Herpes zoster involving noncontiguous dual dermatomes is very rare in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised persons. This unique presentation has been referred to as zoster duplex unilateralis or bilateralis, depending whether one or both halves of the body are involved. A 22-year-old woman, who had been treated for acute leukemia, congestive heart failure and chronic disseminated candidiasis, was referred to our department for painful papulovesicular eruptions on the right side of the anterior chest and upper back for 2 days, and the left buttock for 1 day. Tzanck smear revealed multinucleated giant cells with intranuclear inclusion bodies. We report a rare case of zoster duplex bilateralis.
Buttocks ; Candidiasis ; Female ; Giant Cells ; Heart Failure ; Herpes Zoster* ; Humans ; Intranuclear Inclusion Bodies ; Leukemia ; Thorax ; Young Adult

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of the multi-zone cross-cylinder method as compared with the single method for astigmatism correction using LASIK. This prospective study enrolled 40 patients (52 eyes) who underwent the cross-cylinder method using LASIK, and 52 patients (60 eyes) who underwent the single method using LASIK: all patients were given a diagnosis of complex myopic astigmatism from the department of ophthalmology of this hospital between January 2002 and July 2003. Preoperatively, the mean spherical equivalent refraction was .3.85 +/- 1.13 D in the cross-cylinder group and .4.05 +/-1.20 D in the single method group (p = 0.23). The mean cylinder was .2.05 +/-1.58 D in the cross-cylinder group and .1.95 +/-1.12 D in the single method group (p = 0.31). 6 months after treatment the results were a mean spherical equivalent refraction of .0.26 +/-0.30 D in the crosscylinder group and -0.34 +/-0.35 D in the single method group (p = 0.13). The mean cylinder was .0.38 +/-0.29 D in the cross-cylinder group and .0.45 +/-0.30 D in the single method group (p = 0.096). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. The mean BCVA was not different from mean preoperative BCVA in both groups (i.e., 0.98 +/-0.10, 0.96 +/-0.25, p = 0.86). Postoperatively, patient complications that included night halo, glare and corneal haze were not noted in either group. In conclusion, the results of cross-cylinder method are no different from the single method for the correction of a complex astigmatism. In the future, studies will have to be conducted to assess the efficacy of the cross-cylinder method in consideration of those factors that can affect the postoperative outcome.
Adult ; Astigmatism/*surgery ; Corneal Stroma/surgery ; Humans ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ/*methods ; Myopia/*surgery ; Postoperative Complications ; Prospective Studies

No abstract available.
Heart* ; Thoracic Surgery*

No abstract available.
Abscess*

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Fistula* ; Humans

PURPOSE: In this retrospective study, we attempted to evaluate the treatment outcome and the prognostic factors of thymoma treated with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between 1979 and 1998, 55 patients with thymoma were treated at the Seoul National University Hospital. Of these, 11 patients underwent surgery only, 33 patients received postoperative radiotherapy and 11 patients received radiotherapy only. Twenty-three patients had gross total resection and 21 patients subtotal resection. For postoperative radiotherapy, the radiation dose consisted of 41.4-55.8 Gy. The average follow-up was 64 months, and ranged from 2 to 160 months. The sex ratio was 1:1 and the median age was 48 years (15-74 years). Overall survival and disease-free survival were determined via the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank was employed to evaluate for differences in prognostic factor. RESULTS: The five- and 10-year survival rates were 87% and 65% respectively, and the median survival was 103 months. By univariate analysis, only stage ( p=0.0017) turned out to be significant prognostic factors of overall survival. Also, stage ( p=0.0007) was significantly predictive for overall survival in mutivariated analysis. CONCLUSION: This study showed the stage was found to be important prognostic factors, which influenced survival. Especially, as incomplete resection is related with poor results, complete resection is important to cure the invasive thymoma.
Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Radiotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Sex Ratio ; Survival Rate ; Thymoma* ; Treatment Outcome*

Purpose: To compare the contrast sensitivities of type 2 diabetic patients without retinopathy and healthy subjects, and to assess the risk factors associated with a change in contrast sensitivity in diabetes. Methods: A total of 75 (diabetic patients without retinopathy) and 41 (healthy subjects) eyes were reviewed from the medical records. The threshold of contrast sensitivity was measured at 6.3°, 4.0°, 2.5°, 1.6°, 1.0°, and 0.64° under scotopic and photopic states. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging was used to measure the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thickness in diabetic patients. Results: Diabetic patients showed a lower threshold of contrast sensitivity at all degree measures than did the controls under both scotopic and photopic states. In subgroup analyses, diabetic patients with abnormal contrast sensitivity showed a longer duration of diabetes, decreased total retinal thickness, and decreased average GC-IPL, superior RNFL, superior GC-IPL, and temporal GC-IPL thicknesses. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the duration of diabetes and total retinal thickness were significant predictive factors of decreased contrast sensitivity (odds ratio = 1.117 and 0.942, respectively). Conclusions As the duration of diabetes increased, the contrast sensitivity decreased in type 2 diabetic patients. Neuroretinal degeneration changes both the inner retinal thickness and total retinal thickness and affects contrast sensitivity. Therefore, for longer-term diabetic patients, it is necessary to consider the changes in contrast sensitivity and retinal thickness on OCT evaluation, even if the patient presents with normal fundus findings.

Purpose: To compare the contrast sensitivities of type 2 diabetic patients without retinopathy and healthy subjects, and to assess the risk factors associated with a change in contrast sensitivity in diabetes. Methods: A total of 75 (diabetic patients without retinopathy) and 41 (healthy subjects) eyes were reviewed from the medical records. The threshold of contrast sensitivity was measured at 6.3°, 4.0°, 2.5°, 1.6°, 1.0°, and 0.64° under scotopic and photopic states. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging was used to measure the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thickness in diabetic patients. Results: Diabetic patients showed a lower threshold of contrast sensitivity at all degree measures than did the controls under both scotopic and photopic states. In subgroup analyses, diabetic patients with abnormal contrast sensitivity showed a longer duration of diabetes, decreased total retinal thickness, and decreased average GC-IPL, superior RNFL, superior GC-IPL, and temporal GC-IPL thicknesses. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the duration of diabetes and total retinal thickness were significant predictive factors of decreased contrast sensitivity (odds ratio = 1.117 and 0.942, respectively). Conclusions As the duration of diabetes increased, the contrast sensitivity decreased in type 2 diabetic patients. Neuroretinal degeneration changes both the inner retinal thickness and total retinal thickness and affects contrast sensitivity. Therefore, for longer-term diabetic patients, it is necessary to consider the changes in contrast sensitivity and retinal thickness on OCT evaluation, even if the patient presents with normal fundus findings.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the differences in nutrient intakes on the onset of eye disease in the ophthalmic disease group vs. the normal group. The analysis method of this study was performed by adjusting age and gender. The daily caloric intake was 1,672.1±26.4 kcal in the ophthalmic disease group which was significantly lower than the 2,041.5±13.6 kcal intake in the normal group (P=0.006).The intake of proteins (P=0.015) and carbohydrates (P=0.000) was significantly lower in the ophthalmic disease group than in the normal group. The incidence of eye diseases was found to decrease by about 0.79 (95% CI: 0.74∼0.83) times as the NAR index of protein was increased, followed by 0.79 (95% CI: 0.64∼ 0.98) times with an increase in niacin consumption. In this study, income, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, and quality of life were considered as the confounding variables related to eye disease, along with age and gender, but did not lead to show significant results. It was found that the ophthalmic disease group had an unbalanced nutritional intake compared to the normal group. Therefore, we conclude that nutrition education is necessary to ensurebalanced eating habits for management and prevention of degeneration after the onset of eye diseases.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the differences in nutrient intakes on the onset of eye disease in the ophthalmic disease group vs. the normal group. The analysis method of this study was performed by adjusting age and gender. The daily caloric intake was 1,672.1±26.4 kcal in the ophthalmic disease group which was significantly lower than the 2,041.5±13.6 kcal intake in the normal group (P=0.006).The intake of proteins (P=0.015) and carbohydrates (P=0.000) was significantly lower in the ophthalmic disease group than in the normal group. The incidence of eye diseases was found to decrease by about 0.79 (95% CI: 0.74∼0.83) times as the NAR index of protein was increased, followed by 0.79 (95% CI: 0.64∼ 0.98) times with an increase in niacin consumption. In this study, income, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, and quality of life were considered as the confounding variables related to eye disease, along with age and gender, but did not lead to show significant results. It was found that the ophthalmic disease group had an unbalanced nutritional intake compared to the normal group. Therefore, we conclude that nutrition education is necessary to ensurebalanced eating habits for management and prevention of degeneration after the onset of eye diseases.