BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain can be a manifestation of lumbar degenerative disease, herniation of intervertebral discs, arthritis, or lumbar stenosis. When nerve roots are compromised, low back pain, with or without lower extremity involvement, may occur. Local inflammatory processes play an important role in patients with acute lumbosciatic pain. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) measurements in patients with chronic low back pain or radiculopathy. METHODS: ESR and hsCRP were measured in 273 blood samples from male and female subjects with low back pain and/or radiculopathy due to herniated lumbar disc, spinal stenosis, facet syndrome, and other diseases. The hsCRP and ESR were measured prior to lumbar epidural steroid injection. RESULTS: The mean ESR was 18.8 mm/h and mean hsCRP was 1.1 mg/L. ESR had a correlation with age. CONCLUSIONS: A significant systemic inflammatory reaction did not appear to arise in patients with chronic low back pain.
Arthritis ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Low Back Pain ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Radiculopathy ; Spinal Stenosis

No abstract available.
Fractures, Compression* ; Osteoporosis* ; Vertebroplasty*

The term "collagenous colitis" was coined by Lindstrom in 1976 to describe the patient with chronic watery diarrhea who had normal rectal mucosa by proctoscopy but who had a thick subepithelial collagenous deposit on biopsy, and now collagenous colitis is recognized as one of the more common causes of chronic diarrhea of obscure origin. But in this country only a few case has been reported. We have seen a 68-year-old man with chronic watery diarrhea with abdominal pain. Physical examination, laboratory and radiologic studies were no abnormal finding. Colonoscopy disclosed grossly normal mucosa through the entire colon but by histologic examination there are chronic inflammation in the lamina propria and thickened subepithelial collagen layer. Symptoms and pathologic findings of patient improved after treatment with sulfasalazine and prednisolone. (Korean J Castraintest Endosc 17: 79-84, 1997)
Abdominal Pain ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Colitis, Collagenous ; Collagen ; Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Diarrhea ; Granuloma, Plasma Cell* ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Liver* ; Mucous Membrane ; Numismatics ; Physical Examination ; Prednisolone ; Proctoscopy ; Sulfasalazine

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Proteinuria*

BACKGROUND: Various surgical techniques are used for the cure of hemorrhoid according to the extent of disease and severity of symptom. Purpose : We compared the postoperative clinical course after submucosal hemorrhoidectomy and ligation and excision of hemorrhoids. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between February 1995 and May 1997, 221 patients underwent submucosal hemorrhoidectomy and 111 patients underwent ligation and excision of hemorrhoids at the Department of Surgery, Eulji General Hospital. We compared the hospital course and postoperative complications in two group. RESULTS: For submucosal hemorrhoidectomy group, mean operation time was 38 minutes, the improvement of postoperative pain, is based on no needs of analgesics after 48 hours of postoperation, was seen in 115 patients(52.0%), wound healing took 19.5 days in average, and mean hospital stay was 6.4 days. For ligation and excision group, these findings were mean operation time 21 minutes, the improvement of postoperative pain in 47 patients(42.3%), wound healing 25.4 days, and hospital stay 7.2 days. Postoperative complications such as skin tag, edema, and were more common in submucosal hemorrhoidectomy group. But anal fissure, stenosis were more frequent in ligation and excision group, although they did not occur later. CONCLUSION: We think that submucosal hemorrhoidectomy is a better method than ligation and excision in respect of postoperative course and complications.
Analgesics ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Edema ; Fissure in Ano ; Hemorrhoidectomy ; Hemorrhoids* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Ligation ; Pain, Postoperative ; Postoperative Complications ; Skin ; Wound Healing

No abstract available.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle*

Herein we report an experience of the vaginal ureterolithotomy. The patient was a 48-year-old woman with a juxtavesical left ureteral stone, which was vaginally palpable. Although this operation has limited indications, it is a safe and easy method of removing stones from the lowermost ureter especially in the women. This method seems to have considerable value to be attempted in the carefully select patients.
Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Ureter

BACKGROUND: Recently, the incidence of acute myocardial infaction has been gradually increasing as prolongation of life spans and improvements of diet and life styles in Korea. The rate of mortality and sudden death is higher than other diseases. The purpose of this study is to evaluate factors which can affect on the mortality of AMI during initial 24 hrs. METHODS: A retrospective clinical study was done on 364 consecutive patients with AMI who had been presented to Keimyung University Dong-sang Medical Center from January 1990 to May 1997(M:F ratio=254:110). The subjects were divided two groups. The Group I was patients who had expired during the initial 24hrs period of AMI(47 patients, 13%), the Group II was patients who had survived(317 patients, 87%). We compared clinical features, EKG, laboratory results in both groups and tried to analyse the vulnarable factors. RESULTS: The results were as follows; 1) The mean age in Group I (64.4 yearly) was older than in Group II(61.3 yearly) and female gender was also higher in Group I. The mean systolic/diastolic blood pressures of the Group I(103/61mmHg) were lower than those of the Group II(123/75mmHg). 2) The chest pain and mental change were noted more frequently in Group I than in Group II and the dyspnea was less frequent in Group I than Group II. 3) The higher grades of Killip classification was significantly more frequent in Group I than in Group II. 4) The mean onset to drug time for thrombolytics in Group I and Group II were 14.1 hrs and 6.6 hrs. 5) The mortality rate of the Group I and the Group II were respectively 13%, 6.6%. The most common causes of death were cardiogenic shock and ventricular arrhythmia. CONCLUSION: The mortality rate of initial 24 hrs of onset as form of sudden death was higher than post-24hrs group(66.2%). The factors for the higher mortality group were old age and female gender, and they were unstable in vital signs, higher Killip classifications. Therefore, these groups demand more rapid and aggressive approach than the other groups.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cause of Death ; Chest Pain ; Classification ; Death, Sudden ; Diet ; Dyspnea ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Life Style ; Life Support Care ; Mortality* ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Shock, Cardiogenic ; Vital Signs

A total of 42 cases undifferentiated large cell tumors were stained by immunoperoxidase techniques using antibodies against leukocyte common antigen (LCA) and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). In 18 of the 21 cases studied, initially diagnosed as malignant lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease, reactivity with monoclonal anti-LCA (and noreactivity with monoclonal anti-EMA)indicated that the tumor was a lymphomas. The remaining 3 cases gave the reverse reaction pattern and therefore were classified as carcinoma. One out of 16 cases diagnosed as undifferentiated carcinoma proved to be a case of mialignant lymphoma in 5 patients in whom the original diagnosis was uncertain, a definite diagnosis was possible in all cases and 3 of these proved to be large cell lymphoma; the remainders, undifferentiated carcinoma. It is suggested that the staining of undifferentiated human neoplasms using combinations of antibodies reactive with epithelial and lymphoid cells may result in much greater diagnostic accuracy.
Humans

A total of 42 cases undifferentiated large cell tumors were stained by immunoperoxidase techniques using antibodies against leukocyte common antigen (LCA) and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). In 18 of the 21 cases studied, initially diagnosed as malignant lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease, reactivity with monoclonal anti-LCA (and noreactivity with monoclonal anti-EMA)indicated that the tumor was a lymphomas. The remaining 3 cases gave the reverse reaction pattern and therefore were classified as carcinoma. One out of 16 cases diagnosed as undifferentiated carcinoma proved to be a case of mialignant lymphoma in 5 patients in whom the original diagnosis was uncertain, a definite diagnosis was possible in all cases and 3 of these proved to be large cell lymphoma; the remainders, undifferentiated carcinoma. It is suggested that the staining of undifferentiated human neoplasms using combinations of antibodies reactive with epithelial and lymphoid cells may result in much greater diagnostic accuracy.
Humans