We have performed the prick test on 70 patients with atopic lermatitis and at the same time measured the levels of serum IgE and peripheral eosinophil counts. The following results were obtained: 1. Patients with atopic dermatitis showed higher rates of positivty in the prick tests, espe cially to inhalant, allergens. 2. The levels of IgE were increased in these patients and those who were positive to at least one allergen in the prick tests showed higher levels of IgE ha those who were negative in the prick tests. 3. The patients with atopic dermatitis with a past history of allergic rhinitis demonstrated higher rates of skin test positivity. 4. There was no correlation between the levels of serum IgE and the peripheral eosinophil counts in these patients with atopic dermatitis,
Allergens ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E* ; Rhinitis ; Skin Tests

Scalp extension involves the continuous nonvolumetric expansion of the hair-bearing scalp, via biologic creep, using implanted surgical device consists of cutting a 5 cm wide strip of plain silastic (0.02 inch thick) from a larger 16x8 inch sheet, then gluing dacron-reinforced silastic strip (5x1 cm, 0.015 inch thich) to the distal ends. A stainless steel plate from hooks is then secured to each end of the extender. During the period from March 1996 to September 1997, 21 patients including 16 patients of male pattern baldness were treated for alopecia of the scalp using internal scalp extender in the department of plastic surgery Korea university hospital. All cases were successfully reconstructed without major complications. It not only reduces the number of scalp reductions and time necessary to totally excise bald vertex scalp, but also appears to decrease the amounts of stretch back and atrophic scarring that may accompany some reductions. Scalp extension appears to be a useful adjunctive technique in hair replacement and reconstructive surgery, and has distinct advantages over standard scalp reduction and tissue expansion techniques.
Alopecia* ; Cicatrix ; Hair* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male* ; Scalp* ; Stainless Steel ; Surgery, Plastic ; Tissue Expansion

No abstract available.
Humans ; Radiography* ; Spine*

We report a case of acute transient encephalopathy with mental alteration, myoclonic jerks, and periodic triphasic wave electroencephalographic patterns caused by a therapeutic dose of baclofen. The clinical and electroencephalo-graphic abnormalities improved to a normal range shortly after baclofen was discontinued. We discuss the pathogenesis and review the literature about baclofen-induced encephalopathies.
Baclofen ; Myoclonus ; Reference Values

Hypercalcemia is a relatively common complication of cancer that is clinically important because, left unattended, it is associated with symptomatic deterioration and even death. So hypercalcemia can afflict the quality of life and complicate management of the cancer patients with anorexia, lethargic, stuporous mentality, and severely dehydrated. Nonetheless, most cancers are at an advanced stage by the time hyperclacemia develops, many clinicians share doubts about the role of antihypercalcemic therapy in this situation. Furthermore, because the symptoms of hypercalcemia may mimic that of progressive malignant disease or the toxic effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, this may not always be recognized. So concerns are needed for active management of patients with malignant hypercalcemia. The authors reviewed the morbidity and mortality in 20 patients with malignant hypercalcemia out of 219 patients with bone metastasis, who were treated at the department of orthopaedic surgery, Catholic University Medical College from January 1989 through December 1992. The results were as follows. 1. The overall incidence of malignant hypercalcemia was 8.6% of bone metastases (20 out of 219 cases).: lung cancer 11.2% (10 out of 89 cases), breast cancer 22.5% (7 out of 31 cases), stomach cancer 6.3% (3 out of 47 cases). 2. The underlying diseases associated with hyprecalcemia were 10 cases of lung cancer(50%), 7 cases of breast cancer(35%) and 3 cases of stomach cancer(15%). Out of lung cancers, 8 cases were squamous cell cancers, the other 2 cases were oat cell cancers. 3. Only 7 out of 20 patients were treated with hydration, diuretics, steroid, calcitonin and mithramycin. And the mean survival duration after recognition of hypercalcemia was 11.3 weeks independent of treatment. In conclusion, the authors emphasize that inspite of grave prognosis, when treated actively, calcium lowering therapy may allow patients to be discharged during terminal period of their illness.
Anorexia ; Avena ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Calcitonin ; Calcium ; Diuretics ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; Incidence ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasms, Squamous Cell ; Plicamycin ; Prognosis ; Quality of Life ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Stupor

The goal in facial paralysis treatment is to achieve the normal appearance of the face as well as to reconstruct the natural symmetrical smile. In cases of facial paralysis, a widely accepted procedure is the two stage method, which combines neurovascular free muscle transfer with cross face nerve grafting. Although the results are promising, the two operations of this method, which are about 1 year apart, impose an economic burden on the patients and require a lengthy period before results are obtained. In order to overcome these drawbacks, one stage method, using latissimus dorsi neurovascuular free muscle flap was introduced. Between January 2000 and January 2004, fifteen patients with long standing facial paralysis were treated in the Korea University Anam Hospital. The segmental latissimus dorsi with long nerve and pedicle was transferred to the paralyzed side of the face. The first postoperative movement of the transferred muscle was reported at 8.9 months, faster than that of the two stage method. During the next 24 months, a constant increase in the power of muscle contraction was observed. The fifteen cases were evaluated within an average of 31.7 months following the surgery and satisfactory results including muscle contraction were obtained in eleven of the cases but muscle contraction was not found in three cases.
Facial Paralysis* ; Free Tissue Flaps* ; Humans ; Korea ; Muscle Contraction ; Superficial Back Muscles* ; Transplants

Human orthotopic liver transplantation was first attempted in 1963. Living related liver transplantation has been introduced by Raia in 1988. In children, biliary atresia is the leading indication of living related liver transplantation. We performed 2 cases living related liver transplantation on May, 1996. The donors were 32 and 30 year old father, recipients were his 3 year old son and 4 year old daughter. The causes of liver failure were drug induced fulminant hepatitis and recurrent cholangitis due to biliary atresia. The first case was incompatible of ABO blood typing, donor AB(Rh+) and recipient B(Rh+). The ABO incompatible donor was performed preoperatively plasmapheresis. After left lateral segmentectomy of donor and total hepatectomy of recipient, donor liver was orthotopically transplanted. The average operation time of donor and recipient were 8 hours and 12.5 hours. The amount of transfusion in donor and recipient were average 2 pints and 2.5 pints. The perioperative immunosuppression was maintained with prednisone, azathioprine and cyclosporin, but 1st case was changed from cyclosporin to OKT3 on postoperative 9th day. The postoperative complications of recipient were pulmonary edema, bacterial and fungal infection. The donors were discharged on postoperative 8th and 9th day. The first case patient was discharged postoperative 42th day due to respiratory complication. The 2nd recipient was discharged postoperative 22th day. We suggested that living related liver transplantation is good modality for resolving the graft shrtage in pediatric liver transplantation.
Adult ; Azathioprine ; Biliary Atresia ; Blood Grouping and Crossmatching ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cholangitis ; Cyclosporine ; Fathers ; Hepatectomy ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Liver Failure ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Muromonab-CD3 ; Nuclear Family ; Plasmapheresis ; Postoperative Complications ; Prednisone ; Pulmonary Edema ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains a life-threatening disease. Many patients with ARDS do not recover fully, and progress to terminal lung fibrosis. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor is known to modulate the neurohormonal system to reduce inflammation and to prevent tissue fibrosis. However, the role of ACE inhibitor in the lungs is not well understood. We therefore conducted this study to elucidate the effect of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockage on the prognosis of patients with ARDS. METHODS: We analyzed medical records of patients who were admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) at a tertiary care hospital from January 2005 to December 2010. ARDS was determined using the Berlin definition. The primary outcome was the mortality rate of ICU. Survival analysis was performed after adjustment using propensity score matching. RESULTS: A total of 182 patients were included in the study. Thirty-seven patients (20.3%) took ACE inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) during ICU admission, and 145 (79.7%) did not; both groups showed similar severity scores. In the ICU, mortality was 45.9% in the RAS inhibitor group and 58.6% in the non-RAS inhibitor group (P = 0.166). The RAS inhibitor group required a longer duration of mechanical ventilation (29.5 vs. 19.5, P = 0.013) and longer ICU stay (32.1 vs. 20.2 days, P < 0.001). In survival analysis, the RAS inhibitor group showed better survival rates than the non-RAS group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: ACE inhibitor or ARB may have beneficial effect on ARDS patients.
Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists ; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; Angiotensins ; Berlin ; Case-Control Studies* ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Intensive Care Units ; Lung ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Prognosis ; Propensity Score ; Renin-Angiotensin System* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult* ; Retrospective Studies* ; Survival Rate ; Tertiary Healthcare

Orbital fracture represents one of the common lesions encountered today with our modern mechanized life. Reduction of these fracture is important in preventing the untoward complications that may ensue such as diplopia and enopththalmos. Although various types of incision have been employed to approach the orbital floor and infraorbital rim, subcilliary and transconjunctival approach are most commonly used. The subcilliary approach has been used for a number of years successfully although it does have shortcommings such as cutaneous scar and ectropion in many cases. The conventional transconjunctival approach provides limited exposure, so it can be used only with small fractures. In order to avoid above problems, it is preferable to use a paracanthal transconjunctival incision: however, it is combined with severance of the lower limb of the lateral canthal tendon approximately 2mm from the canthus. We have used this technique in fifty one cases with diagnosis varying from blow-out fracture to extensive facial fracture. We found that this approach provides good exposure and gives an excellent postoperative result with a concealed apparent cutaneous scarring and no scleral or corneal complications and visualization of the orbital floor and rim with minimal morbidity and insignificant cosmetic impact. In contrast to previously reported similar approaches, it is simple to use in traumatic and congenital lesions that go beyond the orbital floor.
Cicatrix ; Diagnosis ; Diplopia ; Ectropion ; Lower Extremity ; Orbit* ; Orbital Fractures* ; Tendons

Diffuse neonatal hemangiomatosis is rare and a life-threatening disorder characterized by multiple cutaneous and visceral hemangiomas. The organs most commonly affected are the liver, lung. brain, GI tract. The complications are high output cardiac failure, hemorrhage, Kassabach-Meritt syndrome, etc. A 30-day-old girl was diagnosed to have diffuse neonatal hemangiomatosis by her multiple cutaneous and hepatic hemangiomas. She was treated with corticosteroid and interferon alfa-2a. During the treatment the number and size of hemangiomas were markedly reduced.
Brain ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Heart Failure ; Hemangioma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Interferons ; Liver ; Lung