OBJECTIVES: Gliomatosis cerebri is an uncommon primary brain tumor characterized by diffuse neoplastic proliferation of glial cells, with the preservation of the underlying cytoarchitecture. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical features, outcome of surgical treatment and adjuvant therapy of gliomatosis cerebri. METHODS: Between Jan. 1990 and Dec. 2000, 12 patients were diagnosed with gliomatosis cerebri based on characteristic radiological and histological findings. The patients' age ranged from 18 to 77(mean 44) years and the male to female ratio was 7: 5. Nine patients underwent decompressive surgery and three, biopsy only. Postoperative radiation therapy was given in all cases except three. In addition to radiation therapy, four patients received chemotherapy. The mean duration of follow-up period was 18.8 months. RESULTS: The most common presenting symptom were seizure and motor weakness. The mean duration of symptom was 5.9 months. There was 5 bilateral lesions and tumor involved corpus callosum in 5, basal ganglia-thalamus in 4, and brain stem in 2. There was no operative mortality but four patients died during the follow-up. The mean survival period for 11 patients was 20.5 months from the time of diagnosis. In univariate analysis, the lesion involving corpus callosum, basal ganglia-thalamus and brain stem correlated significantly with the short length of survival(p<0.05). Also, postoperative radiation as a adjuvant therapy prolonged the patient's survival(p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the management of gliomatosis cerebri patients, early detection by MR imaging, active management of increased intracranial pressure, decompressive surgical removal and postoperative adjuvant therapy such as radiation is thought to be a good treatment modality.
Biopsy ; Brain Neoplasms ; Brain Stem ; Corpus Callosum ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intracranial Pressure ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Mortality ; Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial* ; Neuroglia ; Prognosis* ; Seizures

In this study, three treatment options to replace two posterior missing teeth were investigated using three dimensional finite element analysis: two wide(.5.0mm) implants(the experimental model I), two standard(.3.75mm) implants(the experimental model II), and three standard(.3.75mm) implants(the experimental model III). Two kinds of load case were applied ; 1) perpendicular on occlusal surface(axial load), parallel on occlusal surface(lateral load). 2) perpendicular on occlusal surface(3mm lateral to central point). The results obtained from this study were as follows; value of on-mises stress (equivalent stress) was smallest in the two wide implant among the three experimental models. It was reported that the diameter is the efficient factor than osseointegrated surface area.
Finite Element Analysis* ; Models, Theoretical ; Tooth

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Various surgical methods have been tried to relieve the symptoms of nasal obstruction in patients with inferior turbinate hypertrophy. Recently, coblators that use radiofrequency and microdebriders are increasingly used in turbinate surgery. The aim of this study was to compare the long-term postoperative outcome between the coblator-assisted and microdebrider-assisted partial turbinoplasty. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We selected 60 patients who had nasal obstruction and hypertrophied turbinate mucosa that was refractory to medical treatment. Thirty patients were treated with coblator (group 1) and 30 patients were treated with microdebrider (group 2). Postoperative changes in degree of nasal obstruction were evaluated prospectively at 3, 6 and 12 months after the procedure. Cross-sectional area of second notch and volume of nasal cavity were compared at 12 months after operation. Operation time, duration of crust formation, postnasal drip and postoperative bleeding were also compared. RESULTS: Nasal obstruction was improved significantly in both groups. However, statistical significance of improvement and rate of patient's satisfaction at 12 months after surgery was higher in group 2. There were no significant differences in the degree of postnasal drip, operation time and duration of crust formation between two groups. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that microdebrider-assisted partial turbinoplasty is more effective and satisfactory in long-term relief of nasal obstruction and reduction of mucosal volume in the anterior head of inferior turbinate.
Head ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasal Obstruction ; Prospective Studies ; Turbinates

Finite Element Analysis ; Models, Theoretical ; Tooth

Finite Element Analysis