No abstract available.
Diabetes Mellitus* ; Humans ; Lower Extremity* ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate* ; Vascular Calcification*

No abstract available.
Acquired Hyperostosis Syndrome* ; Radionuclide Imaging*

No abstract available.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Rectum*

No abstract available.
Lung* ; Perfusion*

PURPOSE: Complete fibrovascular ingrowth within the hydroxyapatite ocular implant is necessary for peg drilling which is performed to prevent infection and to provide motility to the ocular prosthesis. We compared planar bone scintigraphy and SPECT for the evaluation of the vascularization within hydroxyapatite ocular implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients (M:F=12:5, mean age: 50.4+/-17.5 years) who had received a coralline hydroxyapatite ocular implant after enucleation surgery were enrolled. Patients underwent Tc-99m MDP planar bone and SPECT imaging by dual head gamma camera after their implant surgery (interval: 197+/-81 days). Uptake on planar and SPECT images was graded visually as less than (grade 1), equal to (grade 2), and greater than (grade 3) nasal bridge activity. Quantitative ratio of implanted to non-implanted intraorbital activity was also measured. Vascularization within hydroxyapatite implants was confirmed by slit lamp examination and ocular movement. RESULTS: All but three patients were considered to be vascularized within hydroxyapatite implants. In visual analysis of planar image and SPECT, grade 1 was noted in 9/18 (50%) and 6/18 (33%), respectively. Grade 2 pattern was 7/18 (39%) and 4/18 (22%), and grade 3 pattern was 2/18 (11%) and 8/18 (44%) respectively. When grade 2 or 3 was considered to be positive for vascularization, the sensitivity of planar and SPECT imaging were 60% (9/15) and 80% (12/15), respectively. In 3 patients with incomplete vascularization, both planar and SPECT showed grade 1 uptake. The orbital activity ratios on planar imaging were not significantly different between complete and incomplete vascularization (1.96+/-0.87 vs 1.17+/-0.08, p>0.05), however, it was significantly higher on SPECT in patients with complete vascularization (8.44+/-5.45 vs 2.20+/-0.87, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: In the assessment of fibrovascular ingrowth within ocular implants by Tc-99m MDP bone scintigraphy, SPECT image appears to be more effective than planar scintigraphy.
Durapatite* ; Eye, Artificial ; Gamma Cameras ; Head ; Humans ; Orbit ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

BACKGROUND: After the development of the Q-switched lasers, it was possible to remove tattoos without causing scarring. Currently, Q-switched ruby lasers, Q-switched Nd: YAG lasers and Q-switched alexandrite lasers are used selectively to treat tattoos. The objective of this study was to determine the difference of effectiveness aceording to color, site and duration in removing tattoo pigments by the alexandrite laser. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 30 tattoos were treated with a Q-switched alexandrite laser(model IL-l, Candela Laser Corporation. Wayland. U.S.A.). Pretreatment evaluation included a clinical desrviption of the site, color, duration and photographs were taken. The effects were examined by fether photo graphs and telephone follow-up. The response was expressed as the percentage area cleared of the tattoo. The clearance was graded as follows: clear, >95%; excellent, 76-95%; good, 51-75%; fair, 26-50%; poor < 25%. The occurence of adverse events were also examined. RESULTS: 1""he results are summarized as follows: 1. Treatment with fluences that ranged from 6.0-8.0J/cm2 was given on average 1.7 times and better results were achived than expected in 80% of all patients with tattoo. 2. The effectiveness of laser therapy correlated with the number of treatments. 3. After 1 laser session, tattoos of black and darkblue showed better results than light blue in terms of color. 4. After 1 laser session, the sites of tattoos on upper extremitise showed better results than those of the eyebmw, eyeline and face. 5. Differences in duration after 1 laser session were not seen. 6. Hyperpigmentation in 2 cases and bulla formation in 1 case occurred and all complications had ceased after a few months. CONCLUSION: The alexandrite laser is an effective treatment for cosmetic, general and traumatic tattoos with a low incidence of significant adverse effects and provides excellent cosmetic results.
Cicatrix ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Incidence ; Laser Therapy ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Telephone

PURPOSE: We evaluated the distribution of hypoperfusion in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the relationship of thalamic hypoperfusion to severity of cognitive and behavioral sequelae. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tc-99m ECD SPECT and MRI were performed in 103 patients (M/F=81/22, mean age 34.7+/-15.4 yrs) from 0.5 to 55 months (mean 10.3 months) after TBI. The patients were divided into three groups showing no abnormalities (G1), focal (G2) and diffuse injury (G3) on MRI. Psychometric tests assessed 11 cognitive or behavioral items. In all patients, we evaluated the distribution of hypoperfused areas in SPECT, and in 57/103 patients, neuropsychological (NP) abnormalities in patients with thalamic hypoperfusion were compared with those of patients without thalamic hypoperfusion. RESULTS: The perfusion deficits were most frequently located in the frontal lobe (G1, 42.3%: G2 34.5%: G3 33.3%), temporal lobe (24~26%) thalami (21~22.4%), parietal and occipital lobe (< or =10%). Numbers of NP abnormalities in the cases of cortical hypoperfusion with or without concomitant thalamic hypoperfusion were following: the former 4.7+/-1.5 and the latter 3.2+/-1.4 in G1, 5.0+/-1.1 and 4.8+/-1.2 in G2, 6.8+/-1.8 and 6.3+/-1.1 in G3, respectively. This difference according to thalamic hypoperfusion was significant in G1 (p=0.002), but was not significant in G2 or G3. CONCLUSION: SPECT in patients with TBI had demonstrated hypoperfusion mostly involving the frontal, temporal and thalami. In normal group on MRI, frontal hypoperfusion was more prominent than that of any other group, Furthermore in this group, SPECT could predict severity of NP outcome by concomitant thalamic hypoperfusion with cerebral cortical abnormalities.
Brain Injuries* ; Brain* ; Equidae* ; Frontal Lobe ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Occipital Lobe ; Perfusion ; Psychometrics ; Rabeprazole ; Temporal Lobe ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

No abstract availble

Manganese is an essential element in the body. It is mainly diposited in the liver and to a lesser degree in the basal ganglia of the brain and eliminated through the bile duct. Rapid turnover of manganese in the body makes it difficult to evaluate the manganese exposure in worker, especially in those with irregular or intermittent exposure, like welder. Therefore, conventional biomarkers, including blood and urine manganese can provide only a limited information about the long-term or cumulative exposure to manganese. Introduction of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) made a progress in the assessment of manganese exposure in the medical conditions related to manganese aculmulation, e. g., relaxation time on MRI due to its paramagnetic property, resulting in high signal intensity(HSI) on T1-weighted image(T1WI) of MRI. Manganese deposition int he brain, therefore, can be visualized as an HSI in the globus pallidus, the substantia nigra, the putamen and the pituitary. Clinical and epidemiologic studies regarding the MRI findings in the cases of occupational and non-occupational manganese exposure were reviewed. Relationships between HSI on T1WI of MRI and age, gender, occupational manganese exposure, and neurological dysfunction were analysed. Relationship between biological exposure indices and HSI on MRI were also reviewed. Literatures were reviewed to establish the relationships between HSI, manganese deposition in the brain, pathologic findings, and neurological dysfunction. HSI on T1WI of MRI reflects regional manganese deposition in the brain. This relationship enables an estimation of regional manganese deposition in the brain by analysing MR signal intensity. Manganese deposition in the brain can induce a neuronal loss in the basal ganglia but functional abnormality is supposed to be related to the cumulative exposure of manganese is relatively too short to reflect the long-term cumulative exposure of manganese in the brain, use of brain MRI for the assessment of exposure in a group of workers seems to be hardly rationalized, while it can be a useful adjunct for the evaluation of manganese exposure in the cases with suspected manganese-related health problems.
Basal Ganglia ; Bile Ducts ; Biomarkers ; Brain* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Globus Pallidus ; Liver ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Manganese* ; Neurons ; Putamen ; Relaxation ; Substantia Nigra

No abstract available.
Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation of Lung, Congenital* ; Lung*