Great strides has been made in the past 20 years in the treatment of scoliosis. Treatment before scoliosis becomes severe eliminates the need for extensive surgery. Early detection of scoliosis by school screening has proven to be valuable for early diagnosis and prevention of severe deformities. Authors screened 5,256 middle and high school students in Seoul, who were chosen arbitrarily, to determine the incidence rates of scoliosis, and following results were obtained. 1. Scoliosis was diagnosed on a combination of at least one positive physical sign and a lateral curvature more than 5 degrees on an antero-posterior standing X-ray. 2. The overall incidence of scoliosis was 4.68% (Male 0.74%, Female 6.43%). 3. Idiopathic scoliosis was found in 238 students, congenital scoliosis in 5, and paralytic scoliosis in 3. 4. The most common pattern of curvature was thoracic curve. 5. In the single curve right to left ratio was 2.1, but 8.4 in the upper curve of double curve. 6. Close observations were required for all the 246 students and treatment was required in 14 students who had more than 20 degrees, 9 students for Milwaukee brace, and 5 students for surgical correction.
Braces ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Scoliosis ; Seoul

Infected aneurysm of the aorta is a rare but life-threatening condition. The traditional strategy for treating infected aortic aneurysms is open surgical repair with antibiotic therapy. Endovascular repair of infected aortic aneurysms has been performed only sporadically. Case: A 70-year-old man with a history of diabetes who presented with intermittent fever for one month was referred to our institution. Before admission, antibiotic treatment had been already started and on admission, his general condition was not critical. A CT scan showed two saccular aneurysms of the infrarenal abdominal aorta and a retroperitoneal inflammation including hematoma. No microorganism was identified on blood culture. On follow-up CT scan 15 days later, a further increase in aneurysmal diameter was detected and endovascular repair was performed by using Gore Excluder stent graft. The patient was recovered and discharged on hospital day 29. One month after discharge, the patient was readmitted due to chilling and fever. Abdominal CT showed a retroperitoneal abscess around the previously repaired aortic aneurysm. Surgical drainage was performed without reconstruction with extra-anatomical bypass or in situ replacement. Culture from the abscess revealed the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 31 and continues to be observed.
Abscess* ; Aged ; Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, Infected ; Aorta ; Aorta, Abdominal ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Drainage ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Infected aneurysm of the aorta is a rare but life-threatening condition. The traditional strategy for treating infected aortic aneurysms is open surgical repair with antibiotic therapy. Endovascular repair of infected aortic aneurysms has been performed only sporadically. Case: A 70-year-old man with a history of diabetes who presented with intermittent fever for one month was referred to our institution. Before admission, antibiotic treatment had been already started and on admission, his general condition was not critical. A CT scan showed two saccular aneurysms of the infrarenal abdominal aorta and a retroperitoneal inflammation including hematoma. No microorganism was identified on blood culture. On follow-up CT scan 15 days later, a further increase in aneurysmal diameter was detected and endovascular repair was performed by using Gore Excluder stent graft. The patient was recovered and discharged on hospital day 29. One month after discharge, the patient was readmitted due to chilling and fever. Abdominal CT showed a retroperitoneal abscess around the previously repaired aortic aneurysm. Surgical drainage was performed without reconstruction with extra-anatomical bypass or in situ replacement. Culture from the abscess revealed the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 31 and continues to be observed.
Abscess* ; Aged ; Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, Infected ; Aorta ; Aorta, Abdominal ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Drainage ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) is a refined technique of traditional oriental acupuncture, and IMS has proved effective for relieving chronic pain of a neuropathic origin. IMS is currently seen to be quite a safe procedure with minimal complications having been reported to date. Various complications have been documented for acupuncture, but few complications or adverse effects have been reported in relation to the relatively new technique of IMS. We report here on a case of cervical spinal epidural hematoma that manifested as a cause of delayed hemiparesis. The safety of this procedure in unpracticed hands seems to be questionable.
Acupuncture ; Chronic Pain ; Hand ; Hematoma ; Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal ; Paresis

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of high risk HPV DNA test using PCR for the detection of high-grade CIN or invasive cancer from patients with ASCUS or LSIL on Papanicolaou smear. METHODS: Sixty one patients with a Papanicolaou smear report of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or a low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion underwent Cervical colposcopy and directed cervical biopsy and human papillomavirus test by PCR. We compared the detection rate of the high grade CIN and invasive cancer by Papanicolaou smear method only with that of both Papanicolaou smear and HPV PCR method. and we decided to be significant when P value was below 0.05 by SAS (v 6.02) program. RESULTS: The detection rate of high risk HPV DNA was 50.8% (31/61). The detection rate of high risk HPV DNA in high grade CIN and invasive cancer was 84.2% (16/19). Higher the grade of biopsy, more the detection rate of high risk HPV DNA. False negative rate which appeared high grade CIN or invasive cancer by biopsy was 31.2% (19/61) in Papanicolaou smear method only and 4.9% (3/61) in both Papanicolaou smear and HPV DNA method. CONCLUSION: We thought that additional HPV DNA test was useful to dectect behind high grade CIN or invasive cancer when the Papanicolaou smear result was ASCUS or LSIL.
Biopsy ; Colposcopy ; Diagnosis* ; DNA ; Human Papillomavirus DNA Tests* ; Humans ; Papanicolaou Test ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

BACKGROUND: Recently, the legal and ethical issues relative to euthanasia are becoming controversial in Korea. This study was designed to verify the differences of the attitudes on euthanasia between judicial apprentices and residents. METHODS: The questionnaire was conducted on the 35th-group of the judicial apprentices on March 24, 2004, and on the residents from April 2 to May 22, 2004. The respondents were 636 in total consisting of 460 judicial apprentices and 176 residents. RESULTS: Of the total 636 subjects, 373 (81.1%) of the judicial apprentices and 149 (84.7%) of residents agreed that allowing euthanasia is moral, without any significant difference (P>0.05). The number of residents was greater (59 people, 33.5%) than that of judicial apprentices (112 people, 24.4%) who agreed with active euthanasia (P<0.05). Among the total, 397 (86.3%) of the judicial apprentices and 160 (91.4%) of the residents answered that the law for euthanasia was necessary, without any significant difference (P>0.05). But, among these supporters, the respondents who agreed on active euthanasia were significantly different in number between judicial apprentices (n=93, 23.4%) and residents (n=54, 33.8%) (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study did not find any significant differences between the two groups in the necessity of the law for euthanasia, but the rate of agreement on active euthanasia was higher in residents group than in judicial apprentices group.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Ethics ; Euthanasia* ; Euthanasia, Active ; Euthanasia, Passive ; Jurisprudence ; Korea

OBJECTIVE: To know whether HPV Oligonucleotide Microarray (HPVDNAChip) can detect the HPV DNA in the urine and, if it can, to compare the results with Pap smear, biopsy, and cervix HPVDNAChip. METHODS: The authors had done Pap smear, cervix HPVDNAChip and colposcopy-guided punch biopsy as well as detailed information to those who visited Dept. of Ob. And Gyn. during 1st of April to 31st of May in 2003 for their uterine cervical problems related to the neoplasia. When they were determined to admit for treatment, urine had been collected to be tested by HPVDNAChip. RESULTS: Among 25 patients enrolled in this study, there were 10 whose urine HPVDNAChip test turned out positive (40%). Among 10 positive results, 9 patients had HPV 16 subtypes. Among 10 urine HPVDNAChip positive patients, there were 5 HSIL, 4 squamous cell cancer (SCC), and 1 ASCUS cell types on the Pap smears. Among 15 urine HPVDNAChip negative patients, there were 7 HSIL, 5 SCC, 1 ASCUS, 1 LSIL, and 1 AGUS. Among 10 urine HPVDNAChip there are 5 CIN3, and 4 invasive SCC, and 1 adenocarcinoma at the biopsy. Among 15 urine HPVDNAChip negative patients, there are 7 CIN3, 6 invasive SCC, 1 adenocarcinoma in situ, and 1 CIN1 patient. Whenever there were a urine HPVDNAChip 16 subtype positive, there were always cervix HPVDNAChip 16 subtype positive, but among the 12 urine HPVDNAChip negative patients, 5 had HPV 16 subtype positive and 4 had another subtypes and 3 had negative on cervix HPVDNAChip tests. CONCLUSION: Using HPVDNAChip, we verified that 40% of patients had the HPV DNA in their urine who had admitted for the treatment of their cervical neoplasm. And HPV 16 subtype was the most common type in the urine. If we can extend this data more widely, we might use it as an auxiliary tool for cervical HPV infection.
Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy ; Cervix Uteri* ; DNA ; Female ; Human papillomavirus 16 ; Humans ; Neoplasms, Squamous Cell ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

Induction of general anesthesia with tracheal intubation is routine procedure but causes significant tarchycardia and hypertension. Many approaches have been tried to attenuate these circulatory response. The effects of small dose fentanyl on arterial pressure and heart rate increase during intubation were studied in 40 normotensive patients, who were randomly allocated to two groups, receiving saline (Control group) or fentanyl 2ug/kg (Fentanyl group), in a double blind fashion during anesthetic induction with thiopental 5mg/kg. Systolic, diastolic, mean arterial pressure and heart rate were measured and rate pressure product was calculated. All parameters were significantly different between two groups (p<0,05) and control group was significant increase in blood pressure and heart rate compared with pre-induction value but fentanyl group was relatively small changes of blood pressure and heart rate (p<0.01). After tracheal intubation, incresed blood pressure was returned to pre-induction value within two to three minutes in fentanyl group but heart rate was not returned pre-induction value within 5 minutes. Dose of fentanyl that are low enough to cause any side effects of drug itself, no notable side effects were observed during study and recovery.
Anesthesia, General ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Fentanyl* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Intubation* ; Thiopental

Post-cardiac injury syndrome (PCIS) includes post-myocardial infarction syndrome and post-pericardiotomy syndrome. PCIS is usually observed 1~6 weeks after cardiac surgery or myocardial infarction, and rarely after pacemaker implantation, coronary perforation, pulmonary thromboembolism, or radio-frequency ablation. PCIS is characterized by a low-grade fever, pleuritic chest pain, myalgia, a pericardial friction rub, increased inflammatory markers, and pericardial and pleural effusions. Although the pathophysiology of PCIS is controversial, the presence of anti-heart antibodies has implicated an autoimmune response, which has been widely accepted. The treatment of PCIS includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids. Currently, intervention is being performed increasingly in complicated obstructive coronary artery disease, such as chronic total occlusion, long-segment obstructive lesion, and left main coronary artery disease. We report a very rare case of PCIS following coronary artery perforation during PCI.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Antibodies ; Autoimmunity ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Fever ; Friction ; Infarction ; Myocardial Infarction ; Pleural Effusion ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Thoracic Surgery