PURPOSE: This study was conducted to know the applications and limitations of three dimensional volume rendering virtual endoscopy of the ossicles using a multi-row detector CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study examined 25 patients who underwent temporal bone CT using a 16-row detector CT as a result of hearing problems or trauma. The axial CT scan of the temporal bone was performed with a 0.6 mm collimation, and a reconstruction was carried out with a U70u Sharp of kernel value, a 1 mm thickness and 0.5-1.0 mm increments. After observing the ossicles in the axial and coronal images, virtual endoscopy was performed using a three dimensional volume rendering technique with a threshold value of -500 HU. The intra-operative otoendoscopy was performed in 12 ears, and was compared with the virtual endoscopy findings. RESULTS: Virtual endoscopy of the 29 ears without hearing problems demonstrated hypoplastic or an incomplete depiction of the stapes superstructures in 25 ears and a normal depiction in 4 ears. Virtual endoscopy of 21 ears with hearing problems demonstrated no ossicles in 1 ear, no malleus in 3 ears, a malleoincudal subluxation in 6 ears, a dysplastic incus in 5 ears, an incudostapedial subluxation in 9 ears, dysplastic stapes in 2 ears, a hypoplastic or incomplete depiction of the stapes in 16 ears and no stapes in 1 ear. In contrast to the intra-operative otoendoscopy, 8 out of 12 ears showed a hypoplastic or deformed stapes in the virtual endoscopy. CONCLUSION: Volume rendering virtual endoscopy using a multi-row detector CT is an excellent method for evaluation the ossicles in three dimension, even though the partial volume effect for the stapes superstructures needs to be considered.
Ear ; Endoscopy* ; Hearing ; Humans ; Incus ; Malleus ; Stapes ; Temporal Bone ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: Myoepithelioma of the lacrimal gland is an extremely rare monomorphic adenoma. We report a case of myoepithelioma of the lacrimal gland. METHODS: A 34-year-old woman visited with an asymptomatic palpable mass on the left upper lid for a year. On ophthalmic examination, the visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes and other ophthalmic examinations were unremarkable. Computed tomographic scan revealed a well-circumscribed, low-attenuated mass lesion in the lacrimal gland. The mass was excised and histopathologic examination and immunohistochemical staining were performed. RESULTS: The lesion consisted of a brown mass, up to 1.5 x 1.0 x 1.0 cm. Histopathologically, there were round, ovoid nuclei associated with an interstitial hyaline deposition. Immunohistochemical staining was strongly positive for S-100 protein and vimentin, intermediately positive for cytokeratin and smooth muscle actin, and negative for glial fibrillary acid protein. Recurrence of the neoplasm was not observed during 5 months of follow-up after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The case was diagnosed with myoepithelioma of the lacrimal gland on the basis of clinical and histopathological findings. Myoepithelioma of the lacrimal gland is very rare and only a few cases have been reported.
Female ; Humans

The genetically determined ability to metabolize debrisoquine(DBR) is related to risk of lung cancer and DBR hydroxylation exhibits wide inter-individual variation. In this study, 100 korean adults were tested for their ability to metabolize DBR. The DBR metabolic phonotype were determined by metabolic ratio (MR, DBR/4-HDBR) which is the percent dose excreted as unchanged DBR divided by the percent dose excreted as 4-hydro-xydebrisoqinne(4-HriBR) in a aliquots of an eight hour urine sample, after 10 mg DBR test dose administration. Analysis was performed on a capillary gas chromatography fitted with electron capture detector. The results were as follows; 1. Geometric mean or DBR MR was 0.32 in male, 0.27 in female, 0.30 in total and the distribution of log(MR) was seemed to follow normal distribution. 2. Metabolic ratio of DBR was higher in non-smoker and non-drinker than in smoker and drinker without any statistically significant difference. 3. None of personal factors was significantly related to DBR MR except age. 4. The DBR metabolic phonotype was extensive metabolizer(EM) 93, intermediate metabolizer (IM) 7 by traditional method and EM 98, IM 3 by Caporaso's method. The poor metabolizer (PM) phenotype was not found by either method. 5. Maximal expected PM phenotype was 0.36% by traditional method and 0.04% by Caporaso's method.
Adult ; Capillaries ; Chromatography, Gas ; Debrisoquin* ; Female ; Humans ; Hydroxylation ; Lung Neoplasms ; Male ; Metabolism* ; Pharmacogenetics ; Phenotype

The CT findings of pulmonary paragonimiasis are well known. However, the pathologic findings of nodular opacity have not been studied sufficiently. To clarify the nature of nodular opacity on CT in patient with paragominiasis, we reviewed CT scans of 9 patients retrospectively. Five of them were compared with pathologic findings of the resected specimen. Other four patients were confirmed by needle aspiration biopsy. CT scans showed nodular opacities of 5 to 30mm in diameter which were accompanied with perinodular air-space consolidations in all patients. The usual location of nodular opacities were peripheral zone of the lung. Correlation with pathologic findings demonstrated That the nodular opacity on CT scans corresponded to the parasitic granuloma with central ova and intracystic worm. The most frequent CT finding of pulmonary paragonimiasis was nodular opacities with perinodular airspace consolidations caused by parasitic granuloma or intracystic worm.
Biopsy, Needle ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Lung ; Needles ; Ovum ; Paragonimiasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No Abstract Available.
Keratosis*

PURPOSE: To report pathological, histochemical, ultrastructural, and spectrographic analysis of explanted hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lenses obtained from patients who had visual disturbances caused by postoperative opacification of the IOL. METHODS: Forty-three hydrophilic IOLs (ACRL-160, Ophthalmed Inc.) were explanted from 39 patients with decreased visual acuity because of opacification of the IOL itself. All explanted IOLs were examined grossly and by light microscopy. Full-thickness sagittal sections of the optics of the randomly selected 10 IOLs were stained with the von kossa method (special stains for calcium). One of these sectioned IOLs was not stained, and submitted for scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. RESULTS: Microscopic analysis revealed multiple fine, granular deposits within the lens optics and haptics, and these deposits were stained positively with the von Kossa method. They were varible in size, and unevenly distributed in the optics on the scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of the internal substance of IOL demonstrated the presence of calcium within the deposits. CONCLUSIONS: We evaluated 43 explanted opacified ACRL-160 lenses, and have demonstrated that the opacification was caused by the presence of granular deposits within the IOL. The deposits have the component of calcium.
Calcium ; Coloring Agents ; Humans ; Lenses, Intraocular* ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission ; Visual Acuity

BACKGROUND: FDA recommend that botulinum toxin should be used within 4 hours after reconstruction. Because botulinum toxin is very expensive and also only small amounts of botulinum toxin are needed for one lesion, it should be used for several patients simultaneously to reduce cost. The reports on the decrease of potency according to storage temperature and duration were contradictory among the investigators. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to compare the change of the potency in various storage temperatures and duration and, to determine the optimal conditions for storage of botulinum toxin without potency reduction. METHODS: The potency of botulinum toxin was measured by the reduction rate of tension of the injected gastrocnemius muscle of Sprague-Dawley rats. The potency of botulinum toxin could be estimated through the comparison of the reduction rate of tension between two muscles; botulinum toxin injected muscle and normal saline injected control muscle, which was denoted as % paralysis. RESULTS: Botulinum toxin induced muscle paralysis in a dose-dependent manner. Muscle was paralysed by 9.8+/-0.6(mean+/-standard error), 10.2+/-2.7, 38.3+/-13.6, and 93.7+/-0.5% at 0(injected normal saline to both sides of gastrocnemius muscles of the same rat), 0.01, 0.1, and 1unit/0.1ml of fresh botulinum toxin injection, respectively. Percent paralyses by 1unit/0.1ml of stored botulinum toxin at 4degreeC and -20degreeC were 98.8+/-0.6% and 98.2+/-0.9% in 4 weeks, respectively. Percent paralyses by 0.1 unit/0.1 ml of stored botulinum toxin at 4degreeC and -20degreeC were 29.6+/-4.8% and 35.5+/-15.1% in 4 weeks, respectively. CONCLUSION: With these findings, the authors proved that if botulinum toxin is stored in refrigerator(4degreeC) or refreezer(-20degreeC) after reconstruction, it can be used without the decrease of its potency.
Botulinum Toxins* ; Humans ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscles ; Paralysis ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Research Personnel

This study was conducted to examine the effect of chronic low dose organic solvent exposures in the industries towards then neurobehavioral functions of workers subjective symptoms on neurobehavioral function as well as a visual reaction time test (Flicker test) were administered to 94 exposed and 162 unexposed workers in a oil refinery and some other auto-repair shops. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Symptom complaints were higher and Flicker test values were lower in exposed workers than in unexposed workers. 2. Flicker values were inversely correlated with urinary Hippuric acid concentration in exposed workers (r=-0.26, p<0.05). 3. Flicker values were inversely correlated with subjective symptom score (r=-0.15, p<0.05). Low Flicker value were also related with some subjective symptoms such as "Dimmed vision", "Nightmare", "weakness on extremity" in workers as a whole. While symptoms of "Dimmed vision", "Nightmare" only observed among exposed workers.
Reaction Time

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the T2 value of the articular cartilage of the glenohumeral joint in rotator cuff disease displayed on 3.0T MRI and to apply it in clinical practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study involved sixty-two patients who underwent shoulder MRI containing T2 mapping. The mean T2 value was measured by placing a free hand ROI over the glenoid or humeral cartilage from the bone-cartilage interface to the articular surface on three consecutive, oblique coronal images. The drawn ROI was subsequently divided into superior and inferior segments. The assessed mean T2 values of the articular cartilage of the glenohumeral joint were compared and evaluated based on the degree of rotator cuff tear, the degree of fatty atrophy of the rotator cuff, and the acromiohumeral distance. RESULTS: ICC values between two readers indicated moderate or good reproducibility. The mean T2 value for the articular cartilage of the glenoid and humeral head cartilage failed to show any significant difference based on the degree of rotator cuff tear. However, the mean T2 values of articular cartilage, based on fatty atrophy, tended to be higher in fatty atrophy 3 or fatty atrophy 4 groups while some sub-regions displayed significantly higher mean T2 values. There was no correlation between the acromiohumeral distance and the mean T2 values of the articular cartilage of the glenoid and humeral head. CONCLUSION: T2 mapping of the glenohumeral joint failed to show any significant difference in quantitative analysis of the degenerative change of the articular cartilage based on the degree of rotator cuff tear. However, it also offers quantitative information on the degenerative change of cartilage of the glenohumeral joint in patients with rotator cuff tear and severe fatty atrophy of the rotator cuff.
Atrophy ; Cartilage ; Cartilage, Articular ; Hand ; Humans ; Humeral Head ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Rotator Cuff ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Joint ; Tears

Caudal septal deviation is an important cause of nasal obstruction and is a major cause of nasal septal surgery. Although reinforcing and straightening the deviated nasal septum with bone fragment or cartilage is known to be quite effective, such procedure is complicated and time-consuming as it consists of three steps; ‘separation,’ ‘correction,’ and ‘reposition and fixation.’ In this article, we introduce a new technique that can reliably position the caudal septum along the midline and simplify the surgical process into two steps: ‘separation’ and ‘correction and fixation.’