BACKGROUND: Epidermal cysts are the most common of all cysts. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to report the clinical and histopathologic features of epidermal cysts. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical and histopathologic features of 205 cases that were diagnosed with epidermal cysts at the department of dermatology in Anam Hospital of Korea University for 11 years, from January 1983 to December 1993. RESULTS: 1. Of the 3,400 cases of skin biopsy specimens, 205 cases were epidermal cysts(6%). There were 141 male cases (68.8%) and 64 female cases (32.2%). The ratio of male to female was 1:0.45. 2. Most patients with epidermal cysts belonged to age ranging from 20 to 59 with the highest incidence in the 3rd decade. 3. The site of predilection of the epidermal cysts were face 94(45.9%), trunk 37(18.0%), neck 23(11.2%), leg 21(10.2%), arm 19(9.3%),scalp 7(3.4%), scrotum 2(1.0%), and vagina 2(1.0%). 4. Histopathologically, 61 cases (29.3%) were ruptured. The most common cystic wall change was acanthosis followed by atrophy, hyperplasia, hypergranulosis, parakeratotis, basalioma-like change, squamous eddies, dyskeratosis. The most common cystic content was keratinous material followed by parakeratotic cells, pigment, bacterial colony, RBC, inflammatory cells, hair shaft, calcification, trichilemmal keratinization, pilomatricoma-like change. The most common stromal change was giant cells followed by fibrosis, granulation tissue formation,vessel proliferation, pigment. CONCLUSION: According to our results, which agree with those of Chung, the epidermal cysts occur as a disease particular to young men, especially on the face. Histopathologically, when an epidermal cyst ruptures and the contents of the cyst are released into the dermis, a considerable foreign body reaction with numerous multinucleated giant cells results.
Arm ; Atrophy ; Biopsy ; Dermatology ; Dermis ; Epidermal Cyst* ; Female ; Fibrosis ; Foreign-Body Reaction ; Giant Cells ; Granulation Tissue ; Hair ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Incidence ; Korea ; Leg ; Male ; Neck ; Rupture ; Scrotum ; Skin ; Vagina

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.
Child* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Reference Values*

Cutaneous larva migrans(CLM) is a ubiquitous self-limiting skin eruption which has intensely pruritic, serpiginous, raised, sharply demarcated, red lesions. It is most frequently caused by larvae of dog and cat hookworms. We report two typical cases of cutaneous larva migrans that appeared as pruritic exanthems in two people after they had travelled in Southeast Asia. It is suggested one should consider cutaneous larva migrans in the differential diagnoses of erythematous pruritic lesions.
Ancylostomatoidea ; Animals ; Asia, Southeastern ; Cats ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dogs ; Exanthema ; Larva ; Larva Migrans* ; Skin

Trichorrhexis nodosa is a distinctive response of the hair shaft to physical or chemical trauma, characterized by the development of node-like swelling, through which the shaft readily fractures. We have described here a case of trichorrhexis nodosa with scanning electron microscopic findings. Nodular swelling of the affected hair showed longitudinal fissures and fractures in the cortex with loss of cuticular scales. At the site of fracture, a paintbrush-like effect was seen.
Hair ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: We performed a retrospective study to determine the comparative characteristics of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) between the infants less than 1 year and children more than 1 year old and whether early treatment in infantile VUR may be of benefit to preserve the renal function and to prevent the new renal scar. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All of 62 cases (infant group 19 and children group 43) with primary VUR were managed as the ureteral reimplantation from January 1991 to December 1996. RESULTS: The average age of patients was 7.1 months in infant group and 6.0 years in children group. The sex ratio of male to female showed no difference between infant and children group (1.7:1 Vs 1.5:1). The average follow up periods were 20.5 and 23.7 months in infant and children groups, respectively. The high grade reflux and renal scarring in infant group were significantly more frequent than those in children group (P<0.05), but the prevalence of urinary tract infection in children group was significantly higher than that in infant group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the rates of bilaterality and in the sex ratio between infant and children group. The success rate of operation was 100 percent in both groups. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the early surgical treatment in infants with bilateral and higher grade VUR may be of benefit to the preservation of renal function and the decrease of renal parenchymal change.
Child* ; Cicatrix ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant* ; Male ; Prevalence ; Replantation ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Ratio ; Ureter ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux*

No abstract available.
Hemosiderosis* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Seizures*

Freys syndrome is characterized by attacks of facial erythema and gustatory sweating occurring in the cutaneous distribution of the auriculotemporal nerve. After sugery, trauma, abscess, or other diseases of the parotid gland, the postganglionic sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve fibers are disrupted. Some misdirected auriculotemporal nerve fibrils join with the distal sympathetic nerves innervating the sweat glands and subcutaneous vessels. We report a case of Freys sindrome in a 6-year old boy without any definite injury to the parotid gland. After considering our case and review of literature of Freys syndrome in children, we conclude that there may be a congenital defect in the auriculotemporal nerve innervation responsible for cases occuring in children.
Abscess ; Child* ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Erythema ; Humans ; Male ; Nerve Fibers ; Parotid Gland ; Sweat Glands ; Sweating, Gustatory

Pigmentary demarcation lines are borders of abrupt transition between more deeply pigmented skin and that of lighter pigmentation. We describe two patients with pigmentary demarcation lines associated with pregnancy symrnetrially involving the buttocks and flexor as jects of legs. Hormonal changes in pregnancy and compression by the enlarged uterus of Sl and S2 peripheral nerves may be responsible for these changes.
Buttocks ; Humans ; Leg ; Peripheral Nerves ; Pigmentation ; Pregnancy* ; Skin ; Uterus