Rigid posterior fixation of the atlas to the third and fourth cervical spine was achieved in a patient in whom axis pedicle fracture and dislocation of axis on the third cervical spine. Althouth there was no evidence of neurologic disorder, marked instability of axis on the third cervical spine should inevitably be fused in any procedures. An anatomically contoured loop was secured to the posterior arch of the atlas and the laminae of the third and the fourth cervical spine by sublaminar wirings. The technique has the advantage over bone graft, either alone or with cement, in that it affords rigid stabilization, allows early mobilization and some flexion movement of atlanto-occipital joint.
Atlanto-Occipital Joint ; Dislocations ; Early Ambulation ; Humans ; Nervous System Diseases ; Spine ; Spondylolisthesis ; Transplants

PURPOSE: An attempt to establish the neuroprotection effect of ascorbic acid in ischemic retinal injury. METHODS: A rat anterior chamber was cannulated with a 30-gauge infusion needle connected to a container of balanced salt solution (BSS). The container was raised to a height of 3m during 60mins, thereby inducing retina ischemia by high intraocular pressure (HIOP). The effect of ascorbic acid was demonstrated by hematoxylin-eosin (H and E) stain and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) immunohistochemical stain. The effect was classified into three HIOP-induced groups: without ascorbic acid treatment, ; ascorbic acid-treated at 24 hr and just before experiment; and ascorbic acid-treated at 24hr, just before experiment and every 24hr after experiment. RESULTS: After retinal ischemia, in the ascorbic acid-treatment groups (Ed- confirm the plural here; from above there are two ascorbic acid-treated groups), the thickness of each retinal layer was preserved more than that in the non-ascorbic acid treated group. There was little difference according to ascorbic acid administration time and period. By nNOS immunohistochemical stain, in the non-ascorbic acid administration group, nNOS immune reactive cells were increased remarkably, in the Inner Nuclear layer (INL) and Ganglion Cell Layer (GCL). In the ascorbic acid-treated groups (Ed-agin confirm), nNOS immune reactive cells were stained in a similar pattern to that of the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The neuroprotection effect of ascorbic acid in ischemic retinal injury was demonstrated, as was the suppression of nNOS expression in the ischemic retina tissue by ascorbic acid administration.
Animals ; Anterior Chamber ; Ascorbic Acid* ; Ganglion Cysts ; Intraocular Pressure ; Ischemia ; Needles ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I ; Rats ; Retina ; Retinaldehyde*

Tamoxifen is an oral triphenylethylene antiestrogen that has been used for breast cancer, but also inhibits protein kinase C(PKC) in a minority of malignant gliomas. Tamoxifen was administered orally in very high dose to a female brain stem glioma patient who had failed treatment with external beam hyperfractionated radiaton therapy and additional chemotherapy. Tumor reduction on MRI with clinical improvement occurred. Complications were mild thrombocytopenia, elevaton of transaminases and profuse production of hairs around both nipples and face. Although several patients with brain stem glioma had been treated with tamoxifen in our hospital, only one patient responded. Further study for the mechanism of tamoxifen activity to malignant glioma and patient characteristic evaluation will be required.
Brain Stem* ; Brain* ; Breast Neoplasms ; Drug Therapy* ; Estrogen Receptor Modulators ; Female ; Glioma* ; Hair ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Nipples ; Protein Kinases ; Radiotherapy* ; Recurrence* ; Tamoxifen* ; Thrombocytopenia ; Transaminases

BACKGROUND: It is controversial whether the delay of surgery for acute appendicitis by physician results in higher morbidity. Our present study explores this problem of physician delay on the postoperative outcome of patients with acute appendicitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Among 432 patients admitted for the presumptive diagnosis of acute appendicitis between Jan., 1995 and Dec., 1997, 358 patients with pathologically proven acute appendicits were analyzed. Physician delay from the hospital admission to the surgery was evaluated in relation to the stage of the disease at operation and postoperative outcome. RESULTS: Postoperative complications occurred signifficantly higher in advanced appendicitis group, than in simple appendicitis group. Postoperative oral consumption started significantly later and hospital days are significantly prolonged in those group. Both patient and physician delays significantly affect the stage of the disease. The finding that physician delay correlated with the stage, however, was denied by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: On the contrary to the patient delay, physician delay does not affect the stage of the acute appendicitis nor lead to increased incidence of postoperative complication. Physician delay to clarify the diagnosis is a reasonable strategy and it does not affect the outcome adversely.
Appendicitis* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Multivariate Analysis ; Postoperative Complications

PURPOSE: This study addressed the feasibility and effect of surgical treatment of metachronous periampullary carcinoma after resection of the primary extrahepatic bile duct cancer. The performance of this secondary curative surgery is not well-documented. METHODS: We reviewed, retrospectively, the medical records of 10 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for secondary periampullary cancer following extrahepatic bileduct cancer resection from 1995 to 2011. RESULTS: The mean age of the 10 patients at the second operation was 61 years (range, 45-70 years). The primary cancers were 7 hilar cholangiocarcinomas, 2 middle common bile duct cancers, and one cystic duct cancer. The secondary cancers were 8 distal common bile duct cancers and 2 carcinomas of the ampulla of Vater. The second operations were 6 Whipple procedures and 4 pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomies. The mean interval between primary treatment and metachronous periampullary cancer was 20.6 months (range, 3.4-36.6 months). The distal resection margin after primary resection was positive for high grade dysplasia in one patient. Metachronous tumor was confirmed by periampullary pathology in all cases. Four of the 10 patients had delayed gastric emptying (n = 2) or pancreatic fistula (n = 2) after reoperation. There were no perioperative deaths. Median survival after PD was 44.6 months (range, 8.5-120.5 months). CONCLUSION: Based on the postoperative survival rate, PD may provide an acceptable protocol for resection in patients with metachronous periampullary cancer after resection of the extrahepatic bile duct cancer.
Ampulla of Vater ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic* ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Common Bile Duct ; Cystic Duct ; Gastric Emptying ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Neoplasms, Second Primary ; Pancreatic Fistula ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy* ; Pathology ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to assess the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after occupational physical injuries and the risk factors in occupational accident patients for PTSD. METHODS: Forty-seven occupational accident patients with physical injuries were administered BDI, STAI I and II, SCL-90-R, IES and questionnaires for risk factors and Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale(CAPS). RESULTS: 1) 12 patients(25%) were diagnosed as PTSD. 2) The BDI, STAI I and II and IES scores are significantly high(<0.05) in PTSD group than non-PTSD group. 3) The subscales of SCL-90-R, with an exception of PAR subscale, showed higher scores(<0.05) in PTSD group. 4) The loss of consciousness(LOC) was only significant risk factor in the occupational accident-related factors(<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study show the development of PTSD among occupational accident patients. The loss of consciousness(LOC) was the only signiticant risk factor for PTSD in occupational accident patients.
Accidents, Occupational* ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*

The incidence of uterine prolapse during pregnancy is rare. A 34-year-old G3P1 was initially presented at 16 weeks 5days of gestation with a prolapse of the uterine cervix. The cervix was edematous and protruding beyond introitus. Management included bed rest, and the patient was discharged after several days with a vaginal pessary to help maintain cervical placement. At 35 weeks of gestation, the patient did not experience any further prolapse after the removal of the pessary. Pregnancy progressed to term with no further prolapse. She was readmitted at 38weeks 5days of gestation with spontaneous labor. She delivered a 3.36kg male with an Apgar score at 1 minute and at 5 minutes of 7 and 8 respectively. The patient's cervix remained prolapsed in the early postpartum period; however it was easily reduced prior to discharge. After puerperium, the patient's cervix remained prolapsed. She was fitted with a vaginal pessary for uterine support. We reported this case with related literature.
Adult ; Apgar Score ; Bed Rest ; Cervix Uteri ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Pessaries ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy* ; Prolapse ; Uterine Prolapse*

Granular cell tumor is one of the rare tumorous condition. At present there are estimated 600 reported examples of the tumor in the medical literature. Malignant granular cell tumor is a well established but extremely rare entity that is found in appr- oximately 2 % of all granular cell tumor. Diagnosis should be restricted to neoplasms that are similar in their histological appearance to benign granular cell tumors but can be seperated on the basis of cellular pleomorphism, mitotic activity, and, most importantly, their capacity to produce metastases. The authors had experienced that a 55 years old male patient had two large malignant granular cell tumors at the left thigh and left inguinal area with metastatic lesion.
Diagnosis ; Granular Cell Tumor ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Thigh

The pattern reversal visual evoked potential(PRVEP) and flash electroretinogram(flash ERG) were performed in 22 patients with optic atrophy. Patients with ophthalmologic problems other than optic atrophy or with systemic disorders were excluded from the analysis The results are as follows: 1. In the 41 eyes of patients with optic atrophy, 39 of them showed abnormal PRVEP, in which all the eyes had no consistent waveform except in one patient 2 eyes with delayed P1 latency. 2. 13 eyes were abnormal in both PRVEP and flash ERG but no eye was abnomnal in flash ERG only 3, Regarding the flash ERG examination, 13 eyes were abnomlal. Of these, there was a period of 1 to 2 years for 1 eye's disease, a period of 2 to 5 years for another eye' disease and after 5 years 11 eyes were diseased. Therefore, it showed that the longer the duration of disease lasted, the more flash ERG abnormalities developed. 4. The abnormalities of PRVEP haxe no significant relationship with the duration of the disease.
Evoked Potentials, Visual* ; Humans ; Optic Atrophy*

Clinical electrophysilogical study(EPS) was done in 5 patients with chronic bifascicular block of completa RBBB and left anterior fascicular block. The results were as follows. 1) In 2 patients who needed permenent pacemaker therapy, EPS disclosed prolonged HV interval(>70msec) and block distal to his bundle by atrial with cycle length of longer than 545msec. 2) In 3 patients who didn't need permenent pacemaker therapy, AV conduction and to choose the therapeutic measures in the patients with chronic bifascicular block and unexplained dizziness and/or syncope.
Bundle of His ; Bundle-Branch Block ; Dizziness ; Humans ; Syncope