PURPOSE: There are many articles about the role of barium esophagography for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease. However, there are only rare articles reporting on laryngopharyngeal reflux disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of performing esophagography with the water-siphon test as an initial screening test for patients with suspected laryngopharyngeal reflux. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From October 2002 to December 2004, barium esophagography with the water-siphon test was performed for 707 patients who had the typical symptoms and telescopic findings of laryngopharyngeal reflux. The results of the 707 esophagograms (the group with laryngopharyngeal reflux) were compared with those of 122 patients who were confirmed as having gastroesophageal reflux upon performing pH-metry (the group with gastroesophageal reflux) and the 324 patients without laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms (the control group). The results of the water-siphon test were classified into normal, mild, moderate and severe degrees of gastroesophageal reflux. RESULTS: On the water-siphon test for the laryngopharyneal reflux group patients, 71 patients had normal (10.0%), 207 had mild (29.2%), 201 had moderate (28.4%) and 228 had severe (32.2%) degrees of reflux. The positive rates of the water-siphon test were 90.0%, 89.3% and 54.6% for the groups with laryngopharyngeal reflux, gastroesophageal reflux and the control group, respectively. A statistically significant difference was observed between the group with laryngopharyngeal reflux and the control group, and between the group with gastroesophageal reflux and the control group, respectively (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Esophagography with the water-siphon test is useful as an initial screening test for laryngopharyngeal reflux disease.
Barium ; Diagnosis ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Humans ; Laryngopharyngeal Reflux* ; Mass Screening*

BACKGROUND: Urticaria pigmentosa(UP) is primarily a disease of children. There have been no clinical studies of UP in Korea. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to find the clinical characteristics of UP in Korean child-hood patients. METHOD: Twenty-nine cases of urticaria pigmentosa confirmed clinically and histopathologically were analyzed. RESULTS: The maculopapular type was the most common with the usual age of onset before the age of 6 months, and the lesions tended to be distributed in the central portion of the body. Darier sign was positive in 92% of the patients(24/26). No systemic involvements were detected in any of the patients with minimal associated symptoms. Seven patients of the maculopapular type and one patient of the multiple nodular type followed up for more than 2 years showed a tendency to improve or clear by the age of 6 years. CONCLUSION: Neonatal or infantile-onset patients of UP in Korean pediatric population were considered to have a benign clinical course and to require no aggressive therapy.
Age of Onset ; Child* ; Clinical Study* ; Humans ; Korea ; Methods ; Urticaria Pigmentosa* ; Urticaria*

Recurrent dislocation of the patella is a relatively uncommon disease, which is most commonly seen in females in late adolescence. The condition is usually spontaneous and only rarely fallows traumatic dislocation. Dislocation is nearly always lateral and about one thirdis bilateral. The theoretical rationale of the treatment of the recurrent dislocation and subluxation of the patella is the realignment of the extensor mechanisms. We experienced with recurrent dislocation and subluxation of the patella on 22 knees in 18 patients at Seoul National University Hospital from July 1981 to Oct. 1987 and obtained the following results. 1. The age at operation ranged from 4 to 33 years and its mean was 15.8 years. Among 18 patients thirteen were female and five, male. 2. The most common presenting symiptom was pain (11 knees) and the most common presenting sign was quadriceps muscle atrophy (11 knees). 3. The prominent radiologic finding was patella alta in 6 knees (27.3%), genu valgum in 10 knees (45.3%), and hypoplasia of the lateral condyle of the femur in 2 cases (9%). 4. In two knees supracondylar osteotomy were performed and followed by proximal extensor mechanism realignment. In twelve knees only proximal reconstruction was performed. Four knees were treated by Hauser's technique and three knees with Roux-Gold-thwait technique. And these distal reconstruction procedures were performed with other procedures. 5. Mean follow up period was 1 year and 5 months. And the results are excellent in 8 knees, good in 12 knees and fair in 2 knees.
Adolescent ; Atrophy ; Dislocations ; Female ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genu Valgum ; Humans ; Knee ; Male ; Osteotomy ; Patella ; Quadriceps Muscle ; Seoul

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment modality by highly reactive oxygen intermediates generated through the interaction of light with a photosensitizer. We treated actinic keratosis occurred on the face of a 65-year-old woman with topical PDT using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) (MEDAC, Hamburg, Germany) and a 632nm diode laser (Creamoptec, Germany). 20% ALA was applied topically to the lesion sites which were then occluded for 6 hours. Light was administered at a wavelength of 632nm. The light intensity was 100mW/cm2 and the light dose was 100J/cm2. Although the diode laser was expensive, it was easy to handle the laser and the clinical results were excellent with respect to initial complete response and cosmetic outcome. There was only slight pain and a burning sensation during treatment.
Actins* ; Aged ; Burns ; Female ; Humans ; Keratosis, Actinic* ; Lasers, Semiconductor* ; Oxygen ; Photochemotherapy* ; Sensation

The protection afforded against CO2 and KTP(potassium titanium phosphate) laser-induced combustion by six different types of tracheal tubes was evaluated. Some of them were wrapped with aluminum foil. They were compared before and after the application of human blood to their external surfaces. The difference of protective efficacy against laser between normal saline filled and air filled cuff was evaluated, too. The tracheal tubes tested were laser-resistant tubes such as Bivona Fome-Cuf (Group 1), Xomed Laser-shield 11 (Group 2) and Mallincrodt Laser Flex (Group 3) tubes. Aluminum foil wrapped Rusch red rubber (RR) (Group 4) and Mallincrodt reinforced Polyvinylchloride (PVC) (Group 5) tubes and unwrapped Baxter plain PVC (Group 6) tubes were also tested. CO2 loser set to 38W in continuous mode and KTP laser set to 15W were directed at the shaft of the tracheal tube under study, which had 5L/min. of oxygen flowing through it. The laser was actuated for 90 seconds or until combustion or melting occurred. Bivona tubes (Group 1) resulted in combustion in 5 tubes before and after blood application with CO2 laser, but unaffected before blood and resulted in combustion in 4 of 5 after blood application with KTP laser. Laser-shield 11 tubes (Group 2) offered good protection form both laser before and after application of blood except 1 case. At one case in Group 2, combustion occurred after blood application with CO2 laser. A combustion occured in 1 of 5 prior to application of blood and 5 of 5 after blood in Laser Flex tubes (Group 3) with CO2 laser, but occurred no tube with KTP laser. Wrapped RR (Group 4) and reinforced PVC tubes (Group 5) were unaffected by both laser, but application of blood to the foil wrapped tube shaft resulted in melting in 4 of 5 tubes. Unwrapped PVC tube (Group 6) resulted in immediate combustion in all tubes tested with both laser. Saline inflated cuffs were not perforated only in Group 2 and 3 in KTP laser and perforated immediately in other groups, but there was no combustion with saline in all groups. Air filled cuffs were all perforated in both laser, and combustion occurred. The presence of blood on the surface of metallic foil wrapped or special laser-resistant tracheal tubes may make laser-induced combustion more likely during airway surgery. However, the Laser-shield 11 and aluminum foil wrapped tracheal tube provided good protection from even when covered with blood. In addition, Mallincrodt stainless steel Laser-Flex tube provided good protection from KTP laser only. The saline filling cuffs served as a heat sink that will absorb the lasers energy, thus preventing combustion of cuffs.
Aluminum ; Freezing ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Lasers, Gas ; Lasers, Solid-State ; Oxygen ; Rubber ; Stainless Steel ; Titanium

BACKGROUND: Recently, serologic techniques for tuberculosis have been developed and some of them, which are focusing on detection of serum antibodies mainly directed against specific 38-kDa Mycobacterium tuberculosis, have already been introduced into the market. In this study, diagnostic significance of a new serologic test(ELISA kit) for pulmonary tuberculosis was evaluated. METHODS: Serologic test with newly developed ELISA kit was performed upon 474 individuals, who include 333 active pulmonary tuberculosis patients, 80 healthy cases, and 61 tuberculosis contact cases. This serologic test was based on the ELISA technique and designed to detect antibodies to mixed complex antigens including 38-kDa, which were developed by Erume Biotech Co.,Seoul.Active pulmonary tuberculosis was diagnosed by sputum AFB smear and culture methods. RESULTS: The seropositivities using this ELISA kit were 82.1% and 73.6% in smear-positive and negative groups among active pulmonary tuberculosis, respectively. And, it also showed that seronegativities were 97.5% and 85.2% in healthy and contact groups, respectively. As a whole, the results of our study suing the ELISA kit as a diagnostic methiod for pulmonary tuberculosis showed 80.0% sensitivity for active pulmonary tuberculosis, 97.5% specificity, 96.1% positive predictive value, and 65.0% negative predictive value when the prevalence of tuberculosis in the samples was 60.1%. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal that the detection of antibody its reaction with 38-kDa antigen of M.tuberculosis is not sufficient to be accepted as single diagnostic method for pulmonary tuberculosis. However, they suggest that ELISA kit may be considered as an adjunctive test to standard diagnostic techniques of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Antibodies ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay* ; Humans ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Prevalence ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Serologic Tests* ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

Cerebral gigantism(Sotos syndrome) is a growth disorder that consists of large size at birth, rapid early growth rate with accompanying advanced bone age, acromegalic features, and developmental delay. Clumsiness in the absence of other abnormal neurologic findings is common. The cause is unknown. We report here a case of 238/12-year-old Sotos syndrome with final adult height above 97 percentile, abnormal brain MRI findings(large ventricles, prominent trigone, prominent occipital horn & thining of corpus callosum), clumsiness, and some behavioral problems.
Adult ; Animals ; Brain ; Growth Disorders ; Horns ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Parturition ; Sotos Syndrome

Neonatal Gaves disease is a relatively rare condition due to transplacental passage of Thyroid-stimulating antibody(TSAb) from a mother with active or inactive Graveses disease or autoimmune thyroiditis. A 11-day-old female newborn was referred to our department of pediatrics from a local clinic because of low level T4(3.55microg/dl) concurrent with high level TSH (501.74uIU/ml) on the 5th day neonatal metabolic screening. But, our repeated laboratory data showed very high serum T4(59.6microg/dl), T3(1,600ng/dl), suppressed TSH(0.43uIU/ml), and the presence of TSH receptor antibody. Her mother was treated with propylthiouracil(PTU) for Graves disease during pregnancy. Therefore, we thought it was a delayed-onset neonatal hyperthyroidism, because the fetal thyroid gland was initially suppressed by antithyroid drug taken during pregnancy. After initiating antithyroid drug therapy for the hyperthyroid nature, TSH levels became elevated again, while thyroid hormone levels decreased. Maternal and infant blood samples at the 23th day after birth were examined for serum autoantibodies directed towards the TSH receptor(Thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin:TBII, Thyroid-stimulating antibody:TSAb, Thyroid-stimulating blocking antibody:TSBAb) and high levels of TBII and TSAb were detected. About 2 months after birth, TBII and TSAb decreased within normal limit, and then we could stop antithyroid medication in safety. We report here a case of neonatal Graveses disease with very high level of T4 and T3, but firstly presented as hypothyroid nature on neonatal screening because of the maternally transferred antithyroid drug, PTU.
Autoantibodies ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Graves Disease ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Mass Screening ; Mothers ; Neonatal Screening ; Parturition ; Pediatrics ; Pregnancy ; Receptors, Thyrotropin ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune

The mortality rate of aneurysmal surgery had recently been reduced due to modern microsurgical technique and refinement of the timing of operation. Despite recovery without neurological deficits, many patients remain with emotional and psychological sequelae postoperatively. We evaluated 33 patients, operated on intracranial aneurysm for recent 2 years, about quality of life and degree of cognitive function. For proper evaluation of outcome of aneurysmal surgery, in addition to the neurological outcome, psychological aspects must be considered.
Aneurysm ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm* ; Mortality ; Quality of Life

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment modality involving the use of a photosensitizing agent, oxygen, and light of a specific wavelength to produce selective cell death. PDT has been reported to be useful in treating nonmelanoma skin cancers and a variety of benign skin conditions. We treated condyloma acuminata on the vulvar area with topical PDT using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and a 632nm diode laser. After two treatment sessions the lesion was completely cleared. The light intensity was 100mW/cm2, and the light dose was 50 and 60J/cm2 respectively. Topical PDT may be a safe and effective treatment modality for condyloma acuminata.
Cell Death ; Lasers, Semiconductor ; Oxygen ; Photochemotherapy* ; Skin ; Skin Neoplasms