PURPOSE: We evaluated a rapid preparation procedures for the labeling and quality control of 99mTc-ECD, MAG3, and MIBI using microwave heating and Sep-Pak cartridges. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 99mTc labeling of ECD, MAG3, and MIBI kit preparation was performed according to the package inserts with microwave heating modification. Heating time was 10-15 sec, and heating was performed with 3 mm plastic bottle with screw cap to prevent radiation contamination. Labeling efficiency was obtained with C18 or Alumina N Sep-Pak cartridges. RESULTS: The radiochemical purity of 93~96% for 99mTc-ECD and 95~99% for 99mTc-MIBI was obtained using Alumina N Sep-Pak cartridge. The optimum irradiation time of microwave method for 3 ml 99mTc-labeled radiopharmaceutical solution was 10 sec for 99mTc-ECD and 99mTc-MIBI, and 15 sec for 99mTc-MAG3. The RESULTS of quality control data with Sep-Pak cartridges were well correlated with TLC method. The total preparation time of these radiopharmcaeuticals was 5~6 min including quality control procedure. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that radiopharmaceuticals preparation by microwave heating and quality control by Sep-Pak cartridges can be efficiently utilized as an alternative to the recommended method by manufacturer's manual.
Aluminum Oxide ; Heating* ; Hot Temperature* ; Microwaves* ; Plastics ; Product Labeling ; Quality Control* ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Technetium Tc 99m Mertiatide

No abstract available.
Humans ; Hydronephrosis* ; Radioisotope Renography*

Various neurotransmitters have been proposed as possible mediators of penile erection. Especially, norepinephrine and serotonin might have a important role in sexual arousal and penile erection. And it could be hypothesized that the psychogenic impotence is associated with the depletion or imbalance of norepinephrine and serotonin from evidences such as the symptomatic manifestation of depression and the antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction. The authors investigates the association of norepienphrine and serotonin with psychogenic impotence. The psychogenic impotent group(PIG) consisted of twenty-three patients with psychogenic impotence and the controlled group(CG) consisted of twenty-seven patients without psychogenic impotence. PIG had no organic cause accounting for their erectile dysfunction. The Beck Depression Inventory(BDI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI) were applied to each subject to assess mood, state anxiety(SA) and trait anxiety(TA). Plasma norepinephrine level from systemic blood and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid(HIAA) levels from 24-hours urine were measured in each subject. The mean score of BDI of PIG was significantly higher than that of CG(p=0.015). PIG had a tendency of higher TA compared with CG(p=0.054). And also SA was higher in PIG, bud did not show significant difference(p=0.193). The level of norepinephrine was significantly lower in patient with psychogenic impotence(p=0.000). And the level of 24-hours urine 5-HIAA was lower in PIG but did not show significant difference(p=0.494). Although the authors did not exclude depressive disorders in PIG, the present findings suggest that psychogenic impotence might have higher depressive mood and trait anxiety, and be associated with the depletion of norepinephrine in systemic blood.
Anxiety ; Arousal ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; Erectile Dysfunction* ; Humans ; Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid ; Male ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Norepinephrine* ; Penile Erection ; Plasma ; Serotonin*

We experienced a rare case of sacral meningeal cyst so called sacral perineurial cyst(Tarlov cyst). A 15 years old girl was admitted to the hospital because of sudden severe low back pain and Lt. sciatica for about one week. We performed delayed myelography and spinal computeized tomographic myelography(C.T.M) for differential diagnosis. Delayed filling of contrast media in the cyst was significant in diagnosis of sacral meningeal cyst type II. Laminectomy of sacrum(S1) was performed for partial excision of cystic wall and plastic suture. Operative finding was typical sacral perineurial cyst(Tarlov cyst) which was recently clssified as sacral meningeal cyst type II. The classification of spinal meningeal cysts in the literature was indistinct and confused. We also agree with Nabors et. al, in current classificcation of spinal meningeal cysts, in which the spinal meningeal cysts, in which the spinal meningeal cysts were divided into 3 groups as extradural spinal Mcs Type I(Diverticulum), Type II(perineurial cyst), intradural spinal Mcs(arachnoid cyst).
Adolescent ; Classification ; Contrast Media ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Low Back Pain ; Myelography ; Plastics ; Sciatica ; Sutures

No abstract available.
Hysterectomy*

No abstract available.
Hysterectomy*

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation using radiofrequency energy has been established as the most important mode of treatment in patients with accessory pathway. However the ablation of midseptal accessory pathways had been recognized as being more difficult to ablate than other located pathway because of the low incidence and the difficult localization of ablation site. This paper describes the electrophysiologic characteristics of successfully ablated midseptal accessory pathway using radiofrequency energy. METHOD: Routine electrophysiologic studies were performed in 13 patients with midseptal accessorypathway. Guided by the recording of VA interval, the ablation catheter was positioned in all patients in an area bounded anteriorly by the tip electrode of the His bundle catheter and posteriorly by the coronary sinus ostium. Local electrograms during orthodromic atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia or right ventricular apical pacing were compared for 13 patients with midseptal accessory pathway and consequent 13 patients with posteroseptal accessory pathway. RESULT: 13 patients with midseptal accessory pathway; eight with constant Wolff-Parfinson-White syndrome, one with intermittent Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and four with concealed bypass track underwent attempts at ablation of their pathway using radiofrequency energy. 11 accessory pathways were successfully ablated without complication during the firstsession. A second attempt at ablation was made in two patients with success(one; recurred case, the other one; failed case at the first session). In the surface 12-Lead ECG, all eight patientswith constant Wolff-Pakinsin-White syndrome had not shownen Qrs complex at lead 3. Two patient with midseptal accessory pathway had transient left bundle branch block during orthodromic tachycardia. The VA interval during left bundle branch block was not change compared to that during narrow complex tachycardia in both. In all patients with midseptal accessory pathway, the VA interval in his bundle electrogram were almost similar to that in the coronary sinus ostial electrogram, which was not observed in the patients with posteroseptal accessory pathway. CONCLUSION: We suggest that VA interval during orthodromic tachycardia and right ventricular apcial pacing is the most reliable market for identifying midseptal accessory pathway, especially distinguishing from posteroseptal accessory pathway.
Bundle of His ; Bundle-Branch Block ; Catheter Ablation ; Catheters ; Coronary Sinus ; Electrocardiography ; Electrodes ; Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac ; Humans ; Incidence ; Tachycardia ; Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of small cell uterine cervical carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. METHODS: Patient's medical records were reviewed retrospectively who were diagnosed as small cell carcinoma of uterine cervix and were treated at Hanyang University Hospital between 1972 and 1997. RESULTS: Between 1972 and 1997, of 1164 patients who were diagnosed as invasive cervical cancer, there were 10 cases of small cell carcinoma of uterine cervix in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, Hanyang University Hospital. The incidence of small cell carcinoma in invasive cervical cancer was 0.9% (10/1164). Of 10 small cell carcinoma, seven(70%) were neuroendocrine types which were identified with several kinds of immunohistochemical stains (Chromogranin, Grimelius, and/or NSE). The age of these 7 patients ranged from 34 to 63 years (mean 49). Two were in stage Ib, 3 in stage lla, I in stage IIIb, and 1 in stage IVb. Patients with stage Ib-IIb (n 5) received 3-5 courses of neoadjuvant VBP chemotherapy (vinblastine, bleomycin and cis-platinum) followed by radical hysterectomy with pelvic and paraaortic node dissection. One IIIb patient was managed with concurrent chemo-radiation(3 cycles of cis-platinum & 5-FU) followed by 6 courses of chemotherapy. One IVb patient was treated by palliative chemotherapy with 8 cycles of VBP chemotherapy. Of 5 paticn(s who underwent surgery, none showed pelvic lymph node metastases. These 7 patients were folk>wed for 8 - 62 months (average: 20 months). During this period, 5 patients died of disease hetween 8 and 62 months later and 2 patients are still alive for 12 (stage Ib) and 26 months (stage Ib), respectively. In the contrary, of 3 patients without neuroendocrine differentiation, who underwent neoadjuvant VBP chemotherapy followed by radical hysterctomy with pelvic and paraaortic node dissetion or concurrent chemo-radiation, two stage IIb patients are still alive for 58 and 74 months, and one IIIb patient died of disease 12 months later. CONCLUSION: In summary, neuroendocrine differentiation seemed to adversely affect the prognosis and longterm survival of small cell carcinoma of uterine cervix. So, for this high risk group, more aggressive therapy would be need to improve outcome. However, as the number of patients were small in our study, further study with large number of patients are warranted.
Bleomycin ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine* ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Cervix Uteri* ; Cisplatin ; Coloring Agents ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Medical Records ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Obstetrics ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Tension pneumothorax during one-lung ventilation is an insidious, life threatening emergency. Even though early diagnosis and rapid intervention are necessary to prevent mortality, treatment may be difficult because of the clinical diagnosis-mediastinal shift, hypoxemia, hypotension and increased airway pressure may be confusing in the operative setting. We present here the case of a patient who underwent right thoracotomy with one-lung ventilation and the patient developed left tension pneumothorax with resulting cardiac arrest.
Anoxia ; Early Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Heart Arrest* ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Mortality ; One-Lung Ventilation ; Pneumothorax* ; Thoracotomy*

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of double-phase Tc-99m MIBI parathyroidism scintigraphy with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with hyperparathyroidism. We also evaluated the relationship between Tc-99m MIBI uptake and oxyphil cell contents in parathyroid glands. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects were 28 parathyroid glands of 10 patients who underwent Tc-99m MIBI parathyroid scintigraphy and parathyroidectomy for clinically suspected hyperparathyroidism. Early and delayed pinhole images were obtained at 15 minutes and 2 hours after injection of Tc-99m MIBI, and SPECT images were followed. The weight and oxyphil cell contents of parathyroid of tissue were obtained from pathologic specimen, and the scintigraphic findings were compared with histopathology. RESULTS: In surgical histopathology, 6 parathyroid adenomas and 9 parathyroid hyperplasias were confirmed. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of early and delayed images were 46.7% (7/15), 76.9% (10/13), 70% (7/10) and 667% (10/15), 92.3% (12/13), 90.9% (10/11), respectively. SPECT image detected an additional small hyperplasia. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of combined interpretation of early and delayed images with SPECT were 733% f11/15), 100% (13/13), 100% (11/11). The sensitivity was 100% (6/6) for aenoma, whereas that was 555% (5/9) for hyperplasia. Both adenomas and hyperplasias showed significantly increased oxyphil cell contents compared with normal parathyroid glands (p<0.0001), but the oxyphil cell content and weight were not significantly different between adenomas and hyperplasias. CONCLUSION: Double-phase Tc-99m MIBI parathyroid scintigraphy with SPECT is useful for lesion localization m patients with hyperparathyroidism. Although both adenoma and hyperplasia have increased oxyphil cell content, the sensitivity is high in adenoma, but low in hyperplasia.
Adenoma ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism* ; Hyperplasia ; Parathyroid Glands ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; Parathyroidectomy ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon