A lumbar juxtafacet cyst is a rare disease that causes low back pain, radiculopathy and neurological claudication by compressing the nerve roots. A 34-year-old male complained of severe low back pain and radicular pain in the right lower extremity. Magnetic resonance images revealed a cyst at the lateral recess of the spinal canal between the L3-4 disc and posterior facet joint that extended to the L4 body level. Under the guidance of an image intensifier, needle aspiration of the cyst was performed, which extracted 1.5 ml of serous, yellowish colored fluid. After the aspiration, the symptoms subsided dramatically. The follow-up magnetic resonance images showed no recurrence of the cyst. To the best of the author’s knowledge, there are no reports of lumbar juxtafacet cyst treated with needle aspiration in Korea. This case is reported with a review of the relevant literature.

No abstract available.
Lasers, Gas*

OBJECTIVE: The pharmacotherapy of bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (BP-NOS) has been insufficiently studied. The aim of this prospective naturalistic study was to explore the effectiveness of lamotrigine adjunctive treatment in patients with BP-NOS. METHODS: Data from 50 patients diagnosed with BP-NOS were analyzed. On the basis of the prospective mood chart methodology, the efficacy of lamotrigine adjunctive treatment was assessed by changes in the mean Clinical Global Impressions-Bipolar Version (CGI-BP) depression scores. A paired t-test was used to test the statistical significance of the changes in CGI-BP depression scores. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) with simple effect analysis was performed to explore the sequential changes during a 52-week period. Cohen's d was calculated to measure the magnitude of the treatment effects on the changes in depression severity. Time to lamotrigine discontinuation was also calculated using the Kaplan-Meier estimates. Lamotrigine-associated adverse events were monitored every two weeks. RESULTS: A significant decrease, with a large effect size (Cohen's d=1.6), in the mean CGI-BP depression scores was associated with lamotrigine adjunctive treatment in intent-to-treat analysis (t=8.7, df=49, p<0.001). Twenty-four patients (48.0%) completed 52-week lamotrigine adjunctive treatment. Analysis of the data obtained from those completing the treatment revealed a large effect (Cohen's d=4.0) on improvement in the severity of depression (t=16.8, df=32, p<0.001). Sixty percent of patients achieved remission (n=30), and 64% of patients (n=32) showed some clinical response to lamotrigine adjunctive treatment. The mean time to lamotrigine discontinuation was 31.3+/-3.1 weeks (CI=25.2-37.4). Lamotrigine adjunctive treatment was well tolerated, with no serious rashes reported. CONCLUSION: Lamotrigine seems to be effective in the management of depressive symptoms in BP-NOS. Long-term use of lamotrigine was generally safe and well tolerated. Large-scale controlled trials might be needed to confirm the findings of this naturalistic study.
Bipolar Disorder ; Depression ; Exanthema ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Triazines

Uterine tumors resembling ovarian sex-cord tumors (UTROSCT) are very rare tumors that occur mainly in the uterine fundus of women in reproductive age. These tumors can be classified into group 1 and group 2 by histological results. In group 1, epithelial-like differentiation is partially observed in the tumors. In group 2, sex-cord elements are predominant in uterine mural mass. We experienced UTROSCT group 1 in a 29-year-old woman who complained of severe abdominal pain that started one week after delivery and UTROSCT group 2 case in a 49-year-old woman who complained of dysfunctional uterine bleeding. We report two different types of UTROSCT cases that we experienced.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Metrorrhagia ; Middle Aged ; Sex Cord-Gonadal Stromal Tumors ; Uterine Diseases ; Uterine Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Cicletanine bydrochloride is a newly developed anti-hypertensive agent. The presence of a furopyridine group characterizes its uncommon chemical structure as an antihypertensive molecule. This clinical trial was performed to confirm the efficacy and safety of cicletanine for the treatment of hypertension as a monotherapy. METHODS: In order to investigate the efficacy and safety of oral cicletanine, a now class of antihypertensive durgs, the furopyridines, on essential hypertension, a single daily dose of 50mg to 100mg cicletanine was administered in 46 hypertensive patients with diastolic blood pressure in the range of 95mmHg-115mmHg. The patients were asked to cut off other anti hypertensive agents for 10 weeks prior to this clinical trial. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured every 4 weeks. The complete blood count, blood chemistry done by SMA-12, serum electrolytes and urinalysis were performed at the 12th week of therapy. RESULTS: 1) Baseline blood pressures after 2 weeks of placebo at sitting and standing positions were 158.7+/-16.1/102.9+/-6.2 and 148.7+/-14.5/102.7+/-6.7mmHg, respectively. The overall slope which represents the tendency of blood pressure decline over the treatment period with cicletanine for all the patients in each position are as follows ; -0.726(SE : 0.150) for sitting systolic blood pressure(BP), -0.390(SE : 0.080) for sitting diastolic BP, -0.214(SE : 0.183) for standing systolic BP and -0.341(SE : 0.139) for standing diastolic BP. 2) The slope of sitting systolic BP line in cicletanine 100mg treated group was significantly stiffer than that of cicletanine 50mg treated group(-0.445 vs -1.021, p=0.0336). 3) There were no significant interval changes in heart rate over the treatment period. 4) There were no significant interval changes in blood chemistry, electrolytes, hematologic findings and urinalysis over the treatment period. 5) Several side effects were observed in six patients(epigastric discomfort in 4, easy fatigue and insomnia in one patient, respectively). CONCLUSION: Treatment with cicletanine was well-tolerated and the incidence of side effects was relatively low. Because of its unique anti-hypertensive mechanism and moderated antihypertensive effects, cicletanine may be well suited in the treatment of hypertension combined with other classes of antihypertensive agents.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Blood Cell Count ; Blood Pressure ; Chemistry ; Electrolytes ; Fatigue ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Urinalysis

No abstract available.
Myocardial Infarction*

Pulmonary vein stenosis is a rare condition which is usually congenital in origin and is almost invariably fatal in its bilateral and severe forms. It is often overlooked, however, during clinical examination, routine echocardiography, and even at cardiac catheterization. This report describes pulsed Doppler, color flow echocardiography, and hemodynamic findings of bilateral pulmonary vein stenosis accompanying ventricular septal and atrial septal defects successfully corrected by surgery.
Cardiac Catheterization* ; Cardiac Catheters* ; Catheterization ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Color* ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; Hemodynamics ; Pulmonary Veins*

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: When veneering composite resin-metal restoration is prepared, the fact that bond strength between Ti and composite resin is relatively weak should be considered. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the shear bond strength between the veneering composite resin and commercial pure (CP) Ti / Ti-6Al-4V alloy according to the method of surface treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The disks were cast by two types of metal. Their surfaces were treated by sandblasting, metal conditioner, TiN coating and silicoating respectively. After surface treatment, the disks were veneered by composite resin (Tescera(TM), Bisco, USA) which is 5 mm in diameter and 3 mm in thickness. The specimens were stored in water at 25degrees C for 24 hours, and then evaluated for their shear bond strength by universal testing machine (STM-5(R), United Calibration, USA). These values were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: 1. All methods of surface treatment were used in this study satisfied the requirements of ISO 10477 which is the standard of polymer-based crown and bridge materials. 2. The metal conditioner treated group showed the highest value in shear bond strength of CP Ti, silicoated group, TiN coated group, sandblasted group, in following order. 3. The silicoated group showed the highest value in shear bond strength of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, metal conditioner treated group, sandblasted group, TiN coated group, in following order. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, all methods of surface treatment used in this study are clinically available.
Alloys ; Calibration ; Collodion ; Crowns ; Tin ; Titanium ; Water

Aneurysms of the ascending aorta are relatively uncommon disorders which are located in ascending portion of the thoracic aorta. The commenest cause of aneurysms of the ascending aorta is arteriosclerosis, but syphilis, marfan syndrome, cystic medial necrosis, trauma, and aging of the aorta must also be noted as causes. We report a case with a aneurysm of the ascending aorta, 23 years old female, who was performed the open heart surgery because of ventricular septal defect with aortic insufficiency about 10 years ago.
Aging ; Aneurysm* ; Aorta* ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Arteriosclerosis ; Female ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Heart* ; Humans ; Marfan Syndrome ; Necrosis ; Syphilis ; Thoracic Surgery* ; Young Adult

With the recent increase of coronary artery disease in Korea, coronary arteriography israpidly gaining importance as a diagnostic procedure in the management of ischemic heart disease in this country. In order to delineate normal angiographic anatomy of the coronary arteries in Korean adults, the author reviewed 63 normal or near normal coronary angiograms out of 113 consecutive cases done at the cardiac laboratory of Yonsei University Severance Hospital from February, 1976 through September, 1982 and obtained the following results. 1) The diameter of the main stems of the left and the right coronary arteries measured 2.7-6.3mm(mean, 4.0mm) and 2.1-6.0mm(mean, 3.6mm) respectively, and the length of the left main stem measured 0-23mm(mean, 9.3mm). 2) The conus branch was visualized to originate from the proximal right coronary artery in 50 cases(79.4%), and in the other 13(20.6%) in whom the conus branch was not visualized, it was assumed to have a separate ostium directly from the aortic root. 3) The sinus node artery originated from the right coronary artery in 35 cases(55.5%) and from the left circumflex 20(31.7%). The remaining 8 cases(12.7%) appeared to have dual blood supply. 4) The artery to the A-V node arose from the proximal part of the posterior descending artery as a branch of the right coronary artery in 59 cases(93.7%) and of the left circumflex in only 4(6.3%), and the pattern of the A-V node blood supply coincided with the dominancy(crossing the crux of the heart and giving rise to the posterior descending artery) of the right or the left circumflex arteries. 5) In 33 cases(52.4%), both of the arteries to the SA and the AV nodes arose from the right coronary, and in 19(30.2%), the SA node artery came from the right, whereas the AV node artery originated from the left circumflex. 6) The number of ramifications(furcation) of the main left coronary artery was two in 53 cases(83.1%), three in 9(14.3%), and four in 1(1.6%). 7) The number of diagnoal branches of the left anterior descending artery was one in 34 cases(54%), two in 28(44.4%) and 3 in 1(1.6%).
Adult* ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Atrioventricular Node ; Conus Snail ; Coronary Angiography* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels* ; Heart ; Humans ; Korea ; Myocardial Ischemia