Primary malignant melanornn of the vagina is rare, with only about 130 reported cases worldwide. They presumably arise from melanocytes that are present in the vagina in 3% of normal wornen. Vaginal melanoma accounts for less than 1% of melanomas and less than 3% of primary malignant tumors of the vagina. Most of patients complain vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, foreign body sensation in order. The best treatment of vaginal melanoma rernains eni.gmatic, Many authors indicate that radical surgery may be the pcferred approach and the number of reported cases treated with radical surgery is increasing. But other author comment that no significant change in survival is apparent with radical surgery. Overall prognosis is poor as most patients have deeply penetrating lesions at the time of diagnosis. Recently, not only the effort to increase the survival rate but the quality of life including sexual function after treatment is becoming an important issue about treatment ot cancer patients. We experienced a case of primary malignant melanoma of the vagina treated with radical surgery and restored the sexual function by vulvovaginal reconstruction using gracilis myocutaneous flap. So we report this case with brief literature review.
Diagnosis ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Melanocytes ; Melanoma* ; Myocutaneous Flap ; Prognosis ; Quality of Life ; Sensation ; Survival Rate ; Uterine Hemorrhage ; Vagina* ; Vaginal Discharge

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate luteinizing hormone(LH) in patients with infertility and recurrent spontaneous abortion. MATERIAL AND METHOD: LH was tested by solid phase immunoradiometric assay based on monoclonal and polyclonal anti-LH antibodies. RESULTS: Of 100 infertile patients, the number of less than 5 mIU/ml, 5~10 mIU/ml, greater than 10 mIU/ml in LH level was 67(67%), 22(22%), 11(11%), respectively. Of 100 patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion, the number of less than 5 mIU/ml, 5~10 mIU/ml, greater than 10 mIU/ml in LH level was 79(79%), 18(18%), 3(3%), respectively. There was a significant difference between patients with infertility and recurrent spontaneous abortion only in the group with LH level greater than 10 mIU/ml(p=0.325). CONCLUSIONS: High LH in the follicular phase is known to decrease pregnancy rate and increase abortion rate. But in this study the incidence of high LH in patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion was low. On the contrary, there was a significant increase of LH in infertile patients. So recurrent spontaneous abortion does not seem to be related to high LH level.
Abortion, Induced ; Abortion, Spontaneous* ; Antibodies ; Female ; Follicular Phase ; Humans ; Immunoradiometric Assay ; Incidence ; Infertility* ; Lutein* ; Luteinizing Hormone* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multiple sclerosis (MS) in Asians is characterized by frequent involvement of the spinal cord and optic nerve and low prevalence rates, but even the most fundamental epidemiologic findings and unique clinical features of MS patients in Korea have not been studied extensively. We performed this study to establish the clinical spectrum of MS patients in Korea. METHODS: Sixty-two MS patients (25 men and 37 women) who satisfied the diagnostic criteria for definite MS were reviewed retrospectively using medical records from two university hospitals and one general hospital. The MS patients were classified into the three clinical subtypes according to the involved site (opticospinal, spinal, and conventional MS). RESULTS: The age at MS onset was 35.2+/-13.3 (mean+/-SD) years, and the predominant initial clinical manifestations were myelopathy (54.8%) and optic neuropathy (33.9%). The single most common involved lesion site was the spinal cord (35.5%). Spinal (35.5%) and opticospinal (25.8%) MS were the most common type, and they had a frequent relapsing-remitting course and long lesions extending over two vertebral segments (as assessed using spinal cord MRI). The interval between the first symptom and relapse was 35.6+/-71.1 months, and the number of relapses was 3.8+/-2.6. The spinal form of MS was associated with a higher age at onset and a higher male-to-female ratio than the other types. Positive rates of CSF oligoclonal bands and IgG index and the number of patients with characteristic brain MRI lesions were low. However, the abnormal rate of visual evoked potentials was relatively high (64.4%). CONCLUSION: The clinical features of MS patients in Korea are different from those in Western patients, but similar to those in Far East Asian patients. The value of the various diagnostic tools used for MS should therefore be reevaluated, at least for Korean patients.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Brain ; Evoked Potentials, Visual ; Far East ; Hospitals, General ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Korea* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Medical Records ; Multiple Sclerosis* ; Oligoclonal Bands ; Optic Nerve ; Optic Nerve Diseases ; Optic Neuritis ; Prevalence ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Diseases

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has recently been accepted as a procedure of choice for treating cholelithiasis. Its complication rates were known to be comparable to classical cholecystectomy. Hemobilia is very rare after cholecystectomy but is one of the lethal complications that may occur weeks to months after the operation. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that hemobilia due to communications between cystic duct and cystic artery or right hepatic artery pseudoaneurysms, can occur in the patients who have history of laparoscopic cholecystectomy when they have upper gastro-intestinal bleeding. Selective hepatic arteriography can be an important diagnostic and therapeutic modality having high success rate (81-96%). We report a case of hemobilia caused by cystic artery pseudoaneurysm following laparoscopic cholecystectomy which was undergone 1 month before admission, and will discuss the mechanism and the treatment of the pseudoaneurysm associated with hemobilia.
Aneurysm, False ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic* ; Cholelithiasis ; Cystic Duct ; Hemobilia* ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatic Artery ; Humans

A patient with encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroid disease (EAATD), which is one of the most important differential diagnoses of treatable dementia, presents with various neurological symptoms, such as repetitive epileptic seizures, altered mental status, and cognitive dysfunction. Steroid treatment is effective for EAATD. The incidence of EAATD increases considerably with age, particularly in female patients. Most patients with EAATD have normal thyroid function test results or mild hypothyroidism. Patients with EAATD with Graves' disease are very rarely reported. Here, we report a case of a 63-year-old woman who complained of declining cognitive ability and ataxia. She was diagnosed with EAATD accompanied by Graves' disease. Her neurological symptoms improved after intravenous steroid administration.
Ataxia ; Brain Diseases ; Dementia ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Epilepsy ; Female ; Graves Disease* ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Incidence ; Middle Aged ; Thyroid Diseases* ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland*

Glandular odontogenic cyst (GOC) is an intraoral cyst originated from serre remnants which has incidence of rare frequency. Only 111 cases have been reported since Gardener first introduced it in 1987. The clinical features are the following components: cortical bone thinning, locally aggressive root resorption, non-painful swelling. The following recurrences rate are 64.3% in conservative treatment, and 0% in wide excision for instance, segmental or marginal mandibulectomy. So, its prognosis is similar to that of odontogenic keratocyst and ameloblastoma. Therefore, periodic recall follow ups are essential to detect disease recurrence. Here, we will report the first case of GOC diagnosed in our department considering with references. And we share this treatment experience because these aggessive lesions may be misjudged for simple dental cyst.
Ameloblastoma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Incidence ; Mandible ; Odontogenic Cysts ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Root Resorption

POEMS syndrome is a rare disorder, also known as Crow-Fukase, PEP or Takatsuki syndrome. The acronym, POEMS, represents polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein and skin change. However, there are associated features not included in the acronym such as sclerotic bone lesions, Castleman disease, papilledema, thromobocytosis, peripheral edema, ascites, effusion, polycythemia, fatigue and clubbing. In most cases, osseous lesions in POEMS syndrome present as an isolated sclerotic deposit and that reveal as osteosclerotic myeloma. Several cases of 18F-FDG PET in multiple myeloma involvements were reported, but there was no previous literature that reported FDG PET findings in POEMS syndrome. We describe here a 66-year-old patient with POEMS syndrome who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT image.
Aged ; Ascites ; Edema ; Fatigue ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18* ; Giant Lymph Node Hyperplasia ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma ; Papilledema ; POEMS Syndrome* ; Polycythemia ; Polyneuropathies ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography* ; Skin

Acute propanil pesticide poisoning is rare and propanil is known to have a low toxicity. Propanil metabolite induces the conversion of Fe2+ in hemoglobin to Fe3+, forming methemoglobin. Patients with low metHb levels are asymptomatic, but severe methemoglobinemia produces headache, dizziness, decreased consciousness, convulsion, and death. Thus, delayed diagnosis in patients with severe methemoglobinemia can be lethal. We describe the case of a 60-year-old man who died of acute propanil pesticide poisoning. He presented with severe methemoglobinemia. Early methylene blue therapy is recommended for propanil pesticide poisoning patients with symptoms and signs of methemoglobinemia.
Consciousness ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Dizziness ; Headache ; Humans ; Methemoglobin ; Methemoglobinemia* ; Methylene Blue ; Middle Aged ; Poisoning* ; Propanil* ; Seizures

Percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty (PMBV) is the treatment of choice for mitral stenosis. Only a few reported cases have been reported in PMBV patients worldwide. In this study, a case of a 34 year-old female with infective endocarditis a year after PMBV is presented. The patient presented with fever, and peripheral vascular symptoms. Transthoracic echocardiography showed vegetation on the anterior mitral leaflets and Staphylococcus Viridans was isolated from blood cultures. The patient was successfully treated with Amoxicillin + Clavulate and Gentamicin. Further studies on the correlation between PMBV and infective endocarditis are needed.
Amoxicillin ; Balloon Valvuloplasty* ; Echocardiography ; Endocarditis* ; Female ; Fever ; Gentamicins ; Humans ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Staphylococcus

The purpose of tracheotomy is to obtain secure airway for difficult airway management and long-term lung ventilation. Tracheotomy is an invasive procedure with the possibility of severe complications, but it is the last choice for difficult airway management. To perform tracheotomy is difficult in patients with anatomically distorted trachea, screened trachea by mass, fibrosis or adhesion and obesity. We report the experience of successful tracheotomy in the patient of severely distorted airway due to previous surgeries with the aid of the light illumination of fiberoptic bronchoscope.
Airway Management ; Bronchoscopes* ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Lighting ; Lung ; Obesity ; Trachea ; Tracheotomy* ; Ventilation