Epidural nerve block is the most widely practiced procedure in the pain clinic. Accidental dural puncture during epidural nerve block also has been associated with postdural puncture headache and total spinal anesthesia. Especially, total spinal anesthesia is the most serious complication of epidural nerve block and can lead to a life threatening conditions. We have experienced two cases in whom total spinal anesthesia occurred during epidural nerve block for neck and lower back pain control. Immediately after epidural nerve block, the patients became unresponsive and apneic with loss of muscle tone in all extremity. We performed resuscitations and about 3 hours later the patients recovered completely without any complication.
Anesthesia, Spinal* ; Extremities ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; Neck ; Nerve Block* ; Pain Clinics ; Post-Dural Puncture Headache ; Punctures ; Resuscitation

No abstract available.
Acrosome Reaction* ; Acrosome* ; Male ; Semen*

We report a case of thoracic post-herpetic neuralgia which was improved by dorsal root ganglionectomy. The patient had failed to obtain adequate pain relief from conservative therapy such as carbamazepine, amitriptyline, thioridazine, gabapentin, and transcutaneous lidocaine infiltration. Thoracic dorsal root ganglionectomy from T5 to T7 on left side was performed and satisfactory pain relief without significant postoperative neurologic deficit was achieved. Although dorsal root entry zone operation for refractory pain was the most commonly performed procedure in past, dorsal root ganglionectomy is an alternative anatomically and technically safe procedure for the pain in the thoracic lesion. The clinical feature, operative technique and clinical result are presented with review of the literatures.
Amitriptyline ; Carbamazepine ; Ganglionectomy* ; Humans ; Lidocaine ; Neuralgia* ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Pain, Intractable ; Spinal Nerve Roots ; Thioridazine

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common oral malignancy and an increasing global public health problem. OSCC frequently invades the jaw bone. OSCC-induced bone invasion has a significant impact on tumor stage, treatment selection, patient outcome, and quality of life. A number of studies have shown that osteoclast-mediated bone resorption is a major step in the progression of bone invasion by OSCC; however, the molecular mechanisms involved in OSCC bone invasion are not yet clear. In this review, we present the clinical types of OSCC bone invasion and summarize the role of key molecules, including proteases, cytokines, and growth factors, in the sequential process of bone invasion. A better understanding of bone invasion will facilitate the discovery of molecular targets for early detection and treatment of OSCC bone invasion.
Bone Resorption ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cytokines ; Epithelial Cells ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Jaw ; Patient Selection ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Public Health ; Quality of Life

Chronic cough-defined as a cough that persists for more than 3 weeks-is one of the most common symptoms during childhood that requires evaluation of causes and appropriate management, because it can be very disturbing to daily activities at home and school. Besides asthma, postnasal drip syndrome, post infectious cough, chronic bronchitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease and congenital anomaly, psychogenic factors are known to be possible causes of chronic cough in children. "Habit cough" and "respiratory tic" are different names given to psychogenic coughs. Psychogenic cough is croupy, loud, and unresponsive to antitussives or bronchodilators. It becomes more noticeable to attention and disappears during sleep. Over 90% of cases of psychogenic cough have been reported in patients under 18 years of age and its diagnosis is often delayed due to the time consumed for exclusion of other underlying organic disorders and the recognition of psychogenic factors as an etiology. We report on the case of an 11-year-old boy who presented with chronic cough of a barking nature and was diagnosed as having psychogenic cough by characteristics and 24-hour monitoring of cough frequency and who was treated by psychological interview.
Antitussive Agents ; Asthma ; Bronchitis, Chronic ; Bronchodilator Agents ; Child ; Cough* ; Diagnosis ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Humans ; Interview, Psychological ; Male

BACKGROUND: Antihypertensive agents such as verapamil and esmolol are well known for their effects of hemodynamic stabilization on tracheal intubation. But hemodynamic discrepancies in these agents may result from different techniques of anesthetic induction. The aim of the present study was to compare and evaluate their efficacy in controlling hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation under the different anesthetic induction agents. METHODS: Seventy-two patients, ASA physical status I or II, were randomly assigned to one of six groups (n = 12 each): a Thiopental-Saline (T-S) group and a Propofol-Saline (P-S) group in saline 10 ml; a Thiopental-Verapamil (T-V) group and a Propofol-Verapamil (P-V) group in verapamil 0.1 mg/kg; a Thiopental-Esmolol (T-E) group and a Propofol-Esmolol (P-E) group in esmolol 1 mg/kg according to the induction agents, thiopental or propofol. Anesthesia was induced with thiopental 5 mg/kg or propofol 2 mg/kg intravenous, respectively. Next, saline, verapamil and esmolol were administered as a bolus, and were immediately followed by succinylcholine 1.5 mg/kg. Tracheal intubation was carried out 60 s and 90 s after the intravenous injections of verapamil and esmolol, respectively. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were measured before induction and every minute for 5 minutes after tracheal intubation. RESULTS: There was a significant attenuation in systolic and diastolic arterial pressure after tracheal intubation in the verapamil groups compared to the esmolol groups. Heart rates were significantly lower in the esmolol groups than in the verapamil groups after tracheal intubation. CONCLUSIONS: Verapamil 0.1 mg/kg and esmolol 1 mg/kg attenuated increases in blood pressure and heart rate after tracheal intubation. The different anesthetic induction agents did not influence the hemodynamic effects of verapamil and esmolol on tracheal intubation.
Anesthesia ; Antihypertensive Agents ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure* ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Intubation* ; Propofol ; Succinylcholine ; Thiopental ; Verapamil*

BACKGROUND: Antihypertensive agents such as verapamil and esmolol are well known for their effects of hemodynamic stabilization on tracheal intubation. But hemodynamic discrepancies in these agents may result from different techniques of anesthetic induction. The aim of the present study was to compare and evaluate their efficacy in controlling hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation under the different anesthetic induction agents. METHODS: Seventy-two patients, ASA physical status I or II, were randomly assigned to one of six groups (n = 12 each): a Thiopental-Saline (T-S) group and a Propofol-Saline (P-S) group in saline 10 ml; a Thiopental-Verapamil (T-V) group and a Propofol-Verapamil (P-V) group in verapamil 0.1 mg/kg; a Thiopental-Esmolol (T-E) group and a Propofol-Esmolol (P-E) group in esmolol 1 mg/kg according to the induction agents, thiopental or propofol. Anesthesia was induced with thiopental 5 mg/kg or propofol 2 mg/kg intravenous, respectively. Next, saline, verapamil and esmolol were administered as a bolus, and were immediately followed by succinylcholine 1.5 mg/kg. Tracheal intubation was carried out 60 s and 90 s after the intravenous injections of verapamil and esmolol, respectively. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were measured before induction and every minute for 5 minutes after tracheal intubation. RESULTS: There was a significant attenuation in systolic and diastolic arterial pressure after tracheal intubation in the verapamil groups compared to the esmolol groups. Heart rates were significantly lower in the esmolol groups than in the verapamil groups after tracheal intubation. CONCLUSIONS: Verapamil 0.1 mg/kg and esmolol 1 mg/kg attenuated increases in blood pressure and heart rate after tracheal intubation. The different anesthetic induction agents did not influence the hemodynamic effects of verapamil and esmolol on tracheal intubation.
Anesthesia ; Antihypertensive Agents ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure* ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Intubation* ; Propofol ; Succinylcholine ; Thiopental ; Verapamil*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical characteristics and surgical outcome of cerebellopontine angle (CPA) epidermoids presenting with trigeminal neuralgia. METHODS: Between 1996 and 2004, 10 patients with typical symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia were found to have cerebellopontine angle epidermoids and treated surgically at our hospital. We retrospectively analyzed the clinico-radiological records of the patients. RESULTS: Total resection was done in 6 patients (60%). Surgical removal of tumor and microvascular decompression of the trigeminal nerve were performed simultaneously in one case. One patient died due to postoperative aseptic meningitis. The others showed total relief from pain. During follow-up, no patients experienced recurrence of their trigeminal neuralgia (TN). CONCLUSION: The clinical features of TN from CPA epidermoids are characterized by symptom onset at a younger age compared to TN from vascular causes. In addition to removal of the tumor, the possibility of vascular compression at the root entry zone of the trigeminal nerve should be kept in mind. If it exists, a microvascular decompression (MVD) should be performed. Recurrence of tumor is rare in both total and subtotal removal cases, but long-term follow-up is required.
Cerebellopontine Angle ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; Microvascular Decompression Surgery ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Trigeminal Nerve ; Trigeminal Neuralgia