The vitreous changes in 183 eyes of 148 patients with vitreous floaters were evaluated biomicroscopically using the Goldmann fundus contact lenses. The cases with retinal detachment were excluded from this study. Vitreous degeneration was responsible in all eyes with vitreous floater, and posterior vitreous detachment(PVD) was found in 87% of the eyes. In those eyes the most common cause of opacity were prepapillary ring(139 eyes). There were no significant difference in prevalence rate between male and female or between right and left eye with PVD. However the incidence was increased at the age of 50 or more. A strong statistical relationship was present between early onset and male or myopic eyes with minus 3 diopters or more. The eyes with sudden onset of floaters were frequently associated with retinal breaks. The study revealed that the complications of PVD may be encountered: retinal breaks, vitreous hemorrhage, photopsia, and cystoid macular edema. The complications were common in male.
Contact Lenses ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Macular Edema ; Male ; Prevalence ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Perforations ; Vitreous Hemorrhage

We report a case of dedifferentiated liposarcoma of retroperitoneum as a recurrent form in a 41 year old male. The patient received a extirpation for retroperitoneal mass and diagnosed as myxoid liosarcoma 4 years ago. The patient experienced 3 recurrences over a period of 4 years and diagnosed as myxoid liposarcoma in the second, third recurrence also. Histologically, the mass was composed of several clearly distinct elements : well differentiated liposarcoma, myxoid liposarcoma, myxoid malignant fibrous histiocytoma, poorly differntiated sarcoma, and fibrosarcoma. Immunohistochemically, S-100 protein was expressed in the area of spindle cell sarcoma, well differentiated liposarcoma, and malignant fibrous histiocytoma but alpha-1-antichymotrypsin was only expressed in the area of myxoid malignant fibrous histiocytoma.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between the anterior site of acute myocardial infarction(MI) and occurrence of stroke has become a recent subject of much debate in the relevant literature. The object of this study was to examine the incidence of ischemic stroke during the hospitalization after an acute MI and to identify predictors of MI-related stroke. METHOD: We performed retrospective analysis of 452 patients with acute MI admitted to department of Neurology or Cardiology from January 1990 to August 1997. Patients with a stroke during hospitalization after acute MI were recruited for this study. RESULT: Thirteen cases were recorded. Seventy-seven percent (10/13) of the strokes occurred within 4 days after onset of MI. Multivariate analysis identified the following as independent predictors of stroke : History of hypertension(OR. 2.6: CI, 1.1 to 5.9), previous stroke(OR, 22.3: CI, 5.9 to 84.9) and congestive heart failure (CHF)(OR, 15.4: CI, 2.2-108.6). Transthoracic echocardiography(TTE) was performed in 349/452(77%) during hospitalization. The incidence of left ventricular thrombosis(LVT) in patients with anterior MI who received thrombolytic and anticoagulant therapy was not significantly different from that in patients with anterior MI who didn't(2.6% vs 6.1%, p=0.265). Stroke developed in only one of these patients with LVT. Thrombolytic and anticoagulant therapy were more frequently used in patients without stroke compared with stroke.(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The incidence of stroke after acute MI is 2.9% and more frequent within the 4 days after MI. History of hypertension, previous stroke and congestive heart failure (CHF) were the factors independently favoring the occurrence of stroke, but there is no relation between the occurrence of stroke and anterior site of MI. Although intravenous thrombolytics followed by full anticoagulation treatment appeared to provide protection against ischemic stroke, it has no effect in the incidence of left ventricular thrombi in this study.
Cardiology ; Heart Failure ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Neurology ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke*

Fistula between the right renal artery and the infereior vena cava is a rare disorder, of which only 7 cases were reported in so far as the authors have reviewed. A 34-year-old man, who had got a stab wound on the abdomen and undergone an abdominal surgery 12 years ago during his military service, visited the hospital because of occipital headache and known hypertension for 5 years. On examination, his blood pressure was 200/140mmhg, and a thrill and loud continuous vascular bruits over the paraumbilical and right loin region were noted. his blood pressure was refractory to usual antihypertensive regimens. The chest X-ray film showed cardiac enlargement and pulmonary congestion. With the aids of abdominal ultrasonogram, static and dynamic renal scanning with (99m)T-DTPA, excretory urogram, aortogram and selective right renal angiogram, he was diagnosed as right renal artery inferior vena cava fistula. After fistulectomy and repair of walls of both vessels, his blood pressure was successfully controlled with drugs.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Arteriovenous Fistula* ; Blood Pressure ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Fistula ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Renovascular ; Military Personnel ; Renal Artery* ; Thorax ; Ultrasonography ; Vena Cava, Inferior* ; Wounds, Stab ; X-Ray Film

This study was carried out to evaluate and investigate the clinical utility of the plastic nasolacrimal stents (Song's tube) without fluoroscopic guidance in treatment of the obstructed nasolacrimal duct. The anesthesia was performed with Tetra-caine contained epinephrine in the nasal mucosa, proparcaine in the conjunctival sac and 2% lidocaine for infratrochlear block. The plastic stent were placed in the lacrimal system with the head portion lying in the lacrimal sac and body in the nasolacrimal duct and projecting into the inferior meatus of the nasal cavity. Complete resolution of epiphora was accomplished in 92(97%) of the 95 eyes with mean follow up of 8.5 months (minimal 6 months, maximal 18 months), and there were no significant complications under this procedure. This noninvasive procedure was indicated the anatomic obstruction of the nasolacrimal system, especially obstruction was at the junction between the lacrimal sac and nasolacrimal duct or stenosis of the nasolacrimal duct, which can be the probing as possbile. The use of the plastic nasolacrimal stents without fluoroscopic guidance have many advantages, as follow; There are no surgical dacryocystorhinostomy procedure, simple surgical technique and short duration of procedure, no risk of exposure radiation, and no needs of fluoroscope instrument and radiologist. Although evaluation of a longer-term follow up will be needed to determine the effectiveness of this thechnique, the utility of the plastic nasolacrimal stents without fluoroscopic guidance seem to be of value in primary management of the obstructed nasolacrimal duct, prior to the dacryocystorhinostomy procedure in proper indication of the nasolacrimal duct obstruction.
Anesthesia ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dacryocystorhinostomy ; Deception ; Epinephrine ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Lidocaine ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasal Mucosa ; Nasolacrimal Duct* ; Plastics ; Stents*

This study was performed to observe the effectiveness of thymectomy in the management of myasthenia gravis. Twenty-seven myasthenic patients were undergone thymectomy at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital between January 1981 and December 1990. The most prevalent age group was the 3rd decade and the myasthenic syrnptom developed below thirty in most. Seven patients had remission and 10 patients fared better after thymectomy. There was no significant effect with age and duration of the disease in the result of thymectomy. Those with less severe group had better response than more severe group and non-thymoma group had higher remission rate without statistical significance than thymoma group. There were better response and more complications in the group with maximal thymectomy than simple thymectomy. This study demonstrated that the effect of thymectomy was better in less severe, nontymoma and maximal thymectomy group in myasthenia gravis.
Humans ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Thymectomy* ; Thymoma

This study was retrospectively undertaken to evaluate clinical manifestations, electroencephalographic findings, response to antiepileptic drugs and prognosis of 80 benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECT) patients seen between 1967 and 1993 and followed up for more than 2 years. The age of onset ranges from 3 to 15 years. In 93 percent of patients, seizures appeared between 4 to 12 year-old, with peak of 5 year-old. The main manifestations of partial seizure were hemifacial spasm (53%) and oropharygeal signs (52%) with hypersalivation, abnormal sensation of mouth, gutteral sounds, swallowing difficulty and feeling of suffocation. The types of seizure consist of partial seizure(66%) and partial seizure with secondary generalization (34%). Distributions of seizure attack were nocturnal sleep (83%), diurnal sleep state(4%) and waking state (13%). The typical EEG findings were slow diaphasic high voltage centrotemporal spikes with unilateral (94%) and bilateral foci(6%) with normal background. In addition to typical EEG findings, there were associated with multifocal independent sharp-waves (8.9%) and generalized sharp-wave discharges (7.8%). BCECT patients were well controlled by antiepileptic drugs and had good prognosis. During the follow-up period (2-17years), we observed that all patient were well adapted to school and society. Seizures did not occur after adolescent period.
Adolescent ; Age of Onset ; Anticonvulsants ; Asphyxia ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Deglutition ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; Epilepsy, Rolandic* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Generalization (Psychology) ; Hemifacial Spasm ; Humans ; Mouth ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures ; Sensation ; Sialorrhea

Primary pulmonary amyloidosis is a rare disease, and is classified as either tracheobronchial or parenchymal ; the latter is also divided into nodular and diffuse alveolar septal forms. The alveolar form is extremely rare and usually produces reticular and nodular opacities. We describe a case of alveolar septal pulmonary amyloidosis manifested as multiple small nodules on chest radiograph and disseminated micronodules mainly in centrilobular and subpleural location without reticular opacities, on HRCT.
Amyloidosis* ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Rare Diseases

Although some cases of benign positional vertigo are associated with a chronic ipsilateral sensorineural hearing loss, an association with simultaneous ipsilateral sudden deafness is rare. We report a 53-year old woman with sudden deaf-ness with simultaneous positional vertigo in the same ear characterized by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of pos-terior semicircular canal type. After a modified Epley particle-repositioning maneuver, the patient's vertigo was resolved. Clinical and neuro-otologic evaluations suggested that the lesion responsible for this patient was probably located within inner ear rather than within the vestibulocochlear nerve. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(4):410~412, 2001)
Ear ; Ear, Inner ; Female ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Hearing Loss, Sudden* ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Semicircular Canals ; Vertigo* ; Vestibulocochlear Nerve

In 1883 Fournier, a French venereologist, described 5 patients with unexplained fulminating gangrene of the male genitalia. Fournier emphasized 3 characteristics 1) the abrupt onset in a young, healthy male subjects, 2) the rapid progression to gangrene and 3) the absence of a discernible cause. As currently used by many authors, Fournier's gangrene describes a widely destructive, gangrenous process of the genitalia, with little regard for Fournier's original tenets of patient's age or definable etiology. Early identification and prompt initiation of medical and surgical therapy is imperative. We report two cases of Fournier's gangrene with brief review of the literatures.
Fournier Gangrene* ; Gangrene ; Genitalia ; Genitalia, Male ; Humans ; Male