BACKGROUND: Many reports on the change of pseudocholinesterase activity in pregnant women showed that it declines during pregnancy and in the immediate postpartum period. In Korea, there are two papers that show dissident results. However, they didn't prove that the subjects in their studies had genotypically normal enzyme. So, we compared the pseudocholinesterase activities between nonpregnant and term-pregnant women who have the genotypically normal enzyme. METHODS: We measured the dibucaine, fluoride, chloride number as well as the pseudocholinesterase astivity using butyrylthiocholine as substrate by automatic analyser, urea and scoline numbers using benzoylcholine as substrate by manual technique in nonpregnant(n=15) and term-pregnant(n=15) women aging 20 to 40 years old before induction of anesthesia. RESULTS: The dibucaine, fluoride, chloride, urea and scoline numbers(mean+/-SD,%) in female subjects were 86+/-1.2, 50+/-5.2, 5+/-2.4, 47+/-2.8 and 92+/-2.0, respectively. There were two subjects showing low pseudocholinesterase activity(<4.8 U/ml) and the one(3.9 U/ml) was in nonpregnant group, the other(4.5 U/ml) in term-pregnant group. We found that they had genotypically normal enzymes because their inhibition numbers were within normal ranges. Pseudocholinesterase activity(mean+/-SD) in term-pregnant group(7.04+/-1.30) was significantly decreased compared with that in nonpregnant group(9.15+/-2.01)(P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in subjects with the genotypically normal enzyme, term-pregnant women had significantly lower pseudocholinesterase activity than nonpregnant ones did.
Adult ; Aging ; Anesthesia ; Benzoylcholine ; Butyrylthiocholine ; Dibucaine ; Female ; Fluorides ; Humans ; Korea ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Pseudocholinesterase* ; Reference Values ; Urea

Supravalvular aortic stenosis may be defined as an obstructive congenital deformity of the ascending aorta whitch originates just distal to the level of the origins of the coronary arteries, and whitch includes a wide spectrum of pathologic changes. A 27 years-old-female was admitted because of further evaluation of known some heart disease. Clinical diagnosis of supravalvular aortic stenosis was made by echocardiography and angiography. We presented a case of supravalvular aortic stenosis with a review of literature.
Angiography ; Aorta ; Aortic Stenosis, Supravalvular* ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Coronary Vessels ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Heart Diseases

Typically, patients afflicted with syndrome X complained of stress induced angina pectoris, and their electrocardiograms show corresponding ST-segment depressions during exercise. However, angiography is unable to demonstrate significant coronary artery luminal narrowing and significant coronary artery spasm to provocation test. And left ventricular performance at rest remains remarkably unimpaired. Syndrome X is characterized by reduction of coronary vascular reserve but without depression of left ventricular performance or negative effect on survival. The reduction of coronary vascular response is supposed to be resulted from reduced coronary vasodilator reponse due to abnormal contraction of coronary prearteriolar vessels. This case is a 43-year-old female who has had exertional chest pain since 5 months ago. The chest pain was relieved by rest and subligual nitroglycerin administration. The exercise electrocardiography showed significant ST segment depressions on lead II, III aVF and V4-V6 at stage 1, when she experienced chest pain. On 24 hour ambulatory electrocardiogram, significant ST segment depression was recorded at the time when the patient had chest pain. But coronary arteriography demonstrated normal coronary artery and no significant coronary artery spasm to provocation test with ergonovine maleate. On exercise thallium-201 scintigraphy, perfusion decrease was suspected on anterolateral wall of left ventricle. The patient was diagnosed as a syndrome X and was managed with isosorbide and nifedipine and her exercise tolerance increased significantly on follow up exercise test performed 1 month later. But she has complained of a few of attack of chest pain until now.
Adult ; Angina Pectoris ; Angiography ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Vessels ; Depression ; Electrocardiography ; Ergonovine ; Exercise Test ; Exercise Tolerance ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Isosorbide ; Nifedipine ; Nitroglycerin ; Perfusion Imaging ; Phenobarbital ; Spasm

The provocation test of variant angina are known as ergonovine test, hyperventilation, acetylcholine, exercise and cold pressor test, but beta-blocker provocation test has not been reported as a case. So, this paper reports on the diagnosis of variant angina by beta-blocker provocation test and the case of subendocardial infarcion induced by this test. This study reports with literature and investigation about the following case : A 45-year-old man with a history of recurrent episode of typical angina on the early morning for the past 20 days. He was administrated beta-blocker given by oral route, and on the next morning there was chest pain as same degree as before, Holter EKG displayed ST segment elevation and ventricular tachycardia. It was confirmed focal spasm on coronary angiography, ST segment elevation on EKG, and newly developed hypokinesia on left ventriculogram and followed-up echocardiagraphy. When the chest pain is absent, EGK was normal. And we confirmed that elevation of cardiac enzyme was absent as a result of serial follow up study.
Acetylcholine ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Diagnosis ; Electrocardiography ; Ergonovine ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperventilation ; Hypokinesia ; Infarction* ; Middle Aged ; Spasm ; Tachycardia, Ventricular

BACKGROUND: In this study, we examined diabetic patients scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass surgery to determine whether there is an association between autonomic dysfunction and intraoperative hemodynamic instability, and if perioperative autonomic function tests are effective predictors for diabetic patients at greatest risk for hemodynamic events during the intraoperative period. METHODS: We examined 52 patients, 25 without diabetes (nonDM group) and 27 with diabetes (DM group). Preoperative autonomic function tests included are the valslava maneuver (valsalva ratio, valsalva index, strain response), change in heart rate with deep breathing (I/E ratio), change in heart rate (30:15 ratio, stress response) and diastolic blood pressure (L-S(d)) while standing. Anesthesia was established with midazolam, fentanyl, isoflurane and vecuronium. Several hemodynamic variables such as heart rate (HR), mean arerial pressure (MAP), central venous pressure (CVP), mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRI), cardiac output (CO), and cardiac index (CI) were obtained at the following times: before induction; after induction; after intubation; after skin incision and after sternotomy. RESULTS: The DM group had a significantly diminished response compared with the nonDM group in the valsalva ratio, valsalva index, 30:15 ratio, and L-S(d). The remaining tests (I/E ratio, strain response, stress response) showed similar but nonsignificant diminished trend response in the DM group. Most patients had one or more abnormal test results in this group (76%), whereas in the control group most patients did not show any abnormal test results (74.1%). The comparison of hemodynamic response between the DM group and non-DM group reveal a significant difference between times within each group but not between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that increased hemodynamic instability during the intraoperative period is not an obligatory association with diabetes and autonomic dysfunction and is not detected bypreoperative autonomic function tests in patients with coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus when anesthesia is induced and maintained with a large dose of opioid and anesthetic agent which has minimal hemodynamic effects.
Anesthesia ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Output ; Central Venous Pressure ; Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Fentanyl ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Intraoperative Period ; Intubation ; Isoflurane ; Midazolam ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Wedge Pressure ; Respiration ; Skin ; Sternotomy ; Vascular Resistance ; Vecuronium Bromide

The high prevalence of migraine. Raynaud's phenomenon, visual field defect and Crohn's disease in variant angina raises the possibility that a common underlying defect of mechanism may partially account for all conditions. These are generalized vascular smooth muscle hypercontractility syndromes. Recently high prevalence of esophageal motility disorders has been noted in patients with coronary artery spasm or microvascular angina, leading to the hypothesis of a generalized abnormality in smooth muscle function1,4,5). We expirienced a case of 55-year-old man with angiographically proven variant angina. Who showed reflux esophagitis, classic migraine and Raynaud's disease.
Coronary Vessels ; Crohn Disease ; Esophageal Motility Disorders ; Esophagitis, Peptic* ; Humans ; Microvascular Angina ; Middle Aged ; Migraine Disorders ; Migraine with Aura* ; Muscle, Smooth ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Prevalence ; Raynaud Disease* ; Spasm ; Visual Fields

Methemoglobinemia is an uncommon but potentially fatal disorder. Most cases have no adverse clinical consequence and require no treatment, but methemoglobinemia is often overlooked as a cause of low oxygen saturation, and often mistaken for the more common causes of hypoxia by anesthesiologists despite simple bedside tests that indicate the presence of this treatable abnormality. We present a 68-year-old female patient who underwent gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer with bleeding. In the preoperative period, the patient showed cyanosis and oxygen saturation was 85% by pulse oximeter, but oxygen saturation by arterial blood gas analysis was 100%. After tracheal intubation, the methemoglobin level was 18.3%. Ascorbic acid and methylene blue were administered. During preanesthetic evaluation, the patient had not informed the anesthesiologist that she had been taking dapsone.
Aged ; Anesthesia, General ; Anoxia ; Ascorbic Acid ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Cyanosis ; Dapsone ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intubation ; Methemoglobin ; Methemoglobinemia ; Methylene Blue ; Oximetry ; Oxygen ; Preoperative Period ; Stomach Neoplasms

The hyperprolactinemia is one of the common endocrinologic cause of impotence. If hyperprolactinemia is noted in serum of an impotence patient, the pituitary adenoma should be suspected. Recently we experienced a case of pituitary adenoma combined with impotence in 65 year old male. Herein we report this case with brief review of the literatures.
Aged ; Erectile Dysfunction* ; Humans ; Hyperprolactinemia ; Male ; Pituitary Neoplasms*

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation (LT) has become the treatment of choice for advanced liver disease. However, renal dysfunction often complicates the course of liver transplant recipients. The preoperative serum creatinine level have been shown to be an important predictor of a short-term graft and patient survival rates and the need for perioperative dialysis. This study examined the impact of the pretransplant renal function on the anesthetic characteristics and renal function after LT. METHODS: Patients undergoing LT were divided two groups according to the creatinine (Cr) level at time of LT. The following information was collected for each patient: age, etiology, weight and height, serum Cr, Cr clearance, patient survival, and cause of death. The laboratory data was collected at preoperative day, operation day and postoperative 1, 7, 30 days and 6 months. The hemodynamic profile was collected during LT. RESULTS: There were 27 patients in the renal dysfunction (RD) group. Ascites, total blood transfusion and fluid administration was significantly higher in the RD group. The hemodynamic parameters were similar in both groups. The BUN and Cr levels were significantly higher in the RD group in the perioperative period. At the preoperative period, the AST, ALT, bilirubin and prothrombin time was significantly higher in the RD group. The postoperative ICU stay and mortality rate was higher in the RD group. CONCLUSIONS: A pretransplant renal dysfunction is the result of deterioration in the liver function in the preoperative period, and indicates a greater requirement of blood and fluid during surgery.
Ascites ; Bilirubin ; Blood Transfusion ; Cause of Death ; Creatinine ; Dialysis ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Transplantation ; Liver* ; Mortality ; Perioperative Period ; Preoperative Period ; Prothrombin Time ; Survival Rate ; Transplantation ; Transplants

PURPOSE: To analyze the radiographic and HRCT findings of Pneumocystic carinii pneumonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records and retrospectively analysed the chest radiographs(n=31) and HRCT scans(n=17) of 31 patients with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia who had been followed up at our institute between, 1993 and March 1998. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was confirmed by cytologic evaluation of sputum stained with methenamine silver(n=25) or on the basis of clinical history(n=6). The study group included 17 men and 14 women aged 28 -78(average, 53.6) years. Twenty-eight patients had underlying conditions such as hematologic diseases(n=13), AIDS(n=8), malignancy(n=2), DM(n=2) and malnutrition(n=1), and three were free from underlying diseases. RESULTS: Twenty patients had pure Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and 11 had combined lung diseases, namely pulmonary tuberculosis(n=4), pulmonary metastasis(n=2), bacterial pneumonia(n=2), atypical mycobacterial infection(n=1), pulmonary edema(n=1), and Kaposi's sarcoma(n=1). Chest radiographic findings of 20 cases of pure Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia included consolidation(n=12), l inear-reticular opacity(n=8), ill defined haziness(n=7), and nodules(n=6), with bilaterality in is cases and zonal predominance in ten [central(n=5), lower(n=5)]. Ancillary findings included pleural effusion(n=10), cysts(n=5), lymphadenopathy(n=4) and pneumothorax(n=1). In two patients, findings were entirely normal. HRCT findings in ten cases of pure Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia included ground-glass opacity(n=6), consolidation(n=6), linear-reticular opacity(n=8), and nodules(n=5), with bilaterallity in seven cases and zonal predominance in five [central(n=5), lower(n=2)]. Ancillary findings among these cases included pleural effusion(n=4), lym-phadenopathy(n=2), cysts(n=1), and pneumothorax(n=1). HRCT findings in seven cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia combined with other lung diseases included nodules(n=6), ground-glass opacity(n=5), linear-reticular opacity(n=4), and consolidation(n=3). CONCLUSION: Although ground-glass opacity in both pure Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and this same condition combined with other lung diseases is a common radiologic finding, the possibility of variable radiologic findings in cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and other lung diseases with which it frequently combines is essential for approximate diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Fluconazole ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Medical Records ; Methenamine ; Pneumocystis carinii* ; Pneumocystis* ; Pneumonia ; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis* ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Retrospective Studies ; Sputum ; Thorax