Prophylactic treatment of varices is an appealing concept because 50% of patients who experience variceal bleeding will die within the first 6 weeks of the first bleeding. However, the majority of trials which have evaluated prophylactic therapy gave failed to demonstrate advantage, We tried prophylactic endoscopic variceal ligation(EVL) in 10 patients, to evaluate the safety and effect of prophylactic EVL for esophageal varices with high-risk of hemorrhage. The eradication rate was 100% without bleeding and mortality, the mean session for eradication of varices 1.9, the number of bands per person 16.9 and the number of bands per session 8.9. Although mild chest pain(5.3%) and chest discomfortness(31.6%) were observed, no serious complication related with EVL resulted from 19 EVL sessions. The patients were followed for a mean of 327.0 days(85-708), during which recurrent esophagea1 varices were found in a case at 260 days from last session, but no bleeding nor death was occured. No late complication of EVL was documented. In conclusion, prophylactic EVL is safe and may be effective for esophageal varices with high-risk of hemorrhage. But, the large controlled-trial should be required.
Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Ligation* ; Mortality ; Thorax ; Varicose Veins

No abstract available.
Scrub Typhus*

No abstract available.

Angiosarcoma is rare disease not only in Korea but throughout the world; it is all the more so on the skin. We made an observation on a case of angiosarcoma on the scalp of a 57 year-old man. Noteworthy in this case are: (1) the patient was suffered from a head trauma 6 years prior to onset of the disease, (2) the progress of the disease showed an extreme rapidity accompanied by severe headache intolerable by any medication, (3) no effect was resulted from X-ray irradiation, and (4) the patient survived for 7 months with the disease.
Craniocerebral Trauma ; Headache ; Hemangiosarcoma* ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Rare Diseases ; Scalp ; Skin

No abstract available.
Dental Arch* ; Humans

Letterer-Siwe disease occurred in a 3 year 7 month old male child showing severe emaciation, hepatosplenomegaly, otitis media, hemorrhagic and impetiginous crusted patches on the body, and seborrheic dermatitis like skin rashes in the scalp. Also showed are severe anemia, thrombocytopenia, bronchopneumonia and multiple bony defects in skull. The child expired in a month after admission.
Anemia ; Bronchopneumonia ; Child ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Emaciation ; Exanthema ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell* ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Otitis Media ; Scalp ; Skull ; Thrombocytopenia

The majority of cystic lesions of the pancreas are psudocysts and a small fraction neoplastic. Failure to recognize the true nature of neoplastic cyst will lead to an incorrct treatment strategy. Ultrasonography, computerized tomography and angiography were used to distingish these lesions, but diagnostic value of ERCP is in controversy. To evaluate the diagnostic value of ERCP in cystic lesions of the pancreas, we analysed 33 cases of pancreatic cystic lesions (pseudocyst 18 cases, retention cyst 3 cases and cystic, neoplasm l2 cases) between Apr. 1985 and June 1993. In 18 cases of pseudocysts, ERP findings were communication with cyst in 8 cases (44.4%), chronic pancreatitis in 8 cases (44.4%), obstruction in 4 cases (22.2%) and displscement of pancreatic duct in 2 cases (11.1%), and ERC findings, which were perfomed in 8 cases, showed cholangitis in 3 cases (37.5%), CBD stone in 2 cases (25%), mass effect in 1 case (12.5%) and normal in 2 cases (25%). There was no communication with the cyst and pancreatic duct, except two mucinous ductal ectasia, in 12 cases of cystic neoplasms, and the other findings were displacement of pancreatic duct in 4 cases (33.3%), obstruction in 2 cases (16.7%) and normal in 4 cases (33.3%). ERC findings of cystic neoplasm were almost normal (85.7%) except 1 case of cholangitis. In conclusion, ERCP findings of pseudocysts were communication with pancreatic duct, chronic pancreatitis and biliary tract abnormality. In contrast, ERCP findings of cystic neoplasms were displacement or obstruction of pancreatic duct without communication and chronic pancreatitis, and biliary tract abnormality were rare.
Angiography ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde* ; Cholangitis ; Dilatation, Pathologic ; Mucins ; Pancreas ; Pancreatic Cyst* ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; Ultrasonography

Background : It has been suggested that thrombospondin (TSP) is a p53-dependent negative regulator of tumor angiogenesis. TSP expression and localization in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and its association with overexpression of p53 protein were investigated. Methods : TSP-1 and -2 expressions were examined in 40 HCC specimens by immunohistochemical staining and in 4 HCC cell lines by Western blotting. In addition, p53 protein expression and microvessel density (MVD) were correlated with the TSP expression. Results : Strong immu- nopositivity for TSP-1 was observed in fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells, and some vas- cular smooth muscle cells of the stroma in 18 cases (45%), and in tumor cells in 3 cases (7.5%) of 40 cases of HCC. Immunoreactivity for TSP-2 was observed in only the sinusoidal lining cells of the tumor in 15 cases (46%), and in tumor cells in 2 cases (6%) of 32 cases of HCC. TSP-1 expression was inversely correlated with MVD (p=0.028), but TSP-2 expression did not show any correlation with MVD. Although p53 was overexpressed in 17 cases, there was no significant correlation between TSP and p53 expressions. None of the HCC cell lines expressed TSP-1 or -2. Conclusions : These findings indicate that TSP-1 is mainly derived from nonparenchymal cells, and may decrease tumor angiogenesis in HCC.
Angiogenesis Inhibitors ; Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Cell Line ; Endothelial Cells ; Fibroblasts ; Microvessels ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Thrombospondin 1 ; Thrombospondins

Myotonic dystrophy is an autosomal-dominantly inherited neuromuscular disorder characterized by slowly progressive muscular dystrophy, muscle weakness and myotonia. The clinical features may vary from just cataracts to involvement of multiple organ systems such as various muscles, heart, lung and intestine. During pregnancy and delivery, serious maternal and obstetrical complications may occur. The myotonia is often aggravated during pregnancy and it leads to obstetrical complications such as fetal loss, preterm premature delivery, hydrops, in-utero fetal death, difficulties in fetal expulsion, postpartum hemorrhage and/or anesthetic accidents. The affected neonate may display severe hypotonia, facial displegia and respiratory distress. This report presents a woman with myotonic dystrophy complicated with congestive heart failure and preterm delivery during pregnancy.
Cataract ; Edema ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)* ; Female ; Fetal Death ; Heart Failure* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intestines ; Lung ; Muscle Hypotonia ; Muscle Weakness ; Muscular Dystrophies ; Myocardium ; Myotonia ; Myotonic Dystrophy* ; Obstetric Labor, Premature* ; Postpartum Hemorrhage ; Pregnancy*

Bone marrow transplantation has become an accepted treatment for malignancy(particulary leukemia and lymphoma), aplastic anemia, and certain inborn errors of metabolism. In addition to the problem of severe, prolonged myelosuppression, bone marrow transplantation is associated with several unusual complications. Among the complications such as GVHD, graft rejection, interstitial pneumonia and veno-occlusive disease, involvement of the gastrointestinal tract by GVHD is associated with high graft failure and mortality. Intestinal GVHD is usually manifest clinically as voluminous secretory diarrhea accompanied by abdominal cramping, ileus, nutritional depletion, and, at times, hemorrhage. We experienced a case of severe intestinal GVHD after allogeneic marrow transplantation for treatment of severe aplastic anemia. He received bone marrow from his elder sister, HLA-matched multiparous woman and suffered from large amount of watery diarrhea with skin rash 34 days after transplantation. 1n spite of prednisolone therapy the symptom was progressed. After sigmoidoscopic mucosal biopsy, intestinal GVHD was confirmed and we tried methylprednisolone pulse therapy. Skin lesion was improved but the amount of diarrhea was increased with intermittent abdominal cramping. We tried ALG(anti-lymphocyte globulin) and conservative management but the patient did not respond the therapy. He succumbed to pneumonia and acute respiratory insufficiency complicated with GVHD, 70days after transplantation.
Anemia, Aplastic* ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow Transplantation* ; Bone Marrow* ; Colic ; Diarrhea ; Exanthema ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Graft Rejection ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Ileus ; Leukemia ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; Metabolism, Inborn Errors ; Methylprednisolone ; Mortality ; Pneumonia ; Prednisolone ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Siblings ; Skin ; Transplants