Bladder mucosa has been reported as an excellent tissue for construction of a neourethra. We used bladder mucosa in 3 cases when there was inadequate foreskin to create a neourethra. Two cases were penoscrotal hypospadias with chordee which were repaired in one stage operation and one case was scrotal hypospadias with severe chordee which was repaired in two stage operation. The. sizes of harvested bladder mucosa were 4x 1.5cm, 10 x 3.5cm and 15 x 3cm respectively. Two minor and one major complications occurred. The minor complications were urethral stricture in one case which was managed with urethral dilation and penile swelling after self-voiding in one case which required urinary diversion for several days. In one case severe problem with entire neourethra stricture necessitated internal urethrotomy and intermittent urethral dilatation. In all cases sufficient graft tissue could be obtained and there were no urethrocutaneous fistulas. Thus, the use of bladder mucosal graft in hypospadias repair is feasible in cases in which previous repairs have railed or in which sufficient foreskin for neourethral reconstruction is lacking.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Dilatation ; Female ; Fistula ; Foreskin ; Hypospadias* ; Male ; Mucous Membrane ; Transplants* ; Urethral Stricture ; Urinary Bladder* ; Urinary Diversion

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

No abstract available.
HIV* ; Humans*

This study was performed in order to evaluate the sero-epidemiological status of toxoplasmosis in pregnant Korean women. Among 5, 175 sera and 750 amniotic fluid samples obtained from pregnant women, 41 serum samples (0.79%) and 10 (1.33%) amniotic fluid samples tested positive for IgG antibodies by ELISA. Fifty one cases showing a score more than 0.25 on ELISA were tested for PCR reaction against the SAG1 gene. Only one case of the 51 ELISA positive cases exhibited a positive reaction on all tests. This case had a history of acute nephropyelitis during early pregnancy, but fortunately, had delivered a phenotypically healthy baby. In this study, the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women was found to be comparatively low, consistent with previous reports from Korea. However our trials, performed with a variety of diagnostic tools, were considered to be useful for the precise diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis.
Adult ; Animals ; Antibodies, Protozoan/*blood ; Female ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications/diet therapy/*epidemiology ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Toxoplasma/*immunology ; Toxoplasmosis/*epidemiology

Recently LHRH analog has been interested in the endocrine management of metastatic prostatic. cancer. But the effect of LHRH analog therapy on the prostate has not been previously documented definitely. And the initial flare phenomenon may be developed after initiation of LHRH analog therapy, but the definite method to block this phenomenon has not been introduced. To assess the effect of LHRH analog administration on the prostate, The author observed the weight and histopathologic changes of rat prostate during the administration of a potent LHRH analog (leuprolide acetate) for 6 weeks. And the author intended to present a possible method to block the initial flare phenomenon by observation of the weight and histopathologic changes of rat prostate after local testicular irradiation with a minimal dose(500 rad) producing Leydig cell dysfunction. The following results were obtained: 1. The prostate weight in control group was progressively increased during experimental periods At 0 day, 3 weeks and 6 weeks of experimental period, the prostate weights were 0.44gm, 0 58gm and 0.64gm respectively. 2. The prostate weight in leuprolide treated group was significantly decreased at 3 weeks(0.40+/-0.02gm) and 6 weeks (0.30+/-0.04gm) of administration in contrast to the age-matched control group (p<0.05). 3. The prostate weight in testicular irradiation group was significantly decreased at 3 weeks(0.44+/-0.04gm) and 6 weeks(0.42+/-0.02gm) after irradiation in contrast to the age-matched control group(p<0.05). But its change was less prominent than leuprolide treated group. 4. The pathologic change of prostate after leuprolide administration was the vacuolization of acinar cells. The vacuolization was noticed at 2 weeks of administration and pro gressively increased to the 6 weeks. 5. The pathologic change of prostate after testicular irradiation was the progressively increased vacuolization of acinar cells during experimental periods, but its change was less significant than leuprolide treated group. These results suggest that LHRH analog develops the progressive vacuolization of acinar cells, causing the regression of acinar cells and prostatic atrophy as well as the possible inhibition of normal prostatic growth and that local testicular irradiation prior to LHRH analog therapy may be a possible method to block the initial flare phenomenon.
Acinar Cells ; Animals ; Atrophy ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Leuprolide ; Prostate* ; Rats* ; Testis ; Weights and Measures

Spinal epidural abscesses were evaluated using Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 19 surgically and clinically confirmed cases, including 13 with tuberculous spondylitis and 6 with pyogenic spondylitis. We observed rim enhancement patterns in 10 patients and diffuse enhancement patterns in 9 patients. The spread patterns were localized to ventral or dorsal epidural space and encircled entire epidural space. We conclude that rim enhancement indicates abscess and diffuse enhancement indicates granulation tissue and fibrosis. Tuberculous epidural abscess spreads to ventral epidural space and pyogenic epidural abscess encircles entire epidural space.
Abscess ; Epidural Abscess* ; Epidural Space ; Fibrosis ; Granulation Tissue ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Spondylitis

The magnetic resonance images (MRI) of 30 patients with surgically or biochemically confirmed pituitary adenomas (20 macroadenomas, 10 microadenomas) were retrospectively evaluated. Ten patients had hyperprolactinemia, another eight had acromegaly, another eight had nonfunctioning adenoma and four had Cashing disease. The examination were performed at a 1.5-T superconducting MR system using a multisection spin-echo technique with 3mm-thick sections and a 256×224 matrix. TI weighted sagittal and coronal images were obtained before and within 30 minutes after the administration of Gd-DTPA (0.1mmol/kg). Analysis of the MRI was focused on the signal intensity and enhamcement patterns of the pituitary adenoma before and after Gd-DTPA administration. Compared with endocrinologic diagnosis, macroadenoma showed heterogeneous enhacement in 55%, rim enhancement in 35% and homogeneous enhancement in 10%, Conclusively, the enhancement patterns of the pituitary adenoma did not correlate with the subtypes made according to hormone production.
Acromegaly ; Adenoma ; Diagnosis ; Gadolinium DTPA ; Humans ; Hyperprolactinemia ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Pituitary Neoplasms* ; Retrospective Studies

We analyzed the MR findings of spinal epidural mass in 23 patients retrospectively. MR images were performed at 1.5T unit. The lesions were confirmed as metastasis(12 cases), lymphoma (2 cases), leukemia(1 cases), multiple myeloma(2 cases), meningioma(3 cases), neurofibroma(1 case), dysraphism with lipoma(1 case) and lipomatosis(4 cases), Most MRI examinations consisted of T1, proton density and T2 weighted sagittal imaging of the spine, with additional pulse sequences or image planes as needed for clarification. The level of the spinal epidural mass was cervical spine level in 2 cases, thoracic in 15 cases, lumbar in 7 cases, and sacral in 2 cases. The location of epidural mass within the spinal canal was eccentric in 20 cases, multiple in 2 cases, and encircled in 4 cases. Paraspinal mass was seen in 11 cases. Signal intensity of epidural mass was variable. The marrow of spine revealed low signal intensity(SI) on TIWI and high SI on T2WI in 14 cases. In conclusion, MRI is a useful diagnostic tool for the evaluation of spinal epidural mass.
Bone Marrow ; Humans ; Lymphoma ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Protons ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Canal ; Spine

To evaluate the typical appearance and the influence in the image interpretation of the metallic artifact which is known as one of the patient-related field artifacts, we analysed the magnetic resonance (MR) images of 40 patients (the total number of metallic materials were 45) acquired at MR 1.5T unit. All patients were screened for the presence of metal. The metallic implants were surgical wires and clips, orthopedic devices, and the other miscellaneous materials. The artifacts produced by metallic objects can be seen on MRI as the focal loss of signal and/or the local distortion of the image. Regardless of their ferromagnetic properties, metallic implants created regional artifacts in their images. Ferromagnetic materials, such as a lead fragment, showed severe artifacts and nonferromagnetic metals showed mild to moderate artifacts. The conspicuity of artifact was related tot he composition, mass, shape, orientation, and the location of the metallic objects in the body. Under high magnetic field strength, there were no significant differences between the various pulse sequences. Artifacts are particularly prominent on gradient-echo images. Our findings indicate that MR imaging of patients with standard nonferromagnetic metallic materials can be successfully performed and usefully interpretated.
Artifacts* ; Humans ; Magnetic Fields ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Magnets ; Metals ; Orthopedics

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic*