OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of wrist position on the ulnar nerve conduction velocity. METHOD: Ulnar motor nerve conduction studies were performed bilaterally in twenty healthy adult volunteers. For each limb, nerve conduction study was carried out in two different positions. In the first position, shoulder were abducted, elbow and wrist flexed to 90o. For the second position, all joints were kept constant except for the wrist where it was extended. Routine conduction study was performed in both wrist positions. All data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The average conduction velocities in the wrist flexed position were 61.6 m/sec for the forearm segment and 62.3 m/sec across elbow. With the wrist extended, the average was 62.6 m/sec and 64.1 m/sec, respectively. The differences in conduction velocities between two different wrist positions were statistically significant (p<0.05). In the wrist flexed position, the average measured latencies were 2.3 msec with wrist, 5.4 msec below elbow, and 7.4 msec above elbow stimulation, compared to wrist extended which showed 2.4, 5.4 and 7.2 msec, respectively. The difference of latencies at wrist between the two wrist positions was statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that wrist position affect ulnar nerve conduction velocity.
Adult ; Elbow ; Extremities ; Forearm ; Humans ; Joints ; Neural Conduction ; Shoulder ; Ulnar Nerve* ; Volunteers ; Wrist*

BACKGROUND: Tracheal intubation for general anesthesia often leads to trauma of the airway mucosa, resulting in postoperative sore throat and hoarseness. Numerous studies have investigated the factors as contributing causes, but the influence of method of anesthesia induction and time for extubation of the endotracheal tube has not been systematically examined. The aim of this study was to establish the effects of the methods of anesthesia induction and timing of extubation on postoperative sore throat and hoarseness. METHODS: Eighty patients with ASA physical status 1 or 2 were randomly divided into four groups. Group 1 patients (n=20) recieved succinylcholine 1.0 mg/kg for intubation and early extubated ; group 2 patients (n=20) recieved succinylcholine 1.0 mg/kg for intubation and lately extubated ; group 3 patients (n=20) recieved pancuronium 0.1 mg/kg for intubation and early extubated ; group 4 patients (n=20) recieved pancuronium 0.1 mg/kg for intubation and lately extubated. All patients were interviewed 6, 24, 48, and 72 hrs after operation by an anesthesiologist in a double-blind manner. RESULTS: The incidence of sore throat at postoperative 6 and 24 hrs were decreased in group 3 compaired with group 1, 2, and 4 (p<0.05), respectively. The severity of sore throat at postoperative 6 hrs were decreased in group 3 compared with group 1, 2 and 4 (p<0.05), and that of postoperative 24 hrs were decreased in group 3 compared with group 1 and 2 (p<0.05), respectively. The severity of hoarseness at postoperative 6 hrs were decreased in group 3 compared with group 2 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that postoperative sore throat and hoarseness may be developed more when extubation was perfomed lately than early. Therefore, early extubation provide advantage in terms of reducing sore throat and hoarseness in limited cases of anesthesia.
Anesthesia* ; Anesthesia, General ; Hoarseness* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intubation ; Mucous Membrane ; Pancuronium ; Pharyngitis* ; Succinylcholine

Arterial cannulation for constant monitoring of arterial pressure and blood gase analyses has become commonplace in the care of the critically ill patients. The radial artery is often regarded as causing a negligible complication risk because of extensive collateral arterial flow in the hand. One of other alternative sites for arterial cannulation is femoral artery. Femoral artery cannulation has a high degree of success in very small, critically ill children. It should be considered an acceptable alternative to small-vessel cannulation when the latter is not technically achievable, or in the unstable patient where rapid establishment of reliable artery access is necessary. Arterial cannulation may cause many complications: arterial catheters can directly injure the vessels, resulting in thrombosis, occlusion, distal embolization or ischemia. Local insertion site complications, such as hematoma, hemorrhage, and infection may occur. Arterial catheter may also be a source of systemic sepsis. We report an unusual case of unintentional release of a catheter fragment into the external iliac artery in a 7-month (7.8 kg) male patient with tetralogy of Fallot, which was inadvertently inserted during right femoral artery cannulation. The catheter fragment was successfully retrieved with the Amplatz Goose Neck microsnare under fluoroscopy without any problems.
Arterial Pressure ; Arteries ; Catheterization* ; Catheters* ; Child ; Critical Illness ; Femoral Artery* ; Fluoroscopy ; Hand ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Iliac Artery* ; Ischemia ; Male ; Neck ; Radial Artery ; Sepsis ; Tetralogy of Fallot ; Thrombosis

BACKGROUND: The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) should be correctly placed into the hypopharynx for adequate ventilation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a LMA position relation to the laryngeal skeleton and narrowing degree of a LMA lumen by the epiglottis. METHODS: The LMA (# 3 or # 4) was placed into the hypopharynx after induction of anesthesia and muscle paralysis. The fiberoptic laryngoscopic findings through the lumen of LMA were recorded at ten minutes after LMA placements. The position of the LMA was estimated in relation to its distal aperture to the laryngeal skeleton as central, posterior, right and left lateral position. The narrowing degree of the LMA by the epiglottis was estimated as 0%, 1~25%, 26~50%, 51~75%, or 76~100%. RESULTS: The fiberoptic laryngoscope showed central positions in 70.1%, lateral deviations to the left or right in 21.2% and posterior positions in 9%. The most frequent incidence (84/231, 36.4%) of narrowing by the epiglottis is 76~100% but ventilating problems were not developed. However, ventilation was impossible immediately after LMA placement in one patient, so the LMA was removed and the trachea was intubated. Esophageal enterance was visible in one patient without regurgitation of the stomach content. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that LMA provides a reliable and safe airway management technique, although inadequate positioning and narrowing of LMA lumen by the epiglottis may frequently occur.
Airway Management ; Anesthesia ; Epiglottis ; Gastrointestinal Contents ; Humans ; Hypopharynx* ; Incidence ; Laryngeal Masks* ; Laryngoscopes ; Paralysis ; Skeleton ; Trachea ; Ventilation

No abstract available.
Finger Injuries* ; Fingers*

No abstract available.
Rickets, Hypophosphatemic*

Although the ultrasonography has been regarded as a important procedure in the diagnosis of intraabdominalabscess, there were relatively few papers concerning the ultrasonographic findings of periappendiceal abscess.Nineteen cases of surgically proven periappendiceal abscess caused by perforated appendicitis were studied byultrasonography at the Kyung Hee University Hospital during last 34 months. The results were as follows; 1.Diagnostic accuracy of the real-time ultrasonography was 94.7%(18/19). There were only one false positive and onefalse negative. 2. The location of abscesses were ; periappendiceal 68.4%(13/19), pelvic 21.0%(4/19), subhepatic5.3%(1/19) and subphrenic 5.3%(1/19) in order of frequency. 3. Variable echo-patterns of abscesses wereencountered. But irregular, thick walled, posteriorly reinforcing, echo-free or mixed echo-patterns were mostcommon.
Abscess ; Appendicitis ; Diagnosis ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.

The pattern of thickening of the extrahepatic bile duct on computed tomography was analysed in 30 cases with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis diagnosed by surgery (n=19) or clinical basis (n=11). The mean wall thickness of the extrahepatic bile duct was 3.3mm (range, 1-6.3mm). Diffuse thickening of the extrahepatic bile ductal wall was demonstrated in 26 of 30 cases. Diffuse thickening of the extrahepatic bile duct in recurrent pyogenic cholangitis may be differentiated from focal thickening of duct in a common duct cancer or pancreatic cancer.
Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic* ; Cholangitis* ; Pancreatic Neoplasms

The pattern of thickening of the extrahepatic bile duct on computed tomography was analysed in 30 cases with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis diagnosed by surgery (n=19) or clinical basis (n=11). The mean wall thickness of the extrahepatic bile duct was 3.3mm (range, 1-6.3mm). Diffuse thickening of the extrahepatic bile ductal wall was demonstrated in 26 of 30 cases. Diffuse thickening of the extrahepatic bile duct in recurrent pyogenic cholangitis may be differentiated from focal thickening of duct in a common duct cancer or pancreatic cancer.
Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic* ; Cholangitis* ; Pancreatic Neoplasms