Nevus flammeus is benign but cosmetically devastating congenital vascular malformation whose past treaments have been marred by unacceptable complication or by unacceptable ineffectiveness. Argon laser is a therapeutic device which has been newly applied to this condition with fairly good result. However, all lesions do not show good response and it depends on the clinical and histopathological types. Therefore, it is very important to select patients who will show good response to argon laser therapy. Histological pattern was indicated as the most important prognostic factor. However, it is not always possible to get the histological data. This study was undertaken to evaluate whether it is possible to anticipate histologic patterns of nevus flammeus from color and clinical morphology of the lesions when biopsy is difficult to be taken. Color and clinical morphology of the lesions were recorded, and 4-mm punch biopsies were performed in 74 patients who visited the Laser Clinic in our dermatologic department during past 2 years, The study results were as follows. Eleven pink cases were all patch form morphologically but 8 cases(72, 7%) were constricted type and 8 cases(27 Q%) were intermediate type histopathologically. In 28 red cases, 27 cases(96 4gp) were patch form and only 1 case was smooth elevated form morphologically. And 2p cases(74, l%) were dilated or intermediate type and 7 cases(25 9%) were constricted or deep located type histologically.
Argon ; Biopsy ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; Nevus* ; Port-Wine Stain* ; Vascular Malformations

Statisticsl observation was made on 404 patients who had been referred for consultation to the Department of Dermatology during their admission in Seoul National University Children's Hospital from October 1985 to March 1987. The results were as follows : 1. The consulted pstients were 404 among 126,622 inpatients(0.32%). 2. The most frequent age group was below 1 year(25.0%). 3. Pediatrics was the most importnat department in the number, as well as in the rate of consulted patients to inpatients. 4. The most common 10 dermatoses were contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, drug eruption, fungal infection, viral infection, infantile eczema, benign tumor, miliaria, urticaria, and skin manifestation of systemic diseases in order of frequency. 5. The frequent causes of consultation were as follows ; the dermatologic diseases or conditions 67.6%, the diseases related to the trestment 13.4%, the skin lesions of systemic diseases 10.8%, the dermatologic tests 3.6%, and admitted to other departments with dermatologic diseases 1.2% respectively.
Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Dermatology* ; Drug Eruptions ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Miliaria ; Pediatrics ; Seoul ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Skin Manifestations ; Urticaria

Atopic dermatitis is characterized by many signs of immunodeficiency. We have performed this experiment to know whether there are reduced respiratoty burst of neutrophils in patients with atopic dermatitis in response to stimulants such as zymosan activated serum(ZAS), phorbol myristate cetate(PMA) and for- mylmethionylleucylphenylalanine(FMLP). The atopic derrqatitis group consisted of 27 patients(5 are severe, 22 are mild) and the control group consisted of 10 persons. Superoxide anion generation of neutrophils in response to stimulants was measured as nmol of reriuced cytochrome C by spectrophotometer(at 550nm, molar extinction coefficient of cytochrome C=21.lmM 1cm ). We compared the superoxide anion generation according to the severity of atopie dermatitis, total serum IgE level and eosinophil count. Results were as follows. 1. After stimulation by PMA and FMLP, superoxide anion generation in severe atopic dermatitis group decreased compared with the control and mild atopic dermatitis group. After stimulation by ZAS there was a decreasing tendency in severe atopic dermatitis group, however it was not statistically significant. 2. Superoxide anion generation had no correlation with the total serum IgE level. 3. Superoxide anion generation had no correlation with the eosinophil count. Our data suggested that some physiologic stimulants of respiratory hurst may be generated during the course of atopic dermatitis. Possible physiologic stimulants include C5a, bacterial chemotactic factors, certain arachidonate metabolites such as leukotriene B4, as well as phagocytosis. We think that these physiologic stimulants can desensitize neutrophils of atopic dermatitis in vivo specifically or onspecifically so that superoxide anion generation may be reduced in response tostimulants in vitro.
Chemotactic Factors ; Cytochromes ; Cytochromes c ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Leukotriene B4 ; Molar ; Myristic Acid ; Neutrophils* ; Phagocytosis ; Superoxides* ; Zymosan

This study was undertaken to elucidate any quantitative abnormalities of T cells and T subsets(helper/inducer T cell: T cell and suppressor/cytotoxic. T cell; Tsc cell) in the peripheral blood and cutaneous lesion in patients with atopic dermatitis by using monoclonal antibodies, and to ascertain whether there are any relations bctwcen such immunologic abnormalities and the severity of the disease. Thirty seven patints(19 male, 18 female) were entered in this study, who vistited the Departement of Dermatology of Seoul National University Hospital frnrn February 1985 to November 1985. The control group comprised fifteen healthy children (8 male, 7 female). The peripheral blood samples of 30 patients and the skin biopsy specirnens of 29 patients were examinecl. Both were examined in 22 patients. The results showed that there was a quantitative abnormality in pcripheral blood Tsc cells in patients with atopic dermatitis and it could be related to the severity of the disease. The predominance of T cells seemed to be relatecl to the pathogenesis of atopic dematitis.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Biopsy ; Child ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Dermatology ; Humans ; Male ; Seoul ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes*

Nevus flammeus is benign but cosmetically devastating congenital vascular malformation whose past treatments have been marred by unacceptable complication or by unacceptable ineffectiveness. The argon laser is a therapeutic device which has been newly applied to this condition. Blue-green argon light is absorbed by the intraluminal red hemoglobin molecule, leading to the destruction of blood vessels. This study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic effect, to look for complications caused by the argon laser on nevus flammeus and to investigate the prognostic values of the color, the degree of blanching and the histological pattern of lesion after laser treatment. All patients were treated with Coherent Radiation Model No. 1,000 Laser with a spot size of 1mm diameter. The power range was 1.8W (irradiance of 229W/cm2), the pulse duration was 0.4 second and the repetition rate was 120 impulses per minute. The result was evaluated according to the criteria of Gilchrest(Table 1). Among the 109 patients who have been treated between November, 1981 and July, 1982 at the Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University Hospital, data from the 49 patients who could be followed up was evaluated and analyzed. (countinued..)
Argon* ; Blood Vessels ; Dermatology ; Humans ; Laser Therapy* ; Nevus* ; Port-Wine Stain* ; Seoul ; Vascular Malformations

The argon laser has been used in the treatment of a variety of cutaneous vascular and pigmented lesions. In 1983, authors reported on the therapeutic effect from argon laser treatment of nevus flammeus. This study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic effect and complication of the argon laser on many cutaneous lesions except nevus flammeus. The data of the 67 patients who were treated between November, 1984 and March, 1986 and could be followed up over 3 months at the Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University Hospital were analyzed. Patients were treated with Coherent Radiation Model No. 920 Laser with a spot size of 1 mm in diatemer. The pawer ranges were between 1.6 and 2.6 W using pulsed wave or continuous wave according to the size and the shape of the lesions. The argon laser is an effective modality in the treatment of superficial vascular lesions and especially when telangiectasia is prominent. In pigmented lesions, argon laser is effective for pigmented nevi excluding intradermal nevi and has been found effective in small sized nevus spilus and lentigines.
Argon* ; Dermatology* ; Humans ; Lentigo ; Nevus ; Nevus, Intradermal ; Nevus, Pigmented ; Port-Wine Stain ; Seoul ; Telangiectasis

Dermographism is an exaggerated triple response of Lewis and appears as a lineat wheal with a flare at a site in which skin is briskIy stroked with a firm object. The etiology and pathogenesis of dermographism are uncertain but passive transfer tests are sometimes poeitive. The active serum factor has been characteiized as Ig E in some patients. In this experimental study, we tried passive transfer of dermographism with the sera of the patients with dermographism. Twelve dermographic patients' sera were tested to fourteen normal healthy persons and two asymptomatic dermographic persons, total number of thirty nine cases. Only two recipients were passively transferred but they showed positive responses to all sera tested, two and three respectively. This result suggests that not only serum factor but also recipient's factor(s) may be concerned in passive transfer of dermographism.
Humans ; Intradermal Tests ; Skin ; Stroke

Although port-wine stains present as macular patches generally, some patients show considerable overgrowth of angiomatous tissue and show different results of laser therapy according to their histologic patterns. We observed 337 port-wine stain patients clinically, and tried to classify clinical morphology of port-wine stains and analyze with other features such as color, age and size. The results were as follows: Most of the lesions were located on the face, followed by neck, upper extremity, lower extremity and trunk in order. 2, On the face, the left lower part was the most frequent area of the lesions. The difference of the distribution between right and left side was not found, but the lesions were significantly more frequent on the lower part than the upper one. 3. The morphology was classified into patch, hypertrophic, cavernous and papular form according to therapeutic purpose. 4 When the color is darker, the others than the patch form appeared. 5, In old patients the color was darker and the papular form increased. 6. When the size enlarged, the hypertrophic form. increased. 7. Among ten patients who got the lesions at both the upper and lower eyelids, two showed ocular problems.
Coloring Agents* ; Eyelids ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; Lower Extremity ; Neck ; Port-Wine Stain ; Upper Extremity ; Wine*

The nipple involvement in atopic dermatitis is not mentioned in currently available major textbooks of dermatology. Recently, Hanifin and Rajka indicated that the nipple involvement is a specific indicator of atopic dermatitis though it is quite rare. The authors described 3 cases of atopic dermatitis with nipple involvement among 224 cases of atopic dermatitis seen over 2 year period at the Special Clinic for Atoipc Dermatitis. The nipple lesions responded to topical steroid quite satisfactorily.

The authors investigated the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) for the specific IgE and the prick test with hose dust mite in 129 patients with atopic dermatitis(AD) wit4 four or more family numbers. RAST and prick test results were described according to family background of respiratory atopy(RA) and severity of AD. The results are summarized as follows : l. A comparison between the prick test results and RAST reactions gave a concordance of 88%. The prick test was more sensitive than the RAST. 2. The level of specific IgE in patients with personal history(PH) or family history(FH) of RA was significantly increased compared to those in patients with only AD. 3. In patients without PH and FH of RA, the level of specific IgE in patients with FH of AD was significantly increased compared to those in patients without FH of AD. 4. The level of specific IgE did not reflect the severity of AD. From the above results, it could be concluded that type I allergy to house dust mite is not directly related to AD and it occurs predominantly in those patients with AD wha have a predisposition to RA.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Dust* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Hypersensitivity* ; Immunoglobulin E ; Mites ; Pyroglyphidae* ; Radioallergosorbent Test