination and CT scans, in the evaluation of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with oral cancer.
Age Distribution ; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic ; Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Melanoma ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Neck Dissection ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Bloating is common bothersome symptoms and most studies conducted in the Western countries found that bloating was frequently associated with lower gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms but many patients complaint bloating as upper GI symptoms in the clinical setting. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of bloating, and to identify symptom grouping and finally document the impact of bloating in the diagnosis of functional GI disorders. METHODS: Participants in a comprehensive health-screening cohort were enrolled. They were asked about demographic, medical, and social history and upper and lower GI symptoms by using a validated questionnaire. Factor analysis with principal component analysis method with varimax rotation was used. RESULTS: Among the total of 1050 subjects (mean age, 44.6 ± 10.2 years; females, 46.4%), significant bloating symptoms were found in 282 (26.9%); the prevalence of functional bloating was 6.9%. Factor analysis revealed a 5-component structure with upper GI symptoms, constipation, diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation-predominant IBS, and fecal incontinence. Abdominal bloating loaded on both the upper GI symptoms (0.51 of loadings) and constipation (0.40). On logistic regression analysis, bloating was more predictable for IBS (OR, 7.5; P < 0.001) than functional dyspepsia (FD; OR, 3.7; P = 0.002). Bloating was more frequently combined with IBS according to their severity, but this association was not detected in patients with FD. CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal bloating is common symptom in about a quarter of patients and appears as upper as well as lower GI symptoms. However, abdominal bloating is more predictable for IBS, especially constipation-predominant IBS, than FD.
Cohort Studies ; Constipation ; Diagnosis ; Dyspepsia ; Epidemiology ; Fecal Incontinence ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Diseases* ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Logistic Models ; Methods ; Prevalence ; Principal Component Analysis

A 49-year-old female presented with severe dyspnea. She was diagnosed with cardiac tamponade combined with ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm and rupture, which was caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae infection. This extremely rare condition was managed by an emergency pericardiostomy and two separate aortic operations. Antibiotics active for the K. pneumoniae isolate were used throughout. The patient was well for nine months after discharge and continues to be followed up for signs of possible reinfection.
Aneurysm, False ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Rupture* ; Cardiac Tamponade ; Dyspnea ; Emergencies ; Female ; Humans ; Klebsiella pneumoniae* ; Klebsiella* ; Middle Aged ; Pericardial Window Techniques ; Pericarditis* ; Pneumonia ; Rupture

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is characterized by thunderclap headache and multiple reversible intracranial vasoconstrictions. Here we report a case of RCVS after exposure to ethylene oxide (EO) gas, which is a widely used sterilant. A 34-year-old woman presented with aphasia, right-arm weakness, and severe headache after inhaling EO gas. Brain imaging revealed multiple infarcts and multiple intracranial stenoses. The stenotic lesions completely regressed on follow-up CT angiography. This is the first report of RCVS after exposure to EO gas.
Adult ; Angiography ; Aphasia ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Ethylene Oxide* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Headache ; Headache Disorders, Primary ; Humans ; Inhalation* ; Neuroimaging ; Vasoconstriction*

Coronary artery fistula is an unusual anomaly in elderly patients that consists of a communication bet- ween one of the coronary arteries and other cardiac chambers or veins. It causes many cardiac compli- cations due to hemodynamic changes, and thus has recognized its clinical significance. It occurs usually in congenital origin, but also occurs secondarily in traumatic or neoplastic or artherosclerotic coronary diseases. Congenital coronary artery fistula is a very rare congenital anomaly that results in multiple hemodynamic complications. It has reported rarely in elderly patients, that induces myocardial ischemia due to coronary steal syndrome and heart failure that caused by diastolic volume overload via a left to left shunt. We observed a 68-year-old male patient with exertional chest pain and dyspnea, in whom selective coronary angiography revealed abnormal reticular communication between left anterior descending artery and left circumflex artery and drained to left ventricle through multiple microfistulous channels. We report this patient case who complicated by myocardial ischemia and left ventricular failure those caused by hemodynamic complication due to multiple coronary artery-left ventricular fistulae.
Aged ; Arteries ; Cations ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Dyspnea ; Fistula ; Heart Failure* ; Heart Ventricles ; Heart* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Veins

Coronary artery fistula is an unusual anomaly in elderly patients that consists of a communication bet- ween one of the coronary arteries and other cardiac chambers or veins. It causes many cardiac compli- cations due to hemodynamic changes, and thus has recognized its clinical significance. It occurs usually in congenital origin, but also occurs secondarily in traumatic or neoplastic or artherosclerotic coronary diseases. Congenital coronary artery fistula is a very rare congenital anomaly that results in multiple hemodynamic complications. It has reported rarely in elderly patients, that induces myocardial ischemia due to coronary steal syndrome and heart failure that caused by diastolic volume overload via a left to left shunt. We observed a 68-year-old male patient with exertional chest pain and dyspnea, in whom selective coronary angiography revealed abnormal reticular communication between left anterior descending artery and left circumflex artery and drained to left ventricle through multiple microfistulous channels. We report this patient case who complicated by myocardial ischemia and left ventricular failure those caused by hemodynamic complication due to multiple coronary artery-left ventricular fistulae.
Aged ; Arteries ; Cations ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Dyspnea ; Fistula ; Heart Failure* ; Heart Ventricles ; Heart* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Veins

Glassy cell carcinoma is a histologic subtype of cervical cancer with distinct pathologic features and it has an aggressive biologic course. It was first described by Glucksmann and Cherry in 1956 as a poorly differentiated adenoquamous carcinoma and commented on its poor prognosis, unresponsiveness to traditional modes of therapy, and often associated with pregnancy. The characteristic histologic features are defined as follows: 1) cells with a moderate amount of cytoplasm resembling ground glass, 2) a fairly distinct cell membrane that stains with eosin or PAS, 3) large nuclei with prominent nucleoli. We present two cases of glassy cell carcinoma of the cervix successfullyl treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical hyterectorny, with a brief review of literatures.
Cell Membrane ; Cervix Uteri* ; Coloring Agents ; Cytoplasm ; Drug Therapy* ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Female ; Glass ; Hysterectomy* ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis ; Prunus ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Although commercialization of mobile phones has raised much concerns about the effects of radiofrequency radiation on the human body, few experimental studies have been conducted on the effects of radiofrequency radiation on physiological homeostasis, immune and inflammatory responses. Therefore, we presently investigated the effect of 835 MHz radiofrequency radiation on spontaneous wheel exercise, hormone and cytokines levels in the plasm of mice. Mice were divided into 4 groups as control, exercise, radiofrequency radiation, radiofrequency radiation & exercise group. The body weight, corticosterone and blood cytokine levels were checked for 10 weeks. Followed by the exposure to radiofrequency radiation for 6 hours a day, the more increase in body weight was observed in the radiofrequency radiation & exercise group than in the spontaneous exercise group. When the amount of spontaneous exercise was measured for 10 weeks, the amount of exercise was increased in the both control and spontaneous exercise group, while the amount of exercise was decreased in the radiofrequency radiation group. To determine whether the homeostasis, immune and inflammatory responses are indirectly affected by radiofrequency radiation exposure, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12 (p70), TNF-α, IFNγ, and GM-CSF were measured by ELISA kit, respectively. As a result, the blood levels of IL-6, IL-12 (p70) and TNF-α in the spontaneous exercise group were higher than that of control group, and each cytokine levels in the radiofrequency radiation & exercise group were lower than that of control group. However, the corticosterone, IL-1β, IFNγ and GM-CSF didn't show statistically significant differences in all groups. It has been confirmed that exposure to high frequency electromagnetic waves for a long time can affect the amount of exercise, body weight, and some inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-12 (p70) and TNF-α.
Animals ; Body Weight ; Cell Phones ; Corticosterone* ; Cytokines* ; Electromagnetic Radiation ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Homeostasis ; Human Body ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukin-6 ; Mice* ; Radiation Exposure

Background: Perioperative anaphylaxis is a life-threatening clinical condition characterized by severe respiratory and cardiovascular manifestations. Neuromuscular blocking agents are the most common cause of anaphylaxis during anesthesia. Case: We report a case of rocuronium-induced anaphylaxis treated with sugammadex. A 75–year-old woman was scheduled to undergo spinal surgery. She had no history of allergies. After the injection of rocuronium, she developed hypotension and tachycardia, and skin rashes and urticaria appeared. The patient received sugammadex to delay the operation, and her vital signs were stabilized. On the 76th postoperative day, we performed intradermal tests for rocuronium, propofol, and cefazolin. Diluted rocuronium alone induced 14 mm of flare and 8 mm of wheal within 5 min, both of which disappeared within 15 min after the intradermal injection. Conclusions Sugammadex is a useful rocuronium antagonist that can be used to treat rocuronium-induced anaphylaxis.

Generally we use the preauricular incision to access and remove the parotid gland tumor. But the preauricular approach has some complications such as damage of facial nerve and sensory nerve, Frey's syndrome, and postoperative scar. Especially, the postoperative scar can often cause an unesthetic result and mental stress in young patients. Therefore, if we avoid preauricular incision to be performed outside of tragus, the postoperative scar would be hardly remarkable, and patients would be satisfied cosmetically. We performed surgical excision using a modified endaural and neck approach in a 21-year-old female with a pleomorphic adenoma and 15-year-old male with a neurofibroma occured in the parotid gland. A new, modified endaural and neck approach is a combined method of the modified endaural incision by Starck et al and Gutierrez's neck extension. We obtained an adequate access and the cosmetically acceptable postsurgical scar. The postoperative scars were hidden in the external ear and the hairline. Moreover, except the neck dissection can this approach be applied to the surgery of temporomandibular joint as well as the parotid gland tumor.
Adenoma, Pleomorphic ; Adolescent ; Cicatrix ; Ear, External ; Facial Nerve ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neck Dissection ; Neck* ; Neurofibroma ; Parotid Gland* ; Sweating, Gustatory ; Temporomandibular Joint ; Young Adult